An Art Quilt Story…

It was a dark and stormy night. The rain was falling like a vertical
river…just kidding! It was a beautiful, sunny, and warm morning and my
favorite day of the week. I like Thursdays because I get to hang out with
my quilt guild members in the morning and have dinner with my family in the
evening. A perfect day.

April 16th.
The guild’s biggest fundraiser of the year, a drawing for two quilts.
Usually it’s just one quilt, this year it’s two: an art quilt and a large
bed quilt. The air was electric with excitement, at least for me. In my
mind’s eye, I saw my family sitting around the dinner table laughing,
talking, and eating. And then it happened: I hear our President, Linda
Hooper, read the name ‘Jacqui Cass…’, ‘Casa…’, ‘Casarotti’!
“Oh, My God!”, I screamed. “That’s my daughter, Jacqui Casarotti!”
I was overwhelmed. I felt like I was beaming rays of light from my
happy heart. Jacqui really deserved this quilt. She opens her home and her
heart to anyone in need and I’m so proud of her I could bust. I decided to
tell her at our weekly dinner.
It was incredibly hard for me not to blurt the news beforehand. By the
middle of dinner, I was beside myself. Deciding the time was right, I took
the winning ticket from my pocket, passed it down the table and watched as
Jacqui took it. Her eyes widened as she read it and she asked, “What does
this mean?”
“It means you won the raffle for the art quilt!”, I said.
There were hoots, hollers, high-fives, fist-bumps and even some dancing.
Then we got busy scheduling the mountain of chores that needed to be done
before such a grand item could be displayed. Finally, late Saturday, after
cleaning carpets, baseboards, and windows the quilt was hung on a black,
“iron-esqe” rod with glass finials. The country theme of the quilt blends
with the vineyards and hills outside her dining room window and the colors
add a warmth that lights the room.
I read the label, noting the women I know now like pretty Genie Becker –
the designer, Jan Head – quilter extraordinaire, Selma Sklar – one of my
Block -of- the -Month friends, and the other women whose names I recognize
but don’t yet know like Linda Sims, Diane Land, Joyce Marty, Nancy Mc
Dermit, Linda Morand and Cathy Ortell — but hope to over time. I thought
my life was rich before I met you gals. Now your goodness is spilling over
into my family’s lives as well in extraordinary and remarkable ways.

Much Thanks,

Rhonda Denny

Just woke up from a week of recuperative power naps and **finally** am getting this newsletter out. The last tax trip I made to WWB was on the day before deadline and also got some beautiful quilts delivered. Janis T of Thousand Oaks CA sent two beauties.

Yes, I know the date on my camera is wrong…have fixed it now AND eliminated that irritating option. This quilt was really liked for the RW&B theme. ‘’

The second that Janis sent. I like how a very little fabric can be incorporated into a really pretty scrap theme.

These dark background quilts always remind me of stained glass windows in church. This was sent from Fairfax VA, but the quilter didn’t send me her name!!

Ellen Hough of Bremerton WA sent this one. My mom used to use these muted tone colors a lot and somehow I’ve gotten away from the, but look how gorgeous they work up!

Bev L of the Material Girls from Discovery Bay CA sent this one – did you see the USMC theme material used? The Marines sure did….this one went right on a bed, swapped out for the one originally placed on his rack.

Close up shot of the USMC fabric.

Remember when I promised to sent out shots of the quilts made by the Santa Rosa Quilt guild? Finally found them!! No, the quilts didn’t disappear, just my photos. Chalk it up to tax season madness I guess?

I really like the use of white on white fabrics!

The first two of these quilts from the Santa Rosa quilt guild are already on beds. One Marine family came to the house to have their taxes done, as medical appointment schedules wouldn’t allow them to go to the Battalion when I was there. The wife so impressed me with her unflagging support of her husband. She had to be the strength and backbone of their relationship as his TBI caused so many complications in their lives. Sadly, in doing taxes at the Battalion, I find out how **many** of them are going through divorces. This lady was keeping their family together with love and patience. Found out they had two small boys at home, so those two quilts, which were smaller in size, went home to the two small Marine boys. The wife left my house in tears at the support to their family and her efforts to keep them all together. Some of the quilts received aren’t the 80 x 100 that fit best on the full/double beds, but there are small Marines needing bed covers, too. Her reaction emphasized the point that physical warmth provided by the quilts is important, but the show of care from civilians all over the country is in many cases more important to mental health and recovery of these wounded Marines and their families.

Thank you again to all of you who have given so much of your time, talent, treasure and finances to the project of keeping USMC beds covered at the Wounded Warrior Battalion. The ripples you cause in the healing of these young men and women cannot be measured easily, but is true and important. One mother came with her son to my home for taxes and she hadn’t heard of the quilt project. She also left in tears at your efforts, and comforted at some of the other efforts besides what the USMC provides towards healing of her son and all the other residents.

Now that tax season is over the virtual padlock has been removed from my craft room!! I’m working on binding the quilts that Seelye from the Escondido church gave to the WWB. Sometime this next month I’ll make my first non-tax run with those quilts and check on the progress of the guys. Maybe even I’ll have some garden bounty to share with them?

