Ep 003: My friend, Bri
This is my first podcast episode featuring a guest!
This episode features my friend, Bri Hord, also known as @bri.inbloom on Instagram, who is a local creative I am lucky enough to call my friend.
Bri has a contagious love of thrifting fabric, quilt tops, finished quilts, and lots of other crafty supplies that she incorporates into her creative practice. Since we recorded this episode, Bri opened a studio at our local creative collective where she teaches introductory sewing classes at her studio, In Bloom Sewing Studio.
Bri’s love of sewing began in a sewing class with her son.
What started out as a way to bond with her son turned into something so much bigger! A local class at the library served as Bri’s official introduction into sewing, and that fun blossomed into this self-taught adventure of quilting and bag making with a style that is a bold blend of modern color and vintage flair. I love seeing everything Bri makes!
My favorite part of Bri’s story is that she inherited THE FANCIEST machine ever from her mother-in-law. It was a vintage Bernina that had never been used, and to this day, she uses it as her go-to machine for bag making! Bri also shares the story of how she really had never seen a quilt before she was first introduced to sewing, and her husband just casually mentioned that he actually had one stored away that had been made by his great-grandmother. Of course, it’s now one of Bri’s treasured quilts, and let me tell you, it is absolutely stunning.
If you’ve ever wanted to use thrifted supplies in your quilts, Bri has some fantastic tips!
As a self-proclaimed thrifter extraordinaire, Bri was happy to share her top tips for using vintage and thrifted fabric, notions, and other supplies in your projects. Be sure to scroll down to check out the tip sheet full of Bri’s best advice for getting thrifty when it comes to quilting. In addition to quilting, Bri sews garments and has really gotten to love bag making, and includes great tips for thrifting so much more than just fabric.
A legacy worth remembering
One of the things about frequent thrifting is that it becomes easy to find orphan quilts or projects. One of the saddest things to find is a quilt with no label - and each of them are absolutely worth remembering! Bri and I talk a bit about labeling quilts and why we think it’s important to include a label on a handmade project. Some of the information that we love to see on a label includes the maker’s name, year of completion (at a minimum), the location of the maker. One of my favorite touches Bri has added to one of her quilting projects is a label that she printed from a hand-carved rubber stamp - scroll down to the image gallery to check it out!
A legacy worth sharing
Since we recorded this episode, Bri has been setting up a local studio space to host beginner sewing classes, curate special thrifted and vintage fabric bundles, and most importantly, to welcome sewists of all knowledge backgrounds and interests. A little bird told me that she is working on a pattern to share with us, along with her sewing students - I’m so excited for it! Visit her website at www.inbloomsewingstudio.com for more information on all that her studio is offering our community.
I love that Bri has been so active in spreading a love of sewing to those around her. If you ask me, that’s what Patchwork Revival is all about! Sharing the love of quilts and the stories they tell with anyone and everyone. I hope you enjoy hearing Bri’s story, and have as much fun listening to this episode as we had recording it!
Remember, That the Patchwork Revival podcast is here to celebrate the connection made in the quilts we love.
