Meadowlark is the second full collection that I’ve designed. The patterns are inspired by Louisa May Alcott’s classic book, Little Women, which is still one of my favorite books. Over the summer my daughter and I watched the newest adaptation of Little Women on PBS and I decided to re-read the book. I also read Samantha Ellis’ book How to be a Heroine, which breaks down some of the most beloved heroines from classic novels and explores how these heroines have shaped our lives. Yes, as an adult I see some of the pitfalls, but I still love to root for Jo, yell at Amy for being the worst and hope Beth won’t get scarlet fever. I still have my illustrated copy of Little Women that I read multiple times with my mom growing up.

There were times when I was creating these patterns I was pretty sure that my Adobe Illustrator was possessed and determined to drive me crazy. My Concord Neighbors pattern in particular killed Illustrator multiple times. Where my Strawberry Jam collection seemed to pour out of me, there were times when some of these patterns seemed just out of reach. I could see how I wanted the pattern to look, but then I would end up tearing the pattern apart and starting over. Sometimes I think our culture glamorizes “ease,” and vilifies hard work. This collection did feel like more work than Strawberry Jam, but that doesn’t lessen my affection for it - if that makes sense.

I definitely designed this collection with my daughter in mind. At 10, she’s right at the cusp of becoming a young woman, but still a little girl at heart. Much like me, my daughter is an avid reader, and I can picture her cuddled up reading under a quilt made up of these patterns. They have a youthful feel, but could still grow with her.

Below you will find four of my patterns from Meadowlark in both color ways - Dawn and Dusk. From left to right they are March Sisters, Beth’s Quilt, Orchard Canopy and Concord Neighbors. Make sure to follow along on Instagram for even more peeks into this collection.

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Do you love the March sisters? Who are your other favorite heroines from literature? Tell me below! Besides Jo, I also love Anne Shirley, Lizzie Bennett, Anne Elliot and Hermione Granger.

Hello! Some of you may have found my site through my old blog, Lauren’s Creative, and if so - welcome! If you’ve just happened upon my site, even better - welcome to you too! I thought I should give a quick introduction…

My name is Lauren Brewer and in between school runs I am a surface pattern designer. Some of you (in fact a lot of you) may not even know what that is, so here’s a quick definition - a surface pattern designer creates patterns that can be applied to pretty much ANYTHING. A polka dot top - someone created those adorable polka dots that were then applied to fabric and then became a top. A floral rug, yep - someone drew those flowers, most likely imported them into Adobe Illustrator and then created a pattern which was turned into a rug. You get the idea. Up until about a year ago, I didn’t even know this was a career, but once I did, it felt like a light bulb going off. I fell into a Google wormhole and started taking classes on Skillshare. FINALLY - all of these things that I loved converged into what felt (and feels) like the perfect place for me. I have always been fascinated by color and pattern. Even in high school I would walk around fabric stores looking at fabric and scouring my mom’s home decor magazines. After taking a few classes on Skillshare, I found out about a very special course offered by Bonnie Christine - and it was such a gift. Her Surface Pattern Design Immersion Course - opened up a whole new world.

I have spent the last 8 months or so building patterns and collections. As of now, I have three complete collections each featuring 10 patterns in two separate color ways. Over the next few months, I will give little peeks into my design process for each of the collections. If you’d like a peek at a few of my patterns - check them out on my Patterns page. I am also in the process of finalizing my portfolio and will be sending it out into the world - talk about a scary but exciting process.

Thank you so much for stopping by and if you haven’t done so yet, make sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter. As a newsletter subscriber, you will get exclusive printables and downloadable content delivered every month. You can also check out my printable section to see what’s already available in my printable library.

Thank you again for stopping by!

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