winner winner chicken dinner and look who just turned 1

 first things first. here are our winners.
i chose 5 of you randomly, and these are the winners of 2 small candy packs and a free pattern.

 Abby said...

ummm a favorite? Confetti and Kaleidoscope its a toss up - love them both so much

 ozone3 said...

Love the Kaleidoscope pattern & the Colorblock zipper pouches.

THanks for the chance to win!!

 Gina S. said...

The Chelsea Bag! I made it with your fabric in same color. It was for my daughter for christmas last year and she still talks about how much she loves it.

 Kathleen OGrady said...

Gosh you have so many great patterns it is really hard to choose one. But I kept going back to the Bloom pattern so I will pick that one. I love the Dutchman Puzzle block. It is almost like an optical illusion and I could just stare at it for a long time.
I am short also, 5'1" and I don't let that 1 inch go unnoticed. My closet is full of 3" heals and wedge slides. Gotta do what ya gotta do. Thanks for the chance to win!

 tpott said...

Your histerical ! I'm short also, my license says I'm 4-11 I lied I'm 4-9, so what putting 2 extra inches on my license makes me feel better. ;-> Your lucky to be able to wear heels, my shoe size is a 5, I don't have much luck finding heels, so I'm always short. ;-> I love your "Bloom" pattern. Thanks so much for offering such a generous giveaway.

winners please email me with your address and what TWO patterns (that's right i just upped your winning cause i'm feeling super nice and happy :P) you would like and i'll get those and the mini charm packs sent your way asap!

congrats friends!! and thank you all who played along with me.

and i loved hearing that i'm not alone in the whole feeling the short thing unfairness. but i was pretty impressed with some of you that wore your shortness with pride. good for you, but i'll still wear my heals thank you very much. :) there seems like there will be quite a few of us doing some wheelies and races in our rascals and high heels later on in life. rascals unite!
good times.

so i have a little fun something to show you.
remember this little lady that graced the cover of my confetti quilt?

 yes this baby is one of my close friends little lady.

 you guys went gaga for her adorbs leg rolls and big cute cheeks

and even more gaga over her adorbs smile...wait, mouth wide open... is it a smile or is she trying to open wide enough to swallow your head whole...whatever the case i had to make a disclaimer that she was not included with the pattern and many of you told me she made your ovaries hurt.
yep you said it i didn't.

well guess what. little miss cutie has just had her first birthday.

and as you can see she's still adorably cute.
and she on a regular basis, makes my husband's heart melt.
i think we will enjoy other's peoples cute babies till we get some grand babies (yes, i KNOW not for a long time from now, but still how fun is that going to be?!)
hopefully this little lady will make another cover appearance and soon. (hint: houston here i come.)
we'll talk soon. :)

V and Co: first quilt over at Gen X

today is the first day of school.
but i also just got back from a vacation that our family drove 4, 438.8 miles to california (and to utah and Disneyland and so forth) and back.
we are still toasted.
i am totally celebrating with having my car detailed to get rid of all gooey/stickiness/sand and basically scrape all the"kid" off from the inside of my car.
they asked for 5 hours.
apparently that's how much time they need for people with gross children like mine. :)

i have a new free quilt pattern (the quilt at the bottom of this post) coming your way (i'm hoping this week) i have to tell you about my trip back to my beautiful san diego...and i have to let you in on a lot of fun projects that have been brewing in my head all summer long! yay for kids going back to school, and yay for a wonderful summer to look back on!
but because i am still fried from my family trip i have none of that prepared. sooooo i thought it would be fun to share a post i did for Gen X blog earlier on this month.
at the beginning of this month i was asked by the lovely ann marie of Gen X quilters about my very first quilt.
here's what i wrote:

i'm so excited that i was asked to share with all of you my very first quilt. 

i made this "rag quilt" with a wonderful group of seasoned quilter friends. i along with one other were the only ones in the group that had never made a quilt before. so as a group we went and picked out fabric enough to make (i think) 6 throws and the idea would be that we would all walk away with the same "friendship quilt".

as the years would pass we could look at it and think of our group of friends. 

i am proud to say that it still hangs out prominently in my home. (in our basement but still prominently!) and yes, i still think fondly of those wonderful women that held my hand and said "you can cut the fabric, there's no need to cry. seriously...its just fabric." 

looking at the colors you can probably guess when it was made! early 2000 when the reds and the greens and the tans and the yellows were very popular is a dead giveaway.

