Designer Tidbits: Verna Mosquera

The Fat Quarter Shop is excited to welcome Verna Mosquera to the Jolly Jabber. Verna’s latest fabric collection is Veranda from Free Spirit Fabrics.

Q: What or who would you dedicate the Veranda collection to? Do you have an inspiration board?
A:I would dedicate it to my grandma Amelia. She spent a great deal of time in her garden and Veranda just reminds me of her.

My inspiration board is a simple fabric covered piece of foam core where I tack on bits of ribbon, vintage buttons, swatches of fabrics and color chips. Little by little bits of inspiration become a story and a collection begins to take shape.

Q: What is your favorite project using this collection?
A:Secret Garden. It is a quilt I have been wanting to make for a long time and Veranda was the perfect collection to do it in. It is just a wonderful way to feature the prints in the collection. The fabrics seem to come alive in the appliqué images.

Q: If time travel became possible, what year would you want to be in?
A:I would likely travel back in time to the forties even though it was a time of turmoil in the world. I find the history intriguing and I love the fashion.

Q:If you had to change your first name what would you change it to?
A:Oddly enough I would never change my name. It has not been easy to be Verna. No one ever gets it right. I answer to pretty much every name that starts with a V. I even have a game going at Starbucks of how many different ways it can be misspelled on my latte cup. It is definitely unique and it is me, so I just can’t imagine being referred to as anyone else.

Q:What was your favorite childhood TV show?
A:Had to be the Brady Bunch. I must have watched every episode at least 15 times. Personal favorite episode was the family trip to Hawaii.

Q:Who is the most famous person you have ever met?
A:Sarah Jessica Parker and Antonio Banderas. I had a layover in the Miami airport and they happened to be filming a movie very early one morning. I was traveling with my very charming Dachshund, Ze Ze. He caught Sara Jessica’s eye during filming and before I knew it she and Antonio were over petting him and chatting with me during a break in the action. Not too many people can refer to Antonio on a first name basis. Pretty cool huh?

Q:What is your favorite App to play on your phone?
A:I don’t really play on my phone too often but my friend Cyndy Rymer just showed me the free flashlight App at Quilt Market and I am using it all the time; I love it! I also use Shazam in my car a lot. It is great for finding new tunes to work out to.

Q:If you could marry a technology, what would it be?
A:Well, I would have an affair with my iPod Nano because I love to blast it at full volume during my workouts and it just takes me somewhere else away from it all for an hour a day. Although, being the logical person that I am I would marry my iPhone because it is my best friend and we spend all day together. I use it constantly and it makes my life so much easier.