Cherry House Quilts

Calling All Quilters - Beautiful News!

Below is a comment from the director the Baltimore Head Start program, the one we are collecting quilts for. Before I post the note, I want to thank you with all of my heart for your sweet generosity to those in need. I've said it before; you ALWAYS come through, you ALWAYS share all that you have. I'm so grateful and impressed by each and everyone of you♥

Much love,

Cherri

Dear quilters,
You are all absolutely wonderful folks to send us some of the most beautiful baby quilts I have seen.  It is so exciting to see them flowing into the Center.  Box after box of wonderful handmade quilts. To answer a few questions; one, our parents are not carrying water to their homes.  They all have Baltimore City running water.  However, they are all Early Head Start participants which means that they are all living at or below the Federal poverty level.  So although they have running water in their homes, none of them has the luxury of having a beautiful handmade quilt.
Two,Our program emphasizes early literacy, helping both the parent and the infant and toddler feel comfortable with and love books.  We help to create a "cozy corner" in each of our children's homes.  This Cozy corner consists of a blanket (now a handmade quilt) and a book.  Throughout the year we bring other books to supplement the corner. As the year(s) pass, the cozy corner becomes the infant/toddler "library".  A place they go to in order to feel comfy and warm and enjoy a book. ( of course some infants chew their books, but that is ok, as long as they love them)
The quilts you all are making and donating to this cause will truly help our little ones learn to love books and reading.  Snuggling up with a warm quilt and a book will be one of their childhood memories, thanks to many of you.
Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  Your quilts are beautiful and will be loved and cherished by our little ones in Southeast Baltimore Early Head Start.
Please be sure to put your names on your boxes, or in them.  I am trying to send notes to each person who is donating to us.  One wonderful box with two quilts arrived today from Ipswich NY.  No name or return address.  So thank you Ipswich NY the quilts are gorgeous.
I am new to blogging, so I hope this makes it onto the page.  If I can figure out how to do it, I will take some pictures when we give out the quilts and post them so you can see the children receiving your largess.
Again, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  You do great work, both in the quilting and in donating your hard work.  Our parents don't know yet what is being collected for them, but my staff are totally overwhelmed with your generosity.  So THANKS
Gayne Barlow-Kemper
Southeast Early Head Start at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore Maryland

 

Update on Calling All Quilters

Don't you love it when something comes together so perfectly...I do! Saturday I reached out to the Baltimore MQG in regards to the quilts needed for the head start program. Also, a few days before I was contacted by a Natalie, president of the DC MQG offering their assistance with the needs of the program. I am so happy to say that the Baltimore MQG, along with the help of their DC neighbor is taking over this effort, and will be running the show from their part of the world. Heather, the B'more MQG prez and my Melissa are getting together, going to the center to do an inventory of the boy/girl quilts received to determine what is still required. We still need lots of quilts, but now we will have someone there to be hands-on and let us know more accurately what they need.  Also, the B'more MQG has graciously offered to adopt the head start program as their guilds official charity ♥♥♥ If there are any modernish, contemporaryish, 'the traditional guild setting is not right for me' kinda quilter, hop on over, and join in Baltimore or DC's growing, wonderful modern quilt guilds.

Thanks to all of you that have sent quilts, or are sending quilts to this cause. I think what has touched me the most are the numerous emails and comments that I have received from you, saying that you had a little quilt on hand, but didn't know where it's home was, and now you do! What a beautiful pairing that is, to fit the right quilt with the right person or cause. I know all of our hearts are broken over the devistation in Japan...I'm looking forward to participating in some meaningful way when it is determined what they need most.

xoxo,

Cherri

Q&A about 'calling all quilters'

Here are some answers to questions that I have received:

• Types of fabric for these quilts...all kinds are acceptable, anything soft, cuddly, and warm is perfect
• Who's counting the number of boy/girl quilts so we don't have an imbalance? No one at this point, since the program is in Baltimore, and I'm in Houston. The program director can advise us if there is a significant imbalance, and we correct from there.
• The photo of Melissa carrying 20l of water...this photo has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Baltimore Headstart program, I just thought it was a sweet photo of Melissa, in her Community Health class, where she is learning about the shortage of clean water world wide.

Any other questions I didn't cover, just let me know.

