Valori Wells

The end of May....

As this month comes to a close - honestly I can't believe that it is almost June...almost Quilt Show in July. Wait I have to remember not to get a head of myself....there is still a lot of fun to come about in June. June 1st I am starting "Simply Made Summer".....every Friday for 12 weeks I will post some great projects, recipes and free downloads...might even be some giveaways!!

My goal to do a pic everyday and post everyday has somewhat fallen....I do take the pics but just don't get to posting as much...... I thought I would share some pics from market. It was a great time!!! Coming home is always good......the kids were excited to see me as was my husband! The morning after I got home I was up with Teague early and we were in the kitchen listening to music. The song Kandi by One Eskimo came on and he puts his sippy cup down on the floor and stretches out his hand to me to dance with him. My heart melted! What a sweet little boy he is....such a mamma's boy! (I love it)

Ok Pics from Quilt Market!

The beautiful Amy Butler....Love that girl!

waiting for take down.....there is always a lot of hurry up and wait! Of course as I look through these few images I realize I need to take more....Have to remember that for Houston when "Novella" comes out.

Have a great weekend!

XO

Valori

 

May 12.....

Happy Saturday!!! It is a awesome day in Sisters, OR!!! The Kennedy house or should I say garden was full of life today... We did a ton of clean up, all the kids helped, the cats were out playing in the dirt. Complete happiness! I have never had the garden ready for planting before market. I am so happy! After we were done in the garden, Ross went to town the little ones took a nap and Olivia and I went into the studio and made her dress.

My pic for today.....

XO
Valori

Now we are enjoying a BBQ at friends house! What a great day!!!!!

Purging....

Purging..... As a VERY sentimental person and avid collector purging is hard! Ross and I have been working on the house. Just feeling like less is more! It is a process especially for me. The house is starting to feel so good, so light.

I felt like my studio has been weighting me down. I keep having dreams about packing and cleaning. It is amazing all of the anxiety I feel in the dream and then when I wake up. Conclusion..... I am purging my studio. Trying to get rid of things I don't need and packing up some of the sentimental objects the are cluttering my space. It is a process and I have such a short attention span (no wonder my kids are that way) that I get bored easy.... Find myself doing other things. Like blogging! I look around and even the places that I have purged and cleaned still feel full. Frustrating! I am just trying to work my way through the space then go back if I need to. Oy Vey!

Now back to cleaning.... And PURGING!!! That needs to be the key word!
XO
Valori

Cocoon Sample yardage....

My huge box of Cocoon cotton and voile arrived.... Lilly has decided that it is her fabric. I can't wait to get my hands on it....
XO
Valori

A New Purse..........

This is a little purse that I have been working on.....I don't get much time to knit these days. To actually finish a knitting project is amazing...I have SO many in progress projects.  I love the chevron pattern so I thought that I could use it to make a cool purse.  For the yarn I used Koigu  (LOVE) and Cashshoft from Rowan. Then I lined it with some of my new collection Cocoon....

Wouldn't this be so cool as a bigger bag, one that could hold more especially since I carry so much in my bag. I will just have to find some different handles. 

Anyway.......My brain is a bit fried from sitting in front of the computer today working on fabric. I need to do something with my hands other than moving a mouse around. Maybe play with some fabric, or quilt or silk screen....hhuuummmmm! 

Off to make something......

XO

Valori

In the studio.....

I am back in the studio today. Always feels good to have a quiet day with the kitties. As I walk around my space I realize how many projects I have in progress. Some for personal satisfaction and others for work. Besides my looming fabric deadline here are a few others that I have calling to me.

This is a quilt that I started a long time ago...I embroidered one of my favorite quotes on it......

" I tell you, the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people" - Vincent van Gogh

Now if I can only get Sophie off of it I could quilt it.....on my new Bernina 550 QE. Oh my, it is so amazing to sew on....its like butter! Quiet, smooth, and the stitches are perfect. I am in love!  Totally excited to quilt with it...which is one of the reasons that I haven't started quilting my "quote" quilt. Maybe tonight.....

