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About Us
Eleven
years ago, Brenda and I packed our bags, said “Goodbye”
to our families and headed to the Utah mountains for a
weekend quilting retreat. Brenda had three children
under the age of three and we were both working full
time as nurses. We needed a break!!! After three
blissful days of snipping, clipping, and stitching we
were “hooked” and our incredible quilting journey began.
It was not
long before we started talking about starting our own
quilting business. We had both been sewing since we
were little girls with our mothers, grandmothers, and
friends, but we hadn’t acquired many quilting skills.
We began learning the basics; decided what kinds of
things we liked to do; and happily stitched away for
several years.
Then, one
afternoon we designed two Christmas wall hangings while
listening (and singing) to the tunes of Andrew Lloyd
Weber. We still have those wall hangings and every once
in a while get them out and giggle about how much fun
they were. Our designs continued but it took 5 more
years before we were able to find the right time to
launch Briarwood Cottage.
Our first
book, “Cottage Blooms” was the beginning of our dream.
Our families and life experiences inspire us. We still
crank up the show tunes but not as often. “Little
Ladybug of Mine” wall hanging was inspired by a Mother’s
Day poem Brenda’s little Emilee brought home from
school. In “Christmas at the Cottage”; our baby moose
quilt was inspired by the announcement of a new
granddaughter whose parents live in Jackson Hole,
Wyoming. They shared their yard with a baby moose and
his Mama. Traditional quilts are inspired by designs
and colors around us. I guess you could say our designs
are the threads in our lives. They weave through our
days linking the past, the present, and the future.
.Some reflect laughter, some tears, some sentimentality
and some are just plain whimsical.
You can
find us designing slumped on a sofa; cross legged on
the bed; over lunch at a fast food restaurant or sitting
on a bench at a T ball game. Our lap top (Sony) goes
where we go and we never know when we’ll have an
inspirational moment.
Our lives
remain full and active. “ Families First” is our motto
and we remain strong in our commitment to our families
but are just as committed to our design business. It
does require some creative juggling, however. Our
children and grandchildren are often put to work
stuffing patterns, and they are eager to offer their
design input as well. We think there might be a future
arbitrator among them because they can drive a hard
bargain.
Our plan
for the future is to make Briarwood Cottage a solid,
reliable, and innovative design company and for Brenda
to be able to devote full time to the business. Right
now she is juggling a nursing career, being a mom, and
our design business. I have retired from nursing, but
find I’m busier than ever and loving it.
Happy
Quilting,
Sharon &
Brenda
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