About Me

Welcome!  I’m Lara, the designer behind Briars House, where modern quilt patterns meet bold color, thoughtful design, and the quiet joy of making something with your hands.

I designed my first quilt in our little blue house on Briars Street. It was a special place, where a lot of life happened -- I got married in the backyard, grieved the loss of a parent, navigated the chaos of 2020, started new jobs, and built friendships. That house was full of growth and change. It saw a lot, and somewhere in the middle of it, I picked up quilting. And when I did, I realized there was something kind of magical about it. That part? It stuck.

 

 

Even though we’ve since moved on from Briars Street, that little blue house still lives in the heart of this work. Naming my business after it felt right. Briars House is a reminder that the most meaningful things we make often come from the most personal places.

Professionally, I’ve spent most of my career in higher education, and most recently, higher ed-adjacent project management. My work life is rooted in structure, systems, and problem-solving -- the kind of work that lives firmly in the black and white. It’s what I’m good at. But outside of work? I need color. I need art. I need to keep my hands busy.

Quilting, for me, is the perfect intersection of order and creativity. My love of structure shows up in clean lines and geometric shapes, but color gives me room to play, to try something new without consequence. If I'm not quilting, you'll find me creating and keeping my hands busy in other ways -- gardening, baking, coloring, or trying out a new craft. 

That is, unless it's summer. Then there’s no doubt you’ll find me outside -- camping, at the beach, or laid out with a quilt and my coffee, basking in the glorious sun we never see enough of in the PNW.

I’m glad you’re here.

XoXo, Lara