EEK! Two things...

 Well maybe a little more than two things…but first things first…COLOR THEORY FABRIC IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!! Your local quilt stores should be getting it any day if they haven't already gotten it! And the patterns to go with it as well! Find all my patterns here. Woooooohoooooo!!!!! ALSO that means that the pink ombre is finally back in stock and you can start making the I Heart You quilt you've been waiting on the fabric for!!! If I only had a nickel for every email I've gotten with the words "where in the world can I freaking get this pink ombre fabric?! It's no where anymore and I'M HOLDING YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR MY FRUSTRATION!" haha well not really just like that BUT I heard you and we got it back in stock at MODA. :)

 And to celebrate because lets face it we're all very happy the pink ombre is back…lets give a discount on the I heart you pattern. how about 25% off with the code LOVE at check out. :) this discount will go on through Feb 14th :)

Okay so that was number one. And number 2 is this:

My Simply Color books: RED advance copy came in the mail…and as you can see I have some stuff in the works with that. More info on that selection of fabric coming in February. I'm so excited that these books are finally getting ready to ship! Red was super fun to work with and I can't wait to keep giving you more and more sneak peeks of orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. :) You can order the whole series here

for a limited about of copies (of the series) you can get the whole series for $70. (there's only a few left though I think) so go quickly. :) 

Also my oldest is learning to drive. Its worse than being on a roller coaster for the first time.He's doing a lot better and so am I but it has not been unheard of my feet hitting the dashboard while yelling "WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!" to which my husband and my son and the other children look at me and say "MOM, seriously…relax a little." I CAN'T OKAY?! I JUST CAN'T! 

..So if you're the praying type please say a prayer that I survive my nerves of being the passenger in a death trap with a 15 year old at the wheel. Even though my family thinks I'm over reacting...Thanks. 

Follow me on Instagram to see weekly pictures of what I'm working on! 

Summer 2014 Quilts And More and other pretty summer colors

used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved

 If you haven't already checked it out, check it out now, the new Quilts N More has hit stands and my Ombre stripe bags are in there with instructions. It's a super easy tote bag perfect for your summer needs. In 5 summery colors even! :) I'm always excited when I get to contribute to this magazine. And what a wonderful issue to be able to contribute to: SUMMER!
Because let me tell you something. I need summer weather to get here. Its been rather gloomy/rainy/thunderstormy here with a few tornado warnings.
I don't think I'll ever get used to that. But I've learned that 72 hour kits are super important and using any phrase with the word "sump pump" is normal. Had no idea what a sump pump was till we started looking at houses here…and now I know they are crucial, and even back up sump pumps are strongly suggested.
Also after almost three years here…and being this close to Minnesota and Wisconsin, I can still say I hear the accent…but it doesn't sound completely foreign to me…and I know when people ask for a "BEG" they are saying "BAG" with the accent. I don't double take anymore and that sort of worries me…or it just means I'm assimilating to the northernish midwest…and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
The weather here though…is something else. No, seriously…it can be something completely different from what you just had 5 minutes ago. Yep. Wacky weather.

This picture taken in my sewing space while uber gloomy and stormy…is of my enlarged version of my lucky star quilt.

Just like my lucky star Christmas pillow I made…this is just one block made large to finish at 48" square. Another perfect baby quilt. :) This is the workshop I'll be teaching at the Modern Quilt Guild in Kansas City this July. I'm very excited to go and teach this as it's super fast and fun. I'm thinking of making one in each of the 5 ombre stripe colors…but first I have to finish a couple of large deadlines that have been piling up on me and I seem to keep making small headway on them...

Conditions around here haven't changed…the cat overlord seems to be getting smarter than the average cat and is dismissing my decoy fabric I put down, or sometimes it's a race and she is obviously winning because she gets to my project before I can get the decoy fabric down…and then she KNOWS its decoy fabric and the whole mission of not having her butt on my project by putting out decoy fabric is ruined. Just have to be smarter than the cat V… just have to be smarter than the cat...

I at least am grateful to be working on a very fun yellow project, that is helping with the gloom skies and the fact that I will never win against that cat.

She has been added to the hashtag of #catsthatsew on Instagram. 

