V and Co: why yes...i'm still sewing.

 well, this week... wait...no, last week and this week have flown by in super hyper drive sonic speed. yep, couldnt decide which one, either way it was fast moving.
and why yes, i am still working on things for market. thanks for asking.

the kids had a day off on monday and we went to the lake... so i could bind a quilt in peace and not have to deal with the "mom, can i play video games?mom can i play with a friend?mom can a friend come over?mom can we do something?mom can i drive you insanely nuts by 9:30 in the morning?" bit. while they played in the sand and yes, even got in the water, i got to sit and bind a quilt, drink a diet dr pepper, and talk and laugh with a friend. i know i would hate me too. it really was such a gorgeous day. and if that were my life every day i would not write about it because i would feel like i was rubbing it in your face, which lets be honest, you wouldnt like that and i'm not that type of girl. no, but because you guys know the life i live (of surviving in a house of amateur comedians of all ages, and finding myself in horrific situations) when i get a moment of utter bliss like this, you and i both feel like "yeah, lady. you totally deserve that."
it's really what keeps me going you know.

 iowa has had some pretty crazy weather. it's been drastic. no ease into spring then into summer.
it's crazy that last week they were talking snow...which we didn't get but just got a lot of cold rainy days...but i know minnesota totally got snow and in some places still has snow on the ground. and now here we are in the high 70's. no complaints about the change we've seen, i like it i live for the heat, and hello we havn't had the humidity yet so yes:
the weather is gorgeous. wish it could stay like this FOR.EV.ER. and i will enjoy every minute i can!

 this last week i played with new ideas for future patterns.

and i had fun playing with both lines together and appliquéing.
more to come on this. but for now i continue to sew. :) and sneaking out every once in a while to get some of the yummy weather.
we'll talk soon!

V and Co: sewing sewing sewing

as i sew and what not i snap pictures here and there on my phone.
it's been nice to do a few "extra" prep for school houses.

and bonus on finding super cute shoes at target in the little girl section. they are slightly too big for me but they totally work for $10 and for the fact that when it finally STAYS WARM my feel will swell enough to fit better in them.
because as i have come to realize since moving to somewhere where there's humidity is that my hair and make up make me look like alice in chain, and i turn from a raisin to a grape during the summer/humid season.

oddly enough... right now, i'd take that over the projected snow we are supposed to get.
k. off to sew some more.

V and Co.: to market

these past few weeks i've had a lot of sewing mileage. quilt market being right around the corner means lots of sewing to display what your product can do.
i've been asked to show off my collection of threads with aurifil at a schoolhouse for aurifil, so i've been doing some fun projects that include my collection, like that little zippered pouch, and now these lovely flowers.

this is the twisted flower pillow i show you how to make in my craftsy class. back when i was filming the class my fabric line hadnt come out yet. i used different shades of the same color and it turned out pretty cute as well. but i'm happy how this pillow has turned out with the ombre fabric. i'm going to make a couple more in different colors to show how wonderful it is to have thread collections that go so perfectly with fabric lines so that when you create there's no guessing on which shade of color in thread you will need.

so off to go create a few more things. and i am of course working on a few how to's for here on the blog, and for a few other places. very busy and blessed i feel.

oh and hey: my craftsy class....it's on sale right now. :D
we'll talk soon! i'll show you more of what i'm making as i make it!!!
hope you are enjoying the little bit of spring that has finally decided to show up in some places!

V and Co: what kind of quilter are you?

confetti by V and Co.

 this last weekend i was given the opportunity to speak to a group of lovely ladies in the Des Moines area. i was asked to speak the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild.

me and my i heart you quilt at the modern quilt guild in Des Moines

i get nervous over these things. the thought of "will they think i'm too traditional?" always crosses my mind. as well as when i get asked to speak to a non modern quilt guild i get nervous and think "will i be too modern for them?"
i get asked one question a lot.

what kind of quilter are you? are you modern or are you traditional?

houndstooth by V and Co.

it's probably one of the most asked questions i get.
even for magazines i'm quoted because i've had to give answers on this matter.

so  when i was asked to present to the modern quilt guild my take on using traditional blocks in modern quilting i was super excited to talk and share my thoughts.
as i started to create my powerpoint on modern quilters and modern quilts using traditional blocks again i was hit with the thoughts of "this has been happening since day one. since day one someone got cold and needed a cover. then they needed to make it bigger or fix it and well...one thing led to another...and now centuries later we have quilting not just as a way to keep warm and cozy, we also create art with fabric."

