for bunny re:california fires

oh my bunny, you wouldn't believe this but just yesterday i pulled out my manilla envelope filled with letters, notes, newspapers and people magazine that all had to do with the cedar fire. it was almost 4 years to the day, those fires began late october 2003. the ten quilts were presented in february 2004 to a very appreciate group. for anyone who wasn't posting at that time, we adopted ten volunteer firefighters in julian (a small mountain community near san diego) who all lost their own homes while out on the line fighting the fire to save the homes of others.

here is the e-mail that i sent out to all of those who worked making blocks and putting together the quilts:

i'm sending a copy of the text that i kinda
went by as i told them about us. i'm not a great
speaker, but i didn't want to read either -- so
impersonal! -- so it was kind of a mixture of taking
the text and improvising. i'm also sending it to all
of the other main people in this project.
it's been a long, happy day so i'll post to all with
pictures tomorrow.


the lives of quilters are held together by much more
than common threads, and the internet has broadened
the scope of these friendships. there is a website we
affectionately call "the bulletin board" where people
post questions, answers, tips, and snippets of
everyday life. i’ve been going there for many years
and a lot of the names come up quite often, the
"old-timers" who freely share their knowledge and
encourage new quilters along the way. a little over a
year ago, when the space shuttle columbia broke apart
upon re-entry, the bulletin board took on a somber
tone as we all grieved the loss of the crew. one
person posted that it might be nice to make a quilt
for each of the astronauts’ families, a common way
that we give of ourselves to help ease the pain of
loss. the bulletin board came alive with questions,
suggestions, volunteers, so many posts that in
february 2003 it was decided to create a yahoo group
"the comfort squad" dedicated to this endeavor.

on october 13, the finished quilts were mailed from
florida to houston along with the hopes and prayers
that they would bring comfort to the families… and on
october 27, mary in oregon posted… "According to the
latest news reports, about 1100 homes have been lost
in the fires. Has anyone heard of quilts being made
for those who have lost their homes? I'd like to make
at least one quilt and would be happy to make blocks
to send if anyone else wanted to make a joint project
quilt. please let me know if anyone has heard of any
planned quilt work being done and/or a possible place
to send finished quilts to." TIA, Mary

…and then the news story aired about you guys. i saw
it and posted to the group suggesting that we adopt
you. johanna in finland had seen the story on NBC
nightly news and thot it was a wonderful idea. marge
and mary both chimed in, and we were off and running
gathering many others along the journey. because of
my close proximity i volunteered to coordinate the
effort and make contact. from then on we’ve made
blocks to be mailed across the country, chatted about
our daily lives, and worked on these ten quilts. the
last of the quilts arrived at my house just four days
ago and i’ve been anxiously awaiting this day.

there are several others who stand around me with
great anticipation, and altho you can’t see them they
are very much here in spirit. if you would like to
see how all of this evolved, check in to the website
at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/comforter_squad/
you will have to join, but you will be able to read
all of the posts, see the pictures, and meet an
incredible group of caring, giving, and talented
women.
there were several things that this group wanted you
to know about why this project is so near and dear to
us. the overwhelming feeling was that we want you all
to know how much your efforts are appreciated. the
courage and dedication it takes for you to give so
freely of yourselves to insure the safety of others
does not go unnoticed, and we hope that whenever you
see these quilts you will be reminded of the thots and
prayers that go with you. we want these quilts to not
only warm your bodies, but also your hearts. we know
that you have lost so much, but hope you will also
know that you have also gained the gratitude and
recognition of an entire nation and world as the
reports of this huge fire spread thru the media.

ps sharyn craig was my first quilt teacher, president of the quilt guild that i joined way back when, and also a friend and neighbor. i encourage anyone who feels inspired to participate in her worthy project to do so. and in case you don't know, she's retiring in january 2009 so if you have a chance to hear her speak or take a class, do it!

dutchrose ---{-@
who moved away and now lives in the northwest! however, our old house did get evacuated once again with these last fires and i was in close touch with my kids while the fires raged. all of my friends and family thankfully were only inconvenienced.