i remember going to the store and picking out the flannel with a couple of the friends. it was exciting and fun and i absolutely loved the picking out of fabric process.

i did have a hard time cutting into the fabric. and yes i did cry. i was scared that i was going to ruin the fabric make a mistake or something. 

they told me "it's just fabric."

i yelled back "ITS FABRIC!!"

 i did end up putting on my big girl panties and i cut the squares and didn't line up all my seams that great, but darn it i had made a quilt!

and i will forever love it. because it started the journey of what i create now:

reverse hopscotch

 see i still love mixing and matching colors and prints. and i no longer cry because i'm afraid of making a mistake. mistakes help you learn. understand how not to do something, and sometimes mistakes come out with pretty cool outcome.

i heart you quilt pattern V and Co.

 one thing is for sure, i still love color. sometimes i focus on just one color like in my i heart you quilt  here we have all the shades of pink (ombre fabric by V and Co.)

houndstooth quilt pattern V and Co.

and sometimes a quilt like my houndstooth quilt just needs to be simple and two toned.

bubbles (baby version) V and Co.

i struggle to label myself as modern or

kaleidoscope quilt pattern  V and Co.

 traditional in the quilting world.
i feel like i am a little bit of both every single time.

confetti quilt pattern (baby version) V and Co.

but what ever kind of quilter i am, i'm glad i am one.

bloom quilt pattern V and Co.

the dutchman quilt (free pattern coming soon)

it's very much a part of who i am and what i love to do.
i am forever grateful for that first quilt because it has led me to keep trying new things and finding a passion in something that i hope to instill in anyone who wants to listen.
quilting is the best.
thank you ann marie for making me talk about my journey in quilting!
we'll talk soon! 

V and Co: another finish

this summer is passing me by quite quickly. 

anyone else having a super fast warp speed summer too? 

not that im complaining.

we've had a great summer.

we've relaxed, we've done some fun family stuff, and we've done a family vacation. which i'll show pictures of that soon too. 

i've worked on my new fall patterns at the pool, in the car, with a fish, in a dish...wait. 

hmmm. well the idea is that whenever a i do get a minute i've been doing some work that i can take with me anywhere i am and when the kids are all occupied.

 this summer i've made it a point to get a little bit of sewing done. not too much "work" related sewing, but more "just for me" sewing.

and honestly it's not been that much but it's more than in the years past. 

i think it's because my kids are getting older and needing me less and less. (mixed feelings)

here's my latest "just for me" finish. 

i decided that i could work here and there on a double point dresden plate.

using my  Dresden plate ruler i decided to just used the top part of the blade of the ruler. 

(use this tutorial for the normal blade construction) 

for the "double point" look you are going to sew the bottom part of the blade just like the top.

continue with turning the points inside out and press with an iron. 

then just like the normal dresden plate, line up your raw edges. and sew those together.

you end up with two finished edges on your dresden plate. 

easy for appliqué!!!

 for basting my wall quilt i used  505 basting spray . if you havent tried this you should. it's worth it and makes quilting a little easier on a home machine.

 next i drew my lines on my quilt. i wanted "X"s.
once i drew my line with a erasable pen i then used my walking foot (bernina) which i still can't believe i've gone so many years not having a walking foot. it's one of my favorite to quilt my quilts. (seeing that i mainly do straight line quilting. okay i've only tried free motion quilting twice and it's something i need to work on.)

 remember how i was saying i "worked" on stuff anywhere i could and many days it was at the pool.
i hand bind all my quilts. i like how it looks
here's my tutorial i did a while ago on how i bind quilts. :)

now i know what you must think...because i'm a quilter and i love quilts, that must mean i have quilts lining my walls, hung over couches, chairs and on quilt racks.

i don't.

i have one quilt on a couch back in the basement. katies room has the i heart you quilt up but i'm thinking i may need to at some point add some other kind of art in there...

mainly we just sleep under them and have them at the foot of our beds. i have them in baskets upstairs and downstairs and anywhere we have sitting places. but yeah not any of them are up on my walls in my main level area. 

so when i placed this up on my front entry way...i've been passing it every day a few times a day thinking, hmmm...

i like it. 

i really like how simply color and simply style go well together. 

oh...and yeah. btw. simply style. is now available in a quilt store near you. :) and if it's not. raise hell that you want it.
you have my permission.
just sayin.
;) 

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.

still here

i swear. just having to be better about taking pictures taking a break and writing about what i'm doing. :) i'll try to get better at it.

ps i tried on bathing suits the other day...and we're not going to the pool this year. seriously...why do butts decide to migrate lower and lower down your leg as you get older? that's just a hypothetical question no need to give me the scientific answer to that. i already know...
okay i have my camera in hand and i will do a few how to's here soon. :)
we'll talk soon. 

