About
Barbara Brunson lives in Hillsboro, Oregon with her husband and two cats. For the past 14 years, she has been an independent pattern designer, lecturer, and teacher under the company name of Vanilla House Designs. Currently, she has designed 117 patterns and four booklets under the Vanilla House label, and scores of projects for other companies and magazines around the globe. Since she often puts more than one project per pattern, she estimates she has created over 350 projects during her great 14-year sewing adventure.
She started by designing soft sculpture items, like teddy bears and santas - but in the year 2002, she changed directions to do more fashion items and home decor, mostly for the kitchen arena. By using simple but creative designs with unpredictable fabric combinations and trendy themes, she continually tends to design for younger and newer sewers. All this done with a simple hope to do her part in continuing the sewing arts for future generations.
In 2004, she added an addition to her home where she does her work in complete ecstasy as she looks out her studio window to see the gorgeous green trees of Oregon as she fills her life with the passion of sewing. She truly is living the American Dream and the creative power of sewing got her there. She hopes to share that with others with her lecture series of creative but simple designs that teach many of the sewing principles that get her so excited about this great art form!