Cherry House Quilts

Merry Christmas, and a winner!

A special thanks to everyone who left a comment in our drawing. I was so very touched by all of your sincere Christmas wishes!  So many of them were wishes for others safety, health, happiness, wellbeing, and goodwill towards others! The hearts of quilters are warm and kind indeed! 

Since Luke is here, I asked if he would like to select the winner of our drawing, and he picked Patty, who's comment was this...

My Christmas wish is for my brother,who has kidney disease, and is suffering from depression will ove come the depression which will allow him to get the next step to recieve a new kidney. I also wish for peace and prosperity(spiritual as well as monetary)for all.
Merry Christmas

Well my friends, I'll be taking a few days break to enjoy some special time with my family while we are all together!!! 

In honor of this special time of year, Cherry House Quilts is having a sell!  10% off all patterns in our store.  To receive the discount, enter the code FAMILY.  The sell will be in effect through January 1st.

Merry Christmas everyone!

much love,

Cherri

 

A Christmas Wish and giveaway!

First, and foremost - Thank you so much for your kind thoughts, and prayers for Melissa and our family during her medical ordeal.  She is getting stronger daily which is wonderful!  She read all of your messages and comments, and was very touched by your kindness ♥♥♥

Is everyone ready for Christmas, just one week away?  I am so excited, because for the first time, in a long time my entire family will be together.  There is nothing more important to me than my family, and I am so grateful we will have this time together.  This Christmas will be a little bittersweet, as I've mentioned before, Luke is leaving in February for one year, and I'm having such a hard time with this.  When he was 19 he went on a mission for our church; he was gone for 2 years, but it was something that I had prepared for since his birth, so it was very different.  But he is going to serve our country, and I am very proud of him for the choices he is making. 

In honor of Christmas, and all of holidays celebrated this time of year I thought we needed a giveaway; most Mom's I know do lots of giving, and not as much receiving; so this is a gift just for YOU! 

The prize?  A bundle of Amy Schimler's fat quarters, a bundle of Kona Cotton Fat Quarter Solids, and some other goodies I've gathered throughout the year! 

The drawing?  December 24th...just in time for Christmas

How to enter?  Leave a comment, and share your Christmas Wish...I'll start:  My Christmas wish is that my son will return safe from serving overseas.  

May all of your Christmas wishes come true,

xoxo,

Cherri

away and back again

As you may have read over here my little Melissa was involved in a freak medical accident, one worthy of a freakish medical show on TLC.  Poor little thing required emergency surgery, and her souvenir was a 6'' vertical incision on her tummy.  She is home in Houston now; I went to care for her for a few days before she was well enough to travel, I did her laundry, shipped home a 100 lbs of school books (she missed her finals, and will now have to make them up).  I was finally able to bring her & her little cat Minkee home...is she a quilters' daughter or what?

That is why I have been away, and have been unable to post :-(   Consequently no post, and no update on the Scrap Quilt Along.  How are all of you coming on your project?  I hope you will start adding photos to the Flickr group.

This trauma with Melissa has been so difficult, and upsetting...there is no way to make sense of the whole event.  All I can do is try to take care of her, and help her move forward.  Each day has been getting better, and that is a blessing.  Last night Lizzy and I were at JoAnn's picking up something that she needed, and I'm thinking to myself, "okay, things are returning to normal; this is good, I can keep going".  Shortly after thinking this comical thought, I get a call from Ashlee, who had just been in an car accident on black ice; she will be okay...only a banged up knee.  I thought to myself, if my children don't stay safe I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.  Lizzy's on her way back to Idaho, everyone think good thoughts for her please, and consequently for me too!  Luke is going to Iraq in February, but I'm not even going to start focusing on that.  Being a mother is hard work; long distance or not.

Alright, I've cried on your collective shoulders, and I thank you!  I'm going to try to gather what remains of my sanity, and do what always helps me find my way.  Pray and sew...often, praying while sewing! 

Thank you my friends,

Cherri

An update, a sale, a quilt along, and more...

First, and foremost, a huge thank you all who have donated quilts for the wounded at Fort Hood.  The first quilt arrived yesterday, and I'm sure the trickle will soon become a flood of quilts.  Luke was telling one of his wounded friends about the quilts that are coming; this young man was so touched, and sent his thanks and gratitude in advance.  This young man was shot, and has a bullet lodged near his spine.  The bullet will not be able to be removed, due to the possibility of further damage.  Considering what these soldiers have gone through, a quilt seems a minor thing, but they are so grateful.  My heart melts into a little puddle every time if I think on this for too long.

Onto other things...

• We will be starting the Scrap Quilt Along soon, soon, soon.  We will begin with the Fruit Stripped Gum quilt, then make Children's Lit.  The supply list, badges, Flickr group info, and schedule will be posted by Saturday.
• Has anyone seen the new Quilt Sampler magazine?  One of the featured shops is hanging a great version of "I Do".  I don't think those kind of things will ever stop being a huge thrill to me!  Makes me giddy :-)
• Remember when I said that with the new store, I could see which pattern was the most viewed?  At the time the top two were City Park, and I Do...well City Park has definitely pulled ahead!  To really test these statistic I've put both City Park and I Do on sale, with 10% off, we will see who ends up the winner of this little race.  The sale will run from now through next Wednesday.  No codes, nothing to enter, the prices have already been reduced!
• Speaking of City Park, with the next printing I'll be making a change to the pattern - changing it for the better.  If you are familiar with the pattern, you will understand what I'm about to explain...the colored solids in the quilt are indentified by number, the new patterns will have an image that shows the block placement by color number.  Quilting by numbers, so to speak.  
• Well it is definitely time to get back to the business of being in business, new quilt patterns are on the horizon - our first new release will be City Breeze, which I'm quite sure you will LOVE!  After that some beauties with new Moda fabric, then it is a couple of baby quilts which are always too precious! 

That is it for me today my friends...I must say I feel so much closer to the quilting community at large, by this amazing coming together as mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters to give something of comfort back to those that serve and protect our nation.  Thank you again for all that you have done!

Cherri

Lizzy's Parade

 
Have you seen the new Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts Winter 2009?  If not, you should check it out!  On page 74 you will see Lizzy's Parade.  I thought it the perfect title for a quilt featuring "flags" from Lizzy's Red Letter Day fabric. 

On a personal note, I can't adequately express the joy I feel in creating a quilt with my daughter's fabric...truly a dream come true!  It's one of those strange occurrence that instead of it being a dream in the far off distant; maybe never to happen future, it is happening now - and it is as wonderful as I imagined; which is also a sweet surprise!

Well that's it for me today...have a happy Sunday,

Cherri

In the works...

There is so much going on it is a challenge to keep up with it all...quilts, kids, market...all exciting, all lots of work!

Let's start with kids, namely Miss Elizabeth House...Lizzy to you, is home for a visit, and to even add more excitement, I think Ashlee and Melissa are coming home too!!!  Luke and Becky will have little Benjamin blessed (christened) on Sunday, so it will be a wonderful family gathering - which truly is the best thing in the world to me.  When all my children are together, I am at my happiest - completely, joyfully, gratefully happy! 

Next is quilts of course, to be honest it is quilts, quilts, quilts...new patterns, market around the corner, that kind of thing. 

I DO believe that all of our I DO fans will be pleased with an up and coming pattern using Moda's amazing Authentic line - I can't tell you how much I love that fabric!  Circles, circles, and more circles...gotta love it!

And on the heels of that new quilt and pattern will be the next quilt in our City Series called City Breeze...this will be our first pattern with two size options offered, one size will be a large quilt, and the other size will be our Baby Breeze for little ones.  Check out these glorious colors of Kona Cotton Solids from Robert Kaufman for City Breeze.

I loved your stories and comments about your best fabric finds, I can't tell you how much I wished I had been along for your shopping/garage sales adventures - what bargins - thank you for sharing them!  If you haven't had a chance, be sure to leave a comment to be entered into our Wee Play Charm Pack drawing here...our drawing will be on Saturday.

Until then,

Cherri

I am in love (again)

  Look at this beauty - I am completely in love all over again!  Let me introduce you to my newest love...his name is Benjamin Ryan Buchanan House.  My son and his wife welcomed this sweet little one (or not so little) on Monday morning.  He weighed 9 lbs 11oz, and was 22" long...big baby!  Amazingly, not as big a baby as his Daddy...but a big healthy baby with beautiful red hair. 

I got to hold him for about two hours on Monday...what a privilege!

Gotta go make this baby a quilt!

Cherri (gramma to two little ones now!)

A Forbidden Love

Once upon a time one of my daughters was engaged (not Lizzy), the wedding was planned, the wedding quilt was made, everything was a go; except the groom.  In the end, it was the best for everyone, especially my girl; the biggest casuality seems to be this wedding quilt.  For a few years now the top sat innocently by, waiting to be a quilt, waiting to be loved.  The bride no longer had any love for the quilt, or for the fabrics.  What to do?  In her mind the quilt is tainted, but not for me.  I love this quilt, I loved making it; literally hundreds and hundreds of little 3 1/2'' blocks, arranged just so.  So I alone will love this quilt, but I'll keep this forbidden love to myself, lest anyone think me disloyal.  I can see it now, my girl comes home, and I'm stuffing this quilt into a closet...oh well, maybe she will forgive the quilt, maybe in the end, she will love it too!

 

All Things Brilliant!

I love things done well, done creatively, done outside of the box...I love to watch an amazing play in a football game, I love to watch Elizabeth (Lizzy) create art beyond what I thought her capable of (and she's capable of soooo much), I love Melissa and Ashlee's song writing ability - to turn thoughts and words into amazing verses...I love all things brilliant!!! 

Years ago when Simply Quilts repeats were on HGTV & DIY; I would DVR them, then watch my favorite ones over and over, trying to learn, and take in techniques that were unfamiliar to me.  One of my all time favorites was the episode with Anita Grossman Soloman where she introduces cool cutting techniques.  I was blown away by the square on point - I thought it absolutely brilliant, and outside of the box.  In my mind, conceptualizing that, and figuring it out required a different kind of thinking - which is the coolest thing in the world...figuring something out that leaves convention far behind.

So, to the present: I had been given an opportunity to create a quilt with some wonderful new Moda fabric by 3 Sisters (which I have a crazy fondness for).  I wanted to create a square on point pattern, and I wanted to share Anita's method with the world.  How to share to the brilliance of Anita's method, and reference it in my pattern? All I could think to do, was to ask her...what would I say, "hey lady, you know that cool thing you discovered, can I share it with everyone?"   What would she think?  How would she react to my request?  I'm happy to say, the encounter was better than I could have ever imagined, she was kind, gracious (she even knew my work!), she said she was happy that I liked the process, and was happy that I wanted to share it!  My first unembarrasing celeb encounter!!!  Life is good!

For any interested in learning how to use her method for cutting square in a square block - here is the link: http://www.hgtv.com/videos/super-fast-rotary-cutting/4431.html

Here's the link to the pattern that Anita is using on the segment: http://www.makeitsimpler.com/square_on_point_pattern_aI9.pdf

The blocks are all cut, and going on the design wall as fast as I can sew them!  Hooray for a long weekend...sewing, sewing, sewing!  This quilt will be done before I know it.

Happy 4th of July everyone!!!

Cherri

Queued up

I love the idea of british queues, everything neatly lined up, and this case fabric patiently waiting in line to be turned into quilts. 

This is what I've been up to...

1. My Red Letter Day quilt for Fons and Porter is in the mail...such a relief! This fabric is so fun, and special (it doesn't hurt that my sweet daughter designed it);  go get some fast if you haven't already!

2. Lizzy was here for two minutes two days, it was too short, but I'm so glad she was here to celebrate her birthday...our day of beauty was grand!  While all the pets were so happy to see our girl, Pinecone would like an explanation as to where Lizzy is, she doesn't understand this coming and going thing. 

3. I'm taking a little detour from my quilts in solids, and I'm going to play with some fabulous Moda prints for a bit.  I'm so excited about creating a quilt with Moda's newest 3 Sisters fabric...I love those florals so much...there is something so romantic about those fabrics.

As soon as that quilt is done, I'm going to create a quilt with Moda's new Authentic line by Sweetwater, I'm just crazy about this fabric.  Any fabric with with type on it catches my eye instantly!

Well I'm off to start on my 3 Sisters quilt, I can't wait to share it with you, and tell you about a special encounter I had with a famous quilter in regards to this quilt.  You know I don't have best track record for dealing with famous people, but I handled myself well, you'd be proud!

Jacquie and Kathleen your anniversary packages have been shipped...hopefully you either have them already, or will have them soon.

Cheers!

Cherri