Cherry House Quilts

Passport, Tickets, Money

"Passport, tickets, money", this is a line from one of my all time favorite movies Shirley Valentine! This is also the name of my suitcase quilt, which I am working on, after too long of a delay. Thank you for your emails giving me a little push, telling me how much you want to make this quilt for the traveler in your life. I'll be using Kona Cotton solids for the background, and Moda Crossweaves for the suitcases.

 

I can't wait to get it made, and make the pattern available to you!

As soon as I have an update on the pattern, I'll let you know.

xoxo,

Cherri

P.S. Thanks for your continued concern over my headaches...they are not improving, and the medical procedures which I've undergone seem to not be working. While I am discouraged, I'm not giving up hope. My Melissa is home from Johns Hopkins Nursing school, and while searching for a job, she is acting as my own personal nurse. Wonderful healthly meals, and nightly walks have been started, and I believe (like Tinker Bell), and have faith that wellness is within reach!

More details on 'calling all quilters'

Thank you so much for your overwhelming desire to help the little ones in need at the Baltimore headstart program.

Several of you have asked about dates? Since none of the quilts will be distributed until there are enough for everyone (55), let's set a goal date of March 31st. From the responses I have been receiving I think we can meet the goal of 55 by that time. Remember, all quilts received after the initial distribution will be given to new children as they enter the program.

Here are the needs of the children, as provided by the program director:

28 quilts for boys, ages 0 to 3

24 quilts for girls, ages 0 to 3

3 gender neutral quilts, for three sick little ones coming into the program, gender unknown at this point.

Sizes...the program director asked for small quilts, so I'm thinking anything from 32" x 36" to crib size 50" x 53", and anything in between these sizes.

When I told Melissa of your immediate support, she was overwhelmed with gratitude. Here's a photo of her in class, carrying 20L of water, which many families have to carry over 5K to have to clean water on a daily basis. She said she was having a hard time toting that container in the classroom, much less 5 kilometers.

Thank you again for your amazing and loving support!

Cherri

Catching up

There is so much to say...I'm always at a loss where to start...thank you's first I think!

Thank you again for your kind support about the break in...I'm getting a security system installed today, hopefully I'll be able to start sleeping again, and I will be able to let Melissa return to Baltimore :-)

Secondly, a huge thanks to everyone who sent something to my son Luke and his fellow service men & woman in Iraq - he said that everyone had the best time when the packages arrived, and he sends his love, thanks, and gratitude.

Third, thank you for your patience for the delayed shipment of your pattern orders...everything should be shipped out today.

Fourth, House's House is now available for sale here for immediate electric download

And, last but not least, check out this fun project for the new year!!! Believe it or not, my block is made, and I'm ready to go.

 

What is the Bloggers' Block-a-palooza?

A quilt-along that will jump from blog to blog, featuring two original blocks per week.


Who are the participating bloggers?

Amanda Sasikirana - sasikirana handmade
Amy Ellis - Amy's Creative Side
Angela Yosten - Moda Home Mom
Cherri House - Cherry House Quilts
Elizabeth Hartman - Oh, Fransson!
Fat Quarterly team - Fat Quarterly 
Heather Bostic - {House} of A La Mode
Jennifer Davis - Sugar Stitches
John Adams - Quilt Dad
Julie Herman - jaybird quilts
Kaye Prince - Miss Print
Kerri Horsley - lovely little handmades

Monica Solorio-Snow - Happy Zombie

Natalia Bonner - Piece N Quilt

Ryan Walsh - I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts
Scott Hansen - Blue Nickel Studios
Vanessa Christenson - V and Co.

When will the quilt-along begin? 

The quilt-along is currently scheduled to begin on Monday, January 24th.

What fabric will we be using?

The bloggers will be showcasing the blocks using the "Sunkissed" line by Sweetwater for Moda.  Of course, you are free to use any fabric that you'd like for your quilt. 

How much fabric will we need?