Therese Thomas
Enrolled Agent
Thomas Tax Preparation
30457 Valley Center Rd
Valley Center CA 92082
(760) 751-2542 (home office)
(760) 749-3794 (home)
(760) 860-5301 (fax)
(760) 803-4299 (cell/text) Phone doesn’t ring in the house but texts arrive

The Santa Rosa Quilt Guild will have a booth at the “First Friday’s on Fourth” May 1st from 4 to 8 pm. Our location is in Courthouse Square. Many merchants and restaurants will have specials that evening as well as music by the Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestra so come and bring the whole family. Stop by our booth and say Hi!
For more information on First Friday’s on Fourth, their website is
First Fridays on Fourth

The students in Judy Sisneros’ workshop, Curves Around the Rectangle, not only had a great and fun day they learned something new! Did you know you should clean and oil your rotary cutter on a regular basis? It, also, helps the blades last longer! Some participants even learned that their rotary cutters had been assembled incorrectly! If you would like to learn about cleaning and correctly assembling your rotary cutter ask one of people who took this workshop!

Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for.
Ta Da !!

Mystery Quilt Instructions
Note: You will need “Quilt in a Day Large Flying Geese Ruler” to complete this quilt.

Santa Rosa Quilt Guild
Business Meeting
April 2, 2009

The meeting was called to order by President Linda Hooper at 10:03 AM.

One guest and one new member were introduced.

Minutes: Lavella Cassinelli moved to accept the March minutes. Lee Trevelyan seconded. The motion carried

Treasurer’s Report: Jan Head reported that first quarter expenditures and revenues are on track.

Announcements:

Volunteers are needed to:
· Help at the Moonlight Quilt Show; the sign-up form is on the web site
· Coordinate the sewing room sale to be scheduled for a late spring meeting
· Quilt a Wounded Warrior Quilt. Top, back and batting provided. Contact Lavella.

The Pointless Sisters’ spring quilt show is on display now through April 27 at the Rincon Valley Library in Santa Rosa.

The Sew Shop has generously donated one complimentary pass to “From Rags to Riches”, a wine country sewing event of demonstrations, lectures and hands-on activities with author Christopher Mejman on May 16 and 17 at Fountain Grove Inn in Santa Rosa. The pass includes a continental breakfast, lunch and supplies. Tickets will be available at the next meeting on April 16 and the raffle will also be held that day. Ticket prices are $1 for 1 ticket, $2 for 3 tickets, and $5 for 10 tickets. All proceeds will go to SRQG. You can learn more about Christopher Mejman at www.bagsandpillows.com or contact Janice Rodgers for more information.

Illona Moore announced that sewing machines and other items belonging to our late guild member Doris Maneke are being sold. Contact Illona or call Doris’ phone number for more information.

Rose Lara is ill and cards would be appreciated. Valeska Lattin is recovering and would appreciate cards and phone calls.

Kathy Hannan announced that the theme for this year’s Quilt Challenge will be homonyms – two words that sound alike but have two different meanings such as “a pair of pears.” Loads of examples of homonyms are available through a Google search. The quilts will be due at the Founder’s Day luncheon in September.

New Business: Meg Easter Dawson from Valley of the Moon Children’s Home, the county emergency shelter for children, received 103 quilts. She described how much the children treasure the quilts.

Committee Reports:

Membership- Anne Dondero: Membership cards and rosters that have not been picked up will be mailed to members.

Opportunity Quilt – Glenda Ross: Pam McVey reported that the last chance to turn in your Opportunity Quilt revenue will be the next meeting on April 16.

Friendship Block-Veline Ball: Veline shared several new blocks. The name of each person who contributes a block is tossed in the hat. Betty Upchurch won the quarterly drawing.

Program and Workshops- Genie Becker and Janice Rodgers: A survey to gauge member interest in additional bus trips and activities was distributed. Genie and Janice gave a humorous report on the March workshop and reviewed coming programs.

Sew-A-Row – Joanie Bellinghausen: Betty Upchuch announced that it’s sign-up time for the 2009 Sew-A-Rows.

Block of the Month – Rhonda Denny, Linda Ziemer and Barbara Cortelyou: The barn block for “Create a Village” was introduced.

Community Projects-Lavella Cassinelli: To date, 534 quilts (including 103 quilts to Valley of the Moon) and 229 hats have been distributed.

Librarian-Sharon Fry: Sharon introduced a variety of brand new and donated books and magazines as well as old favorites.

Show and Tell was held along with the Fifty-Fifty and Name Tag drawings.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:27 AM.

Respectfully Submitted,

Cathy Rapp, Recording Secretary

Pointless Sisters 20 panel quilt
“Along the Russian River”
now on display at the Rincon Valley Library

From left to Right, Back Row:
Nancy McDermott, Carroll Hirsch , Linda Sims, Virginia Lindstrom, Cora
Stewart, Linda Morand
Front Row:
Genie Becker, Selma Sklar, Ann Hines, Janet Shore, Pat Marabella, Sandy Chan Brown, Diane Land, Cathy Ortelle
Those not present in the photo:
Gale Davis, Sharon Cahn, Joyce Marty, Linda Hemenway, Judy Mathieson, and Cathy Hansen

Janice Rodgers and Rhonda Denny sell raffle tickets for our opportunity quilts at the Homeshow.

As the class began great minds began to work!

A little hard work…

Selma was so hard at work she didn’t even look up!

Look at Elaine’s happy face while Judith doesn’t stop working!

Susan’s design is coming together nicely, too.

Kathy learned how to use WonderUnder!

Norma’s vase of flowers goes from paper to cloth but you’ll have to wait to see the finished project at show-n-tell!

Cathy’s flower design is perfect for her background fabric!
I think she is pleased with the outcome, too!

Wow! Look at those completed designs! Great work!

No quilts to show this time. I did make a delivery of two boxes shipped to me from Alanna from Malibu. She doesn’t quilt