Origin Stories: Vacilando Quilting Co.

The places we come from shape us: our work, our perspectives, our values, even our aesthetics all reflect our points of origin. This month on Making It, inspired by Winona’s journey to her birthplace and namesake, Winona, MN, we’re exploring what home means to some of our customers, and how the places they’ve come from have shaped the projects they’ve brought to life on Squarespace.

Today we’re featuring Laura Preston, author of “Simple Geometric Quilting,” who founded Vacilando Quilting Co. out of an Airstream trailer and takes her inspiration from her many and varied travels.

“The lack of connection to my hometown has influenced who I am. I’m not sure if my parents are to thank for that—my dad grew up in a lot of different places around the US and my mom is from Belgium, but has lived in the States since she was 20. Although I grew up mostly in Dallas, TX, my family lived in London for a few years when I was young and traveling was always a significant fixture in my life. So it’s not much of a surprise that I chose to go to college in New York City, studied abroad in France, and after graduating, deliberately chose a flexible job so that I could travel as much as possible. But it wasn’t until my now-husband presented me with an opportunity to travel around the United States in an Airstream trailer for a year, which we loved so much it turned into 6 years of living, traveling, and working on the road, when everything clicked. I started quilting as a creative outlet about a year into our Airstream adventure and began to make work inspired by my travels. Combining my love for travel and creating beautiful useful objects is rooted in that sense of exploration and freedom that I wouldn’t have with a strong hometown connection.” – Laura Preston, founder of Vacilando Quilting Co.