We are still working through final fabric requirements, but if you'd like to get a jump start on your fabric purchase, I would recommend a fat eighth bundle of the line (available at the Fat Quarter Shop here.)

You may have some fabric left over, but it will be a great stash enhancer!

You will also need to purchase some cuts of the Moda Bella solids that we will be using in our blocks:

• Golden Wheat (Orange) 9900-103
• Feather (Lt. Grey) 9900-127-15
• Light Lime 9900-100
• Baby Yellow 9900-31

A half yard of each (minimum cut for online ordering) will more than suffice.

We will post final fabric requirements (including fabric needed for layout and backing) as soon as it becomes available.

Still here?  Long post, I know.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your friendship, for your kindness, and for your continued support! 

Much love,

Cherri

Thanks X a million!

Dearest friends, thank you so much for your loving support and kindness after the news of our break-in. Your messages of encouragement helped me more than you will ever know. I feel such a storm of emotions, and they seem to change by the minute - I'm sure that the best medicine for this is going to be time; I hope so anyway.

Thanks also to everyone that sent packages to Iraq for my son's unit; he said the response has been wonderful, and all of the soldiers have been so touched by your outpouring of love!  Luke wanted to thank you himself, so here is a note that he wrote for me to post to all of you...

First and foremost thank all of you so much. For the past two weeks packages and letters have been flooding our office from you amazing people. I am at a loss for words to explain how much this means to me. At home my brothers and sisters in uniform are often thanked for their service. I am generally at a loss for a response when this happens because the truth is that the majority of us are doing this because we love our country, because we want our families to grow up with the same freedoms that we experienced, because it gives us a way to provide for the people we love. Our service is our own reward. What all of you have done with this effort and for the quilts that came before, is let us know that our work is accepted. So often the daily glimpse of our home that we see comes from the news and whatever blurb we catch from the Internet. I thank you for reminding everyone here of the real reason we love our home so much. On behalf of the men and women of Task Force Phantom I thank you for your service.

May God bless you and your families. Have a safe and happy holiday.

SPC Luke Mason House

 

Thank you again...you are the best, and I'm grateful to know each of you!

xoxo,

Cherri

Enough Already

I'm not sure how/where I learned this lesson, but this is the lesson:

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT

Did I learn it from my Mom; probaby...did I learn it from church; most likely; from God; most assuredly.

I'm not ready to stop being sad, but it's time to stop feeling sorry for myself. Best method? Do something for someone in need. Alright - honest truth here - I am the only one who feels resentful about not being sad/hurt/mad until I'm ready to stop feeling sad/hurt/mad? I'd feel like a complete heel if this were true, but I've raised 4 children; so I know that this is pretty universal.

A Story: Before I tell you about the need, I'm going to tell you a story about my son, Luke. Luke is generous to a fault, gives away everything. When Luke was younger I would send him on church camping trips to learn all those boy scout things.  Being one of the few boys without a dad there, I always sent extra food, cause I didn't want him to run out of anything. As I dropped him off one Friday, I said, "Luke, you have tons of extra food, I expect you to come home with most of it, DO NOT GIVE IT ALL AWAY!!!".  "LUKE I'M GOING TO BE REALLY MAD AT YOU IF YOU COME HOME WITHOUT ANY OF THAT EXTRA FOOD...DO YOU UNDERSTAND LUKE?"  Wa wa wa...I probably sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher for all of my carrying on.  Saturday evening rolls around, my son is dropped off at the church, with NO extra food, none at all.  After an all too brief greeting I said, "you gave away the food didn't you?" "Yes, I gave it all away".  "With all I told you, you gave it away?" "Yes, it's all gone; can I tell you why?" He said, 'I know you told me not to give it away, but there were 2 brothers there whose parents are getting divorced, each parent thought the other brought the food, but neither brought anything...the boys were starving Mom, they had nothing to eat; even knowing you'd be mad, how could I not feed them, when I had so much; he said "if you want to punish me, that's okay, I understand" That ended my career of trying to monitor what my son gave away...he being so much wiser than I.