Thank you again for all that you are doing and giving! A special thanks to those that are sharing this project with their sewing guilds, and working together to create several quilts for this program.

xoxo,

Cherri

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

Paying it forward v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y

Along time ago I participated in a pay it forward project. I was suppose to send a little hand made something within one year...it's been longer than that, but the little somethings are finally made, and will be mailed this week.  I promised I never forgot, actually it's been eating away at me, but it's done, and now I can happily move forward...guilt be gone!

What did I make? Little quilts of course, I've fallen in love with making little quilts; so much so that I'm going to start a mini quilt along! Details coming soon...the mini we will be making will be using solids, so anyone wanting to try working with solids, but up to now has been a little anxious about attempting a large quilt - this will be the perfect project for you!

Ellyn, Andi, and Sarah your little quilts, plus some other little goodies will be in the mail soon!

 
 
xoxo,

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

A note to you, and a winner!

Dearest friends,

Thank you so much for your kindest wishes for the three year anniversary of Cherry House Quilts!  Your sweet sentiments were gratefully received, and we look forward to many, many more years together.

Victoria is the winner of our quilt giveaway...congratulations Victoria!!!

Would you like a peek at what we did yesterday?  A trip to the Houston Aquarium with my two precious grandsons...here's a photo with Lizzy, Melissa and Benjamin...isn't he a doll?

 
You have been leaving some wonderful questions in regards to the blog tour, do you have anymore???  If so, leave them here, and I will pass them on to the blog hosts.

Thank you again sweet friends!

Cherri

Questions, Answers, Blog Tour and a Quilt Giveaway

Happy Friday sweet friends!

Starting on July 12th through the 23rd I will be having a blog tour for City Quilts with some of the coolest bloggers around!  Not only will there be cool places to visit, but we will also be having some awesome prizes!!!  Fat quarter packs of Kona Cotton Solids from Robert Kaufman, an ebook of City Quilts from C&T Publishing, and possibly some presents from your blog hosts!  How many chances will you have to win...12...12 stops, 12 opportunities, pretty sweet! 

In preparation for the blog tour I'm wondering if there is anything you lovelies would like to know...questions about solids, questions about quilting, questions about me, questions about City Quilts, questions about whatever you would like our blog tour hosts to ask!  I'll introduce all of the hosts next week, though really they won't need any introduction at all...I'm telling you, they are the coolest, of the cool!

Do you know I'm giving away a free quilt?  I am, I really, really am...check it out here, and enter.  Then after the enter there, come back here, and ask away! 

While you are pondering the questions you would like to ask, I'll leave you with the a little something to look at, CITY AVIATION!  (too many exclamation points in this post, I know...what can I say, I am so excited about the blog tour!)

Cheers,

Cherri

Happy Anniversary to us, and a present for you!

Cherry House Quilts is officially 3 years old!!!  Lizzy and I have been busy girls these last three years, and we love it; and we love all of you too!  Thank you for taking this journey with us!

If we were together we could sit, and have cake...everyone knows how much we love cake in this family!  But you are there, and we are here, so the cake will have to wait...but I can do something better.

How about giving away a quilt?  A sweet little quilt, made by me, Cherri House!  This is the first quilt in my Little Bouquet Quilt Series 12" x 12" made with cotton, and silk.  How to enter, leave a comment...piece of cake right (ha ha)!  Enter now through 6/12/10.  The winner will be picked randomly, and notified by email (so be sure and leave one).  All entries welcome! 

Here's to many more years, many more adventures, many more quilts, much more fabric, and many many friends!!!

much love,

Cherri

Market goodie bag winner, plus another contest!

Thank you to everyone who left such nice comments for the Market goodies contest!  You said kind things about your families, about your day, about the weather, about quilting, about my quilts, and about City Quilts!  Makes a girls head puff like a balloon with all of those kind words! 

The name of the winner...

Cindy Carlson

Congratulations Cindy!  Thank you again to everyone that participated!!!

Have you guys entered the Stash Book Giveaway?  There is one more day to enter...just pop over to Stash Books and let them know which of the Stash Book you would like to win - I personally hope you pick City Quilts, but really, it's okay if you don't :-)

Okay, I'm off to spend a few more hours with my daughter Melissa...today is her birthday, I can't believe my baby is 21!  Tomorrow she is back to Baltimore, interviewing at a hospital for a nursing job. 

Babies grow up too quick...go hugs yours if you can.

lots of love,

Cherri