V and Co.: friendship quilt along block # 31

welcome to my turn to the friendship quilt along. if you have been following this whole time  and have been making the quilt as we go, welcome to the next one! 

if you are just hearing about it, it's okay i think i'm going to make this quilt this summer when i have a little more down time. maybe we can make it then together. if you've been making them make sure you place them in the flicker group! 

mine is block numero 31. follow the link to get the full instruction on how to make it. 

i chose to make my block out of my simply color pink ombre. 

i kind of have this thing ombre.

find how to make these onsies here .

... and for pink. 

find how to make this appliqued bag here.

...and well these days....

 ...i guess i have a thing for hearts as well, as you can see in my i heart you pattern. :D
find the i heart you pattern here.

but before you think i only have a thing for pink i also have a major thing for all colors:

as you can see in my first fabric line simply color and the second line coming this july simply style.
i must confess though i am a huge sucker for green, blue, and gray. those are usually the things that catch my attention first, then of course anything that goes well with those is a love too...so uh... yeah... i guess i like a lot of colors. :)
(ahem, excuse my awesome organizing...i'm in the middle of trying to fill up my newly installed bookshelves in my office, and i am doing quite a good job at it if i do so say so myself color coordinating and making it look yummy.)

anyways here's my block again in my ombre pink fabric:

with the link on how to create the block

and here's the links to all the other designers playing along:

FEB 18th

Barbara Brackman
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/

Basic Grey
http://blog.basicgrey.com/

Blackbird Designs

http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/


FEB 19th

Bonnie- Cotton Way
http://cottonway.blogspot.com/

Brigitte- Zen Chic

www.farbstoff-bridge.blogspot.com

Anne- Bunny Hill

http://bunnyhillblog.com/



FEB 20th

Camille- Thimbleblossoms
http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/

Deb Strain

http://debstrain.blogspot.com/

Eric & Julie Comstock

http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/



FEB 21st

Jan Patek
http://janpatek.blogspot.com/

Joanna-Fig Tree
http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Jenn Ski

http://jennskistudio.blogspot.com/

FEB 22nd

Kaari-French General
http://frenchgeneral.blogspot.com/

Lynne-Kansas Troubles
http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/

Kate Spain
http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/

 You have the weekend to rest or sew these blocks.
 We hope you are having fun collecting all these quilt blocks.

FEB 25th
Kathy Schmitz 
http://kathyschmitzstudio.blogspot.com/
Edyta- Laundry Basket

http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/index.php 

Lauren & Jessi Jung 

http://laurenandjessiblog.com/


FEB 26th

Lisa- Primitive Gatherings

http://lisabongean.wordpress.com/ 

Malka Dubrawsky

http://stitchindye.blogspot.com/

Me & My Sister

http://meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/

FEB 27th

Minick and Simpson

http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/

Pat Sloan 

http://blog.patsloan.com/ 

Sandy Gervais 

http://piecesfrommyheart-sgervais.blogspot.com/

 FEB 28th

Sweetwater

http://sweetwater.typepad.com/makelifesweet/ 

Stephanie Ryan

http://www.stephanieryandesignstudio.com/ 

Vanessa Christenson

http://www.vanessachristenson.com/ (you are here!!!

March 1st

The Cutting Table
 http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/

okay now, would you like some of my fabric to play with??
remember how i said i liked ombre?

i'm giving away two ombre jelly rolls:

aaaaand some aurifil thread that matches my line.
aaaaaand one of my new pdf patterns 
cause i'm cool like that

all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me 
which one of my new patterns would you like to win?:

bubbles
kaleidoscope
hampton weekend bag
color block pouches
or confetti.
(please make sure you leave an email at the bottom of your comment where to contact you it can look like this vanessa(at)gmail(dot)com so you dont get any spammers)

want a second chance? 
**tell me your favorite shape in a quilt.
mine are hexagons and stars oh and circles. well i guess i can't make up my mine on that...can you?? tell me in a second comment (please leave me you email address at the bottom of your comment)

make sure you check out all the other designers to enter a chance to win in their giveaways as well! 

also through this weekend receive 30% off with the code FRIENDSHIP on all PDFs (all of them not just the new ones!)

okay have fun.
we'll talk soon.