The Need: Luke is in Iraq until February, and he is heartbroken about all the soldiers there that have no loved ones, no family members sending gifts, no one remembering them for the holidays. When I spoke to him recently, and asked what HE wanted for Christmas, he asked for thing for his troops...of course he did...what else would Luke do?

This is what I have in mind...if you have the ability, inclination, and would be interested, could you share something with our soldiers in Iraq? He was looking for boardgames, card games, video games if possible, maybe Christmas stocking stuffers, anything of the sort.  He is some kind of administrative specialist, so he would receive it, and sort it for all of those in need.

Email me for his contact information [email protected]

If you would like to mail something without too much hassle, here's a great company that will mail for you to an APO address:  Nuts for our Troops http://www.nutsonline.com/gifts/troops.html

 Here's a little more about my son if you'd like to read about this volunteering adventures...I'm a little prejudice, but I think he is the best!!!

Thank you so much for the love & support these past few weeks!!!  You are wonderful <3<3<3 

Cherri

an update

My dearest friends,

It has been weeks since I posted...that's not good.

If I were to tell you the upside down, backwards, rollercoaster of a time I've had since Market, you probably wouldn't believe me. To tell you the truth, I don't believe myself...I'm not exaggerating here, it's been insane! There have been many miracles which is always something to be grateful for, and I am...but I'm still overwhelmed, and reeling by all that has transpired.

Lizzy is finally getting settled in SLC, which is great! Does anyone in SLC have a good sewing machine she can borrow, or buy for next to nothing? I couldn't let her take mine, and her machine is on its last leg!

All of the other stuff? I can't even talk about it without crying like a little girl. I need to see the blessing that this is for others, and I'm just having a hard time with it right now. Consequently all of this stuff pushed me over some invisible edge, and I've been sick sick sick :-(  Today is the first time that I have finally started to see some light, and start to feel better.  The sun is shining, outside as well as in, and I'm so thankful!  Thank goodness Lizzy didn't take Finn, that might have been the end of me.

I do apologize that these blog posts of late have been so down...by nature I'm not a Negative Nancy, I'm really not. I'm cheerful, and go through much of life in my own little colorful world.

On a happier note, the House's House quilt is finished, and will be a published pattern soon. The Silk Tempest (do you guys know about that?) will be out as a published pattern soon as well. My sewing room is fully functional again, and all my queued up quilts are waiting patiently in line.

Thank you for the kindnesses you have shown me, the messages and emails sent...I'm more grateful than you will ever know.

Okay, one more day of rest, then back to the work of sewing; that is often my salvation.

xoxo,

Cherri

 

A quick hello!

Lest you think I've forgotten you dear bloggy friends, I'm popping in to say hello! My sweet Momma that I love so much is in the hospital for some problems that they cannot found the source of.

Market was grand and there are plenty of reports to be found with lots of photos...I took none :-(  bad blogger award for me; I know.

If you can spare a prayer for our family right about now, I'd be so grateful!

xoxo,

Cherri

The Gospel of Quilting

This past week I was invited to speak to the wonderful Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild members, and to teach a workshop at Harper's Fabrics. I have to say that it could not have gone better! Everyone was kind, warm, and welcoming - it was a dream come true! What was I so nervous about? We all come to the table with a love of quilting, a love of fabric, a love of sewing, and it seems; a love for others.

My topic for speaking to the MQG was me; my story, my journey, the path from the beginning to now. I thought I would share I few things that I shared that night, some things that have shaped my life, the lives of my children; and unbeknownst to anyone - the lives of those that I teach to quilt.  I know these things are very personal, and I hesitate to share them; but maybe in sharing them someone else could find some hope.

