Do you ever want to get into someone's head to figure out how they do what they do?  How they seem to know the perfect color, size, shape, etc. to use for something?

Maybe someone like Brigitte Heitland of Zen Chic.

I admit it... I'm an unabashed fan, a devotee.  I think her work is brilliant and I would love to spend hours just picking her amazing mind.  Though it wouldn't be enough as I know that some of what she does is intuitive... it's what feels right to her based on years of working, evaluating and refining her process.

The quilt above is White Labyrinth.  Brigitte published this pattern many years ago and it is how I first learned of her.  I received an e-mail from a very sweet lady asking me where she could find my pattern, Labyrinth.  I replied that I didn't have one by that name... she insisted I did, she was sure I did.  (Just so you know, this happened with more frequency than you'd guess.)  I was curious so I did a search for Labyrinth and this is what came up.  I was star-struck... a bit depressed... in awe... and just a little envious that this amazing quilt wasn't my pattern.  (All of which I expressed in my reply e-mail.)

Not long after that, Brigitte started designing fabric for Moda.  Her first collection was Juggling Summer and it featured a print taken from the Labyrinth quilt.

Brigitte's quilts and collections all show a mastery of color.  While the palette might vary, there is always a distinctive sense of direction and style.  Yeah, yeah, the girl knows what she's doing.

So it was very exciting to learn that Brigitte had finally published a book - Zen Chic Inspired.

What makes this book special is that Brigitte's is showing us how to use the unique colors and decor elements from our favorite rooms to inspire our quilts.  The rooms don't even have to be ours! She has packed the book with photos of styled rooms to show how foolproof color palettes can be created.  Won't that make fabric selection easier?

In a year where Moda is celebrating Bella Solids, Zen Chic Inspired will provide instant inspiration with 12 patterns ranging from simple piecing to distinctive applique and patchwork projects.

Zen Chic Inspired is available now - it was officially published Wednesday.

Brigitte will be in Savannah, Georgia for QuiltCon 2017.  She'll be in the Moda booth showing her process of creating color palettes from photographs.

She'll also be bringing some of her beautiful quilts.

This is Throwing - it's made with charm packs of True Blue, Brigitte's 13th collection for Moda.

True Blue is coming in April.

Happy Friday!

**For more about Brigitte and how she selects color - Bella Zen Solid Chic.

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