Today's featured Mom has her hand in many pots. She's a true creative spirit and her skills have only grown since the birth of her children.
H: How long have you been doing what you do?
V: With the pregnancy of my first child ( I now have 3 -- ages 5, 6 and 8), I stitched together my first baby quilt and began sewing window treatments for the house we moved into at 7 months pregnant. I created photo and video montages of my kids ever since my son was born almost 9 years ago. I've been in business for over 4 years and our goal is to help people easily get their photos out of their camera or computer in a format that's fun to share.
H: How long have you been doing what you do?
V: With the pregnancy of my first child ( I now have 3 -- ages 5, 6 and 8), I stitched together my first baby quilt and began sewing window treatments for the house we moved into at 7 months pregnant. I created photo and video montages of my kids ever since my son was born almost 9 years ago. I've been in business for over 4 years and our goal is to help people easily get their photos out of their camera or computer in a format that's fun to share.
H: What do you like to create?
V: I love the emotion attached to setting photos and video to music that matches the mood I'm trying to create. My creativity comes in choosing the photos, creating fun title pages (that's the text that sets the tone before a chapter of a video), and choosing the right music.
H: Were you creative before you had children?
V: I've always been the one to do a craft. I can't sit and watch a football game with my husband, so I always make quilts during football season. Since my Fodeo business is growing, I can focus on relaxing with a fabric cutter, my sewing machine and some fabric. There's something calming about the repetition of cutting or stitching together the fabrics. And I love working right off the kitchen table, which is also right next to our family room. This way, I'm able to create while still being surrounded by my family. My children are actually the ones to spark the creativity. I had never edited a video or made a quilt until I was pregnant!
H: Have your methods changed?
V: In terms of the video production - yes! It's so nice to have professionals complete the final product, but I get to direct the creativity for my personal projects. I like picking the photos, title pages and music, without the confusion of figuring out which buttons to push on the computer.
This freedom also allows me to come up with new products to add to our selection. We're now working on a DVD time capsule to re-cap top news events of any given year. This time capsule makes a great gift for newborns to graduates to octogenarians!
H: How do you balance creativity and kids?
V: I involve them in the process. They each picked their quilt theme, as well as the fabrics, and I sew at our kitchen table where I'm still involved in their comings and goings in the neighborhood. My son has informed me that he is now too old for Spiderman, so we've begun working on a White Sox quilt for him. He collected T-shirts of all of the 2008 team players, and I will begin cutting them into a quilt after he outgrows them.
V: I involve them in the process. They each picked their quilt theme, as well as the fabrics, and I sew at our kitchen table where I'm still involved in their comings and goings in the neighborhood. My son has informed me that he is now too old for Spiderman, so we've begun working on a White Sox quilt for him. He collected T-shirts of all of the 2008 team players, and I will begin cutting them into a quilt after he outgrows them.
H: Do your kids show any creative spirit?
V: Yes, they all regularly create crafts. Whether it's ideas we find online or in books, or things they just make up themselves, it's fun to see their creativity "sparked." My two oldest, ages 8 and 6, have both started writing books. Actually, now that I think about it, they've made books since they were able to hold crayons!
My 5-year-old daughter could sit completely still for hours just working on a project. It's amazing that this active little person could focus so diligently on one item for such a long time. And boy, is she proud when she's finished!
H: What have you learned after having your kids ?(in relation to your art)V: I've learned that they have a tremendous impact on choices I make. If you would have told me 10 years ago I'd be making a quilt out of little boys' White Sox T-shirts, I would never have believed you! By watching my kids, I get ideas about other products that might be useful, as well as ways to improve products we already create.
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1 comment:
Well, I'm a male, father of two--a little off-trail for this space.
But I've travelled all through Amish country in Philadelphia and, to introduce an oxhymoron, I think quilting kicks ass!
...Just thinking that now with the Obama craze there will surely be a quilt flag inthe offering by some Betsy Ross in Maryland or somewhere here in Canada, as we have Democrats all over the woods here.
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