For too many years I was in an abusive marriage, when it finally ended I was very grateful, but completely numb. For one whole year I couldn't sew, couldn't touch my sewing machine, I couldn't buy fabric (horror of horrors), I couldn't do anything. I would look at my sewing machine longingly, and wish that I could sew, but I couldn't.  Miraculously I started to get better, my healing began by sorting and petting fabric (only a quilter will appreciate this, I think), then I began to sew about a million string pieced blocks - mindless sewing was all I was capable of at that point. Next I began to sew the blocks together - not for any purpose, I just wanted to see them all together. After several months, I began to start making quilts out of all of those blocks...the healing was well underway. To a degree, quilting saved my life. That was in 2004, 6 years later I have a quilt business, a book, and all of you!

Quilting has the power to heal, the power to build confidence, the power to rebuild a life, and the power to bind people together. I am so grateful for quilting!  My passion for teaching quilting is this: if someone believed they were not capable of creating something of beauty, and a teacher showed them that they could; their perception about them self would change, because something they once believed true, was proven not true. How could that affect other areas of their life? It is a ripple in the water occurrence, one change in perception about one self, changes everything else. That is the Gospel of Quilting! That is why I teach, and that is why I share my love of quilting with anyone that will listen. 

 
Thank you for allowing me to share this with you, and thank you for your kind comments &  encouragement! Thank you Jacquie & KCMQG, and thank you Elaine and everyone at Harper's! 

xoxo,

Cherri 

Look what's finished, and look what's new!

 

House's House all finished, and Finn gave it his blessing!  Next up, the binding, and quilt pattern!

What's new? Lizzy House - my fabulous, famous, fabric designing daughter, has released her first set of patterns...3 quilt patterns, and 2 embroidery patterns!  Let me tell you, they are amazing!  Check out my favorite one; Castle Treasury! It's a beauty!!!

Pop over here to check them out!

 
Which one is your favorite?

Have a happy weekend!!!

Cherri

A Summer of bee-ing

Do you remember back here, when I talked about joining in a quilting bee or two?  Well, after I finally figured out what I signed up for, I just want you to know that I'm loving it!  There is something strangely freeing about making a little something for someone else, and then sending it on it's way. 

These are/were my bee's:

1. Scrappy Pincushion Swap - now finished

2. Doll Quilt Swap #9 - in progress until September

3. Busy Bee Swap - in progress for one year!

Do you know what I've loved - I'll tell you...

I loved doing new things that are outside of what I normally do.  For my doll swap I did applique' - which I never do, I used metalic thread, which I never use (but strangly had, since it is shiny and beautiful), I used fabrics but from my stash - which is always a bonus!

For the pincushion swap I made a pincushion (well, actually 3 - the first one turned out to be the size of a small grapefruit; had to start over, then I made a mini, just for fun), which I never had before...I always used the little tomatoes, or a crocheted one Melissa made me.  Do you guys know how awesome Lizard Litter is?  It's ground walnut shells, and has a strange, wonderful squishy quality.  It comes in 10 lb bags, so everyone I know should be expecting to a receive a pincushion in the near future.  Lizzy needed a pincushion last night, and I said with the enthusiasm of a 7 year old, "do you want me to make you a pincushion, I'll make you one if you want me to!!!!"  I make most of my pincushions with felted wool, so it has been great to be able to use it up, since I seem to collect it without any real purpose, other than I love it!

The busy bee swap has been great because it's such a fun thing to be able to make someone a few blocks, with whatever fabric they send along, and then mail them off.  No committment, no nothing, just a little sewing with fabrics that I don't normal have in my collection, and then sending it on it's way...what could be more fun?  Nothing, not one single thing!

The downside of all of this play has been not actually doing the work that I need to be doing, but alas, these projects are about wrapped up, and I will be getting back to work.  Lizzy, Melissa & I are taking a wee break at the end of the week; we are going to Iowa for a family reunion, and we are also going to the State Fair...I can't wait! 

Here's a few pics of the projects I have been doing.  Are you in a sewing bee?  Do you love it? 

xoxo,

Cherri