March is Women’s History Month and we’re celebrating the historic contributions of women from around the world and their impact on our cultures and societies.
Our very own Cindy Cloward was a Labor and Delivery Nurse for well over a decade before joining her husband Bret to manage what we know now as Riley Blake Designs. She noticed the fabric industry was lacking colorful and fresh fabrics that would appeal to a broader audience. Along with local designers, RBD debuted their first fabric line at the Spring 2009 Quilt Market. Just Dreamy was an overnight hit! Cindy’s contributions continue to make a positive impact on the fabric industry. Her eye for beautiful design and bright optimistic colors, and her opportunity to collaborate with so many talented RBD artists has been the perfect mix of hobby, passion and business.
There are many ways you can celebrate Women’s History Month. Some of our favorite ways include supporting a women-owned business, writing a thank you note to a woman who inspires you, or volunteering for a women’s nonprofit.
This year, we’re supporting Color of Connection Quilt, a nonprofit created by Porfiria Gomez, Michelle Collins, and Keyana Richardson. We believe in the importance of community, supporting industry women, and are so humbled by the work these women do through their own brands as well as the Color of Connection Quilt organization. Empowering and educating a new generation of quilters is important now more than ever! By donating to their organization, you help these women connect with the next generation of quilters in underprivileged communities.
To celebrate women supporting women, Porfiria, Michelle, and Keyana designed this FREE 16″ quilt block. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? We hope you enjoy making this block as a way to commemorate this month.
We are looking forward to celebrating International Women’s Day on March 8th. We so admire this community we are all apart of and the consistent displays of women supporting women that we see every day.
Happy Sewing!