I also have buck the dog…but he's less in my space…he still hangs out in the daughter's room while she's gone till she comes home. As much as my husband would like to say that that dog is the family dog or his dog…that animal sure spends a lot of time waiting till the little half pint girl gets home, or loves all the attention the little half pint girl gives him while playing dolls on him or watching movies with him and putting bows on his ears…I'm pretty sure she's always going to be a dog person. 

Okay enough rambling…off to finish something…anything! :) 

We'll talk soon.

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V and Co: selvage zipper tote for BERNINA

well, the day has arrived where i get to talk a little about my relationship with BERNINA. 

i bought my first bernina 5 years ago. 

actually back up.

my husband bought me my bernina for my birthday 5 years ago.

it was the best birthday gift he has ever given me. 

second best was my flat iron. yes, you know because i have monica from friends hair remember? (man i miss blogging about stupid stuff...maybe i'll start that up again...)

anyways, when i got my first bernina machine i turned it on and immediately i felt the difference between my new bernina sewing machine, and the old not bernina one i had been using for years.

it's like overnight i became a better piecer, (thank you 1/4" seam foot!) and a much better seamstress in general.

i KNOW it has to do with the sewing machine because i didn't just wake up and become that much better over night due to my skills. 

so fast forward to my craftsy class...and well what do you know i got to sew on the new bernina 380  and fell in even more in love with the bernina sewing machines.

then i got to work briefly with the 780 and holy swear word that was a freaking amazing experience and i am grateful for that! 

i have since settled quite nicely with my 580 and i think we fit well together. katie has been learning on my 580 and i'll blog about that in a little bit. it's been cool to see her at such a young age really love to learn. tearing up. stupid hormones..k what was i talking about...oh yeah.

i have the privilege to work as a bernina ambassador, and one of my duties is to create a few fun projects for the WE ALL SEW blog. 

 for my first project over there i decided to make a fun little selvage zipper tote.

i give you step by step instructions on:
*how to create your selvage blocks
*how to use your zipper foot to create the best looking sewn in zipper :)

*and how to finish your adorable bag

i used a lot of pictures (just like i always do!)
and of course written instructions to go with all the pictures.

so head on over to the BERNINA blog, tell them i sent you. and let me know what you think of my first project over there.
if you have any bernina machine questions i will most happily answer them in the comments section, and if i don't know...i have my bernina dealer quilt shop here in town that is awesome and full of knowledge in the bernina world and can give me the answer to just about anything you throw at me. :)
okay.
have a fantabulous day.
we'll talk soon. ;)

V and Co: My fabric line with Moda: Simply Color

introducing: Simply Color by V and Co. (that's me) for Moda.

debuting at spring market 2012 in Kansas City.
yes, i'm pooping my pants.
yes, i want to cry i love it so much.
yes, i am sewing and sewing and sewing.
YES, that is why the blog is so dang quiet, and the projects have been minimal.

BUT, all this planning and sewing and creating chaos is almost coming to a hault (well we're in the tornado of chaos at the moment...) and after spring market...i should be FIRST having a melt down and THEN we will be back to normal...oh who the swear word am i fooling?

there's always going to be some kind of crazy, and in between all the crazy there will be crafting. and so we will go back to or rather CONTINUE the crazy, but now you can know for a fact that a lot of my projects (patterns for sale AND on the blogaroo) will be made it this lovely stuff.

simply color is my first line EVER. it's pretty much got every single favorite color i have in there...and yes, some of you will be SUPER shocked. there's EGGPLANT (as some people would like to point out its just a shade of purple which i have been known to publicly say that i am not a fan of)
and while i am still not a HUGE fan of lavender (although its growing on me because the daughter loves it) and mauve, EGGPLANT rocks, and i'll beat up anyone who says it doesn't ;)

and one SUPER COOL THING ABOUT THIS LINE (besides that it has my freaking name on it)

is wait for it:

 see these adorable little guys? yeah they look all pastel-y and stuff BUT

when you open up the jelly roll:

 you actually see that in fact each strip is ombre.
what does that mean?

 it means each strip consists all different shades of the same color.
it goes from dark to light on the bolt.

i'm a little in love with it.
i have some fun stuff i'm doing with it to show off just how cool ombre on jelly roll strips are and of course how cool it is to have lots of shades of the same color all on one bolt.
yup.
it's pretty darn cool.

so what say you? you think ombre is as cool as i do?
:)

phew.
load off my chest.
now to sew.
we'll talk soon. :)