Shannon Brinkley Studio Blog

A Studio, Not a Sewing Room Aug 25, 2026

Close your eyes for a second and picture walking into the space where you sew. Fabric strewn across the table, a stack of half-finished projects in the corner, scraps on the floor, the chair you don't...

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One Pattern, a Dozen Completely Different Quilts Aug 18, 2026

Here's a quiet little pattern I've noticed. A lot of us follow the pattern exactly — every fabric, every placement, right down to the cover photo. Partly because it's what we know. And partly because ...

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Start with the Star, or Start with the Set? Aug 11, 2026

You know you want to make something. Maybe there's a print you're wild about that's been sitting in your stash for a year. Or maybe it's just a feeling — something moody and autumnal, or something fre...

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When Is a Scrap Too Small to Save? Aug 04, 2026

You know the moment. You've just finished a project, you're tidying your cutting table, and you're holding a little piece of fabric over the scrap bin, thinking: is this worth keeping?

Save everythin...

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How to Mix Prints in your Quilts -- The "Bette Midler Print" Technique Jul 22, 2026

Have you ever fallen head-over-heels for a fabulous print at the quilt shop — brought it home, petted it, admired it… and then never used it, because you couldn’t figure out what on earth to pair it w...

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How to Build an Interesting Color Palette Jul 15, 2026

If you've ever stood in front of your fabric stash, pulling out one color, holding it up, putting it back, second-guessing yourself, and eventually walking away without pulling a single thing… I want ...

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Understanding Neutrals in Fabric Jul 08, 2026
So often when we are choosing fabrics for our next quilt, we jump right to colors, hopefully grabbing several that make you really happy, but frequently we forget about the quiet, but mighty, neutral!...
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Your Most Wildly Creative Summer Jul 01, 2026

A little restlessness, a little I'd love to try something new — right alongside the quiet hesitation that usually follows it: but I already have a stack of unfinished projects. How can I start somethi...

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Too Many Ideas, Not Enough Time? Jun 23, 2026

Do you ever feel like you're bouncing from project to project like a ping-pong ball?

 

Excited about one thing, then a new idea catches your eye, then another — until you look around and there's a...

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What You Could Make This Weekend Jun 16, 2026

Picture this. It's Saturday morning. You've got your coffee, a little stack of scraps you've been hoarding because you love them too much to cut into "something serious," and a few free hours. By th...

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The Stack in the Corner Jun 09, 2026

There's a stack somewhere in your space right now, isn't there?

Maybe it's a bin in the closet. Maybe a pile on the shelf, or a few projects folded over the back of a chair. The blocks you started ...

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Your Most Creative Year Jan 08, 2026

There’s something powerful about the start of a new year — not because everything magically
changes overnight, but because we’re given a moment to pause, reflect, and choose how we want to move forward...

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