These are two paintings that I started when Ross and I were in the City. He is so awesome about letting me have personal creative time when we are on a trip. I am very lucky! I do hope to finish these soon. It had been months since I had painted, felt so good!

And now for my beautiful Cocoon Linen all folded nice and sitting on my table waiting for me to make skirts and pillows and bags.....OH MY!  Cocoon is my spring collection of fabric, inspired by butterflies and my daughters. They love to watch the butterflies on our wild flowers and chase them around, laughing! Just makes me smile thinking of it. The rest of my sample yardage should be here soon.... yummy cottons and voile. I am planning lots of fun projects for a Cocoon Simply Made Summer.

The projects are endless....I have several more in progress. Can't seem to do just one thing at a time - I float around my studio sometimes getting bored with one project and starting another then going back to the first one. Is that normal? I wonder if it is not the best use of my time be so scattered but I am not sure how to change it.

Well, I must focus.....back to the fall collection....feeling a little stuck at this time but it will all come together, doesn't it always!

Have a great day!

XO

Valori

Tomorrow Morning.....

I am up in Portland today staying at my brothers house because tomorrow I get to be a guest judge on a Portland tv station - KATU -  that is doing a "Project Runway" type of show.

The Design Challenge is going to be a 6 week long competition between four designers from the Art Institute of Portland. This week is the first week and Westminster / Free Spirit is the featured fabric company and they asked me to be a guest judge! HEHE.....I think it will be so fun!

On Monday they introduced the designers and had a HUGE stack of my Karavan Knits on the table....I feel a little giddy when I see that...makes me feel like a kid that just got an A on a spelling test!

In case you were wondering we do have the knits in the shop....we are hoping the patterns for the Isabelle skirt and Sondy top will be done soon.....patterns can take longer than you think sometimes. Totally annoying but a fact that I just have to get used to. Try to get used to!

Well, I'm off to hang out with my family...don't get to see them much so it is fun to chat!

Have a great night!

XO

Valori

January 20, 2012....

I find that when I go through change I retreat, into myself, into my studio, but that is when my best growth comes out of me. I can honestly say I have changed so much over my 38 years. Or maybe change is not all that has gone on, I have discovered so much about myself, who I am and who I want to be. Not always an easy road for me.

Recently I have been wanting to get my tattoo for Teague. And the only person I want to do it is a old college friend, Cheyenne Sawyer. He gave me my arm band in college…. I love that piece no matter how simple it is. I think about who I was in college….I was….uummm, in my 20’s and still trying to find myself. I was a bit of a basket case at times and I really went through a ton of growth in college. But I am so different now than then.  Really only recently can I say I have  truly found myself….REALLY….38 and finally feeling secure in who I am, loving who I am. Finding my balance and feeling grounded. And with this new found confidence my creativity has soared.

I have been in a “retreat” mode for several months…..thinking…….but still trying to get work done. As I come out of my cave I realize how much I have neglected my blog and my photography, my art, painting etc….just been off. Time to rectify that….

Step One - start blogging again rather than just thinking about blogging and then not making the time for it just do it!

Step Two - Find your love of Photography and Painting again.

To accomplish both of these Ross and I have gone away for the weekend....we find ourselves in Portland. We are sitting 7 stories up at the Vintage Plaza on the corner of Washington and Broadway. Working….Yes, working. I have a fabric deadline and worked this morning on them but this afternoon feel the need to blog. Show some of the cool city shots I have taken with the new addition to my family….the PEN.

My new camera.....LOVE!! It is compact but packs a punch - the Oympus Pen E-P3.

Our drive over Mount Hood. We traveled over this pass because there was a landslide on Hwy 20 - Santiam Pass.  Nice to have a change of scenery.

Yep - THE STAG.....we were so tempted to stop!

Of course there are some Hipstamatic images included...just can't help myself!!!

Foggy, rainy, beautiful Portland! I really do love this city!