i heart you by V and Co.

i spoke about how colors, textile prints, and arrangement of blocks, or lack of blocks, or making it have a less than perfect (wonky for a lack of word) block can create a completely different look to what starts off as a traditional quilt block.

my message to them was that quilting as they already know is usually categorized into two groups, modern and traditional and really this is good in some ways and not so good in other ways. it's good because well, on both sides, we find others who like the same looks in quilts, and who like the similar color combos, techniques, and we help each other and support each other get excited about this wonderful sewing and quilting thing.

bubbles by V and Co.

it's not so good because you sometimes feel like you can't learn from the other group.
that is sad to me.

have you ever seen someone teach because they love something so much? even if you don't necessarily find what they are teaching, pleasing to your eye? that passion they have is real and you can always walk away learning something from someone either the material they teach about or about that person and their passion.

my message is the same today as it was the first time i learned to sew. this sisterhood of traditional, modern, or in between quilting should be just that. a sisterhood. seeing quilting for what it is, a wonderful art, one that has been around for centuries, one that we can continually keep changing, bringing back old customs with new colors combos, techniques, new tools, or shortcuts.

yes, i'm excited that we have a "modern quilt generation". there will be a stamp on what quilts will look like from this era. but we can not be so arrogant to think that traditional quilters are dying out and modern will take over. as well as traditional quilters can not be arrogant in thinking that these new wave of quilters don't know how to do a thing or two.
i've learned so much from both sides. and this has always been my message. do not shut out the other side.

rembrant vs picaso.

both artists but very different look.

so when i'm asked what kind of quilter i am...modern or traditional?

kaleidoscope by V and Co.

my long answer is this:
"i am traditional quilting and modern quilting who got married and had kids. each of my quilts has it's own look, it's own personality, and is a product of both parents. that's what kind of quilter i am."

my short answer is:
i'm just a quilter.

thank you to the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild for asking me to come and speak. it was so much fun getting to meet you and see all your beautiful projects, and the wonderful things you are doing as a group.

barn dance by V and Co.

i love to be surrounded around quilters of all generations. i hope my daughter will be able to appreciate the things i did when we were considered the new wave of quilters and i can't wait to see what her generation will be doing when it's their turn to make a stamp in this forever timeline we call quilting and the art of it.

V and Co: getting my embroidery on and 15 years

yesterday i continued to work on things for market. 

i am doing a school house with Aurifil threads and i will be showing off a few things i've made (including this little bag) with my line of threads with them.

 one person asked if i did the embroidery by hand. uh no. but thank you for thinking i did that by hand.
 nope the embroidery was stitch #431 on my Bernina 580 
these threads were created for my simply color line. but go great with my simply style line as the colors are close enough that they transfer pretty well!

 the bag pattern is my color block pouch. (the large bag of the three)
it's one of my favorite to make as a gift for sew-y friends because it's fast and easy and totally a necessity.

yep. i'll be making a few more. :)
and i'll be making a few other things with my embroidery machine and thread here soon too. watch for it on the We All Sew Blog for BERNINA. :)

also this last week my youngest one was caught on camera eating a microphone.

this was taken before the kindergarten moosical.  she obviously is lacking in the personality department.


we also (the husband and i) celebrated 15 years and one month this last sunday.
yep, last month we celebrated 15 whole years of marriage.

i married a pretty cute boy 15 years ago.
and today i celebrate 15 years of being with my best friend, the love of my life, the guy that can make me laugh so hard i pee, the guy i can look across the room and with one look i know what he said with that one look. i'm married to one of the hardest working men i know and a great example to my boys. i celebrate 15 years with the guy i have 4 kids with, countless of memories, a few trials we have been able to go through and look back at and learned from. i am celebrating 15 years with the man that mirrors my desires to have a good family life, mirrors my desires to create a safe home for our children, the man that mirrors my sense of humor, and the man that continuously tries to keep smiling.
i am one lucky gal i said yes. one of these days i'll have to write down our story. it's pretty hilarious. :)

this week i'll also write up about my time at the MQG in Des Moines. they asked me to talk about traditional blocks in modern quilting . it was fun and i got to meet some lovely ladies and got to talk fun stuff with them. :)

here's a blog post by one of the members! it was so nice to meet you veronica!!
we'll talk soon!