Cherry House Quilts

Family Togetherness

I grabbed this photo off of facebook from Melissa's photos yesterday...when I saw it my heart melted a little.  My sweet girls Ashlee and Melissa in Salt Lake last week.  My children have always been so close, the very best of friends.  I taught them from the earliest age to love each other, and to take care of each other.  They have always been stronger and more whole when their siblings are close by. I'm a little concerned on how my girls will fare when they go their separate ways soon.  Lizzy will move to Portland, Melissa will move to Baltimore, and Ashlee will be in Salt Lake. 

When Lizzy started school at BYU-Idaho years ago, Ashlee followed her, then Melissa followed them both. Even though they were away from home, they were still together.  Lizzy has spent much of her college years mothering her sisters, cooking for them, feeding them, nursing them, whatever was needed, she would do.  She will always and forever be the ultimate protector, and big sister - heaven help the person who messes with a House girl!

So now this time for them is drawing to a close, and again as a Mother, I have to come to terms with these changes. I often think of the line from Mary Poppins, that she will stay until the winds change.  Well the wind is changing, and their lives are changing too. How did they grow up so fast, and where did the time go?  I can't wait to see what's next!

Stay tuned,

Cherri

Your opinion please!

Does this look like a quilt to you? It does to me, I see quilts everywhere!  Sounds like the boy who said "I see dead people" from The Sixth Sense...for me it's quilts; but I'd rather see quilts, than you know - dead people.  One time Ashlee and I were someplace, and we saw an interesting gridwork on a wall.  I said "that could be a quilt", and she said "it is, and it's called Foreign Currency".  I can't help myself, every interesting grid or geometric shape I see, I want to turn into a quilt.  So along with my desire to cut out the tiniest snippet of cool fabric - generally from clothing that people are wearing (I don't actually cut up people's clothing), to seeing quilts everywhere - someone could conclude that I am just a little sick...but I say I am not sick, I say "I, AM A QUILTER!!!"

The cover art was created by designer EE Storey, the art director for Tegan and Sara

 

Florin a la Gilded Asian Elegance

 FYI - If you are looking for this pattern, the magazine is currently on the newsstands.  It is Quick Quilts Spring 2009 by Harris Publications...not Quick Quilts by McCall.  See the link below for an image of the magazine cover.

Aren't names funny? I named this quilt Florin 1. because a florin is an ancient Italian coin 2. because the fabric reminds me of beautiful, ornate Florentine paper, and 3. because it's a variation of a Chinese Coin.  I love stories about quilt names! When Quick Quilts published the pattern they renamed it Gilded Asian Elegance ...gilded asian elegance - such a fancy name.  When someone would email me about the quilt, they would say something to the effect of "I'm writing about the asian quilt".  I thought how interesting it was that the name influenced people's perception of the quilt.  I wonder if we do that with people, and their names too?  Is someone viewed differently because they are a Lizzy, Kate, Bill or Jimmy vs. a Elizabeth, Kathryn, William, or a James?

Some of you have said that you are having difficulty finding all of the fabrics for this quilt, so I wanted to suggest a couple of options if you are interested in using another fabric lines:

• Any grouping from the Imperial Fusion collection
• Fabrics from the Fairy Frost Collection
• Any gilded, ornate fabric group
• Batiks - I hadn't thought of it, but sweet Amy did...see the comments

Any of these ornate fabrics will work wonderfully with the simplicity of this pattern.  If you have your heart set on the shown Imperial Fusion fabrics, one of my favorite resource for finding seemingly obscure fabrics is www.quiltshops.com  

If you make this quilt, be sure and send us a photo, we would love to see your creations!

Cherri

Sweet Melissa Quilt Pattern

  

On Friday I received an advance copy of the new Fons & Porter Easy Quilts Magazine Summer 2009, and there was my Sweet Melissa quilt!  I mentioned on Facebook how much naming this quilt Sweet Melissa meant to me...I named the quilt after my daughter Melissa, who was named in honor of my aunt Melissa, and the fabric is my cousin Eric's (nephew to Aunt Melissa), of Cosmo Cricket fame. I love my extended family so much, and this big loop of family connectedness (real word?) makes me so happy!

Speaking of family - let me just brag a tiny bit about my Melissa...have I mentioned that she has been accepted to Johns Hopkins School of Nursing?  My smarty pants girl!!!  Everyone knows Lizzy of course, and Ashlee too since we talk about & share her music all the time, and she was my official PA(personal assistant) at Market. While all of this has been going on, Melissa has been studying away at BYU-I with Lizzy, trudging through things like Organic Chemistry, and Annat & Fizz as she likes to call it but on her transcript it will probably say Anatomy and Physiology.   So my little Melissa has been home since Sunday, and she is leaving all too soon to go back to BYU-I for one more semester, before going on to Baltimore. When this last baby of mine is not studying all about the body, she is writing songs, and working in the costume shop at school.  She sews, sing, and studies...she's all about the S's!

I need to name a quilt after my wonderful son Luke, then I can tell you all about him...stories about Luke are legendary!

Mark your calendars for April 21st so you can pop out to the store and pick up your copy of Easy Quilts, and check out the Sweet Melissa pattern.  Remember this, it's in this magazine too!  Definitely an issue worthy of a snoopy dance!!!

Cherri

Happy Easter dear friends!

 

Happy Easter dear friends!

I hope you all have a very special Easter Sunday where ever you may be! 

Thank you for your kind comments in regards to my forgotten quilt, I promise to get it finished, and share it with you here.  It is comforting to know that others have walked the same road, and found peace through quiet, simple handwork.

May you and your families have a wonderful day together,

Cherri

My forgotten quilt

 Meet my forgotten quilt...I recently came across it when looking for something else.  You might not even recognize it as mine, it's hand quilted, with applique, and embroidery.  I started this quilt several years ago, when I had fallen in love with all of these romantic, lush fabrics.  My horde of 3 Sisters fabrics is pretty impressive. I had been making several trips to Austin to see my son, and to visit their incredible array of quilt stores.  It's kind of funny, I would get into town several hours before I ever arrived at his place, because I had to visit all the quilts stores first; some kinda priorities! About this time I had been having some health issues, and before I even knew what was happening I was in the hospital for a blood transfusion due to anemia, and then I was told I had to have a hysterectomy.  It seemed to have happened in a matter of weeks.  This quilt become my solace, and companion; and hand work was just the thing that I needed to do to keep my sanity.  I worked on it during my recuperation, which was much tougher emotionally then I would have ever imagined. A friend asked if I had wanted more children, and if that was why I was so upset. I said, I hadn't planned on more children, but just because you don't bake anymore doesn't mean you want to throw out the oven.  

So I recovered, went back to work, a grandbaby was born, Melissa graduated from high school, left for college, and within two weeks Cherry House Quilts was born.  During all of this my comfort quilt just kept getting pushed further, and further back. That was until the other day when I accidentally came  across it, and felt kind of sad that I hadn't finished it, and had kind of forgotten about it. 

I am going to finish it, life seems so be moving so quickly, that it would be nice to slow down a little, and to just enjoy the process. 

 Happy Easter everyone,

Cherri