Mother's Cafe is one our favorite places to eat. We decided we would sit in the bar because we don't get to do that much...I didn't have to ask for a booster seat and I got to enjoy my meal with out scolding a child. We are on vacation!!! WOO HOO!

My beautiful, wonderful sister-in-law, Stephanie got us a suite at the Vintage Plaza downtown. WOW! Love!

Our View.....

I love the grey light of the city in the winter...sounds funny but the color is amazing and the rain can be great to shoot in. I don't miss living in the rain but LOVE to visit.

I find the city to be a new source of inspiration one that I haven't explored in a long time.

See Ross worked! I swear he is not on Facebook!

This is what I worked on......

Then we had afternoon cocktails.....

So I will leave you heading up the spiral staircase to get dressed for dinner in the city.....

with thoughts of water named FRED......and....

little metal moose on the wall......

Sweet Dreams!

XOXO
Valori

New sewing patterns.....

My sweet baby girl Vivi has been home sick for three days.....poor thing has a nasty cold. So, not much work for me this week. Luckily my husband is so awesome and helped me a lot. We have an great balance with work and family when someone is sick or gone. I never thought I would have such a wonderful family and life. Sounds strange to say that because I didn't ever think I should have a bad one just didn't know it could be like this. That I would be this happy. I am thankful!

Ok.....I am done being sappy. Photos of new patterns...YEAH!

This is one of the new Sewing Cards....$3.00 retail and you can make a skirt for anyone. If you can cut rectangles and sew them together you can make this skirt....So fun! My girls like Twirly skirts but me personally don't look that good in twirly skirts so I made one with less fabric but uses the same pattern. They were made in the Karavan Jersey Knit but I think corduroy, voile and cotton would make great skirts too.

The Josie bag.....a small version of a messenger bag with a long strap to throw over your head while your riding your bike to work. I don't personally ride the 6 hilly miles to the Stitchin' Post but my friends who live in town or close to town do. This bag was made before I got the Karavan fabric, I silk screened the Elephant on some of my Jenaveve Linen and then embroidered the fabric. I just love it....this will be MY bag!!

I have been working with a friend Nick Coman - he is a clothing designer - on a collection of clothing patterns....we should have the first two patterns out by the end of the year. The Girlfriend Series...

This is an awesome skirt made with six panels.....for my personal use I made the skirt pattern longer to make out of this sweater knit fabric I have. I think it will be fun for winter.....

The Sondy is a very versatile top that can be made into a tunic, t-shirt or dress and the back is a cowl neck, so cute.

Well, those are the new patterns....I have some free quilt patterns but I have to finish photographing them and I will post....luckily I'm saved by the fact that the fabric isn't in shops yet. The Karavan Jersey Knit wont be available until the end of the year but the flannel and cotton should be coming soon!

Have a great day!!

XO

Valori

After Market.....

I am so guilty....not sending any pre-view of Karavan booth and new patterns before market.....

I have no excuse....

Jules was shipped in a large box to the hotel in Houston...I carried her over from the hotel to the convention center. Funny got a lot comments, "did you know you have an elephant on your back?" Really?! .....I think mom got a picture. I'll have to check. Needless to say Jules stole the show. The bell of the ball.... and we got the Second Place award for the booth. I was thrilled! It was the first time that  I have done a booth at the fall market in Houston. But I think it was worth it since I was introducing a new substrate....the yummy Jersey Knit. Karavan Jersey Knit was a huge success...at least to me. We will see...It just seemed like everyone was mentioning that they have been looking to introduce some jersey to their shops. Good Timing.....

And now for the few photos I have...I was a bit distracted in setting up and doing the schoolhouses and lecture that I didn't even take out my other camera...these are all my iphone photos - with my FAVORITE app ever Hipstamatic....

Sondy and I on Sunday, wearing the Isabelle Skirt and the Sondy Top - which I made into a dress.

Jules after she received her new earring.....

Jules got her picture taken more than me....but this time they wanted us both.

Can't believe that is all the photos I took....I do have some new patterns that I will post tomorrow....new quits and clothes.

Good Night my friends....

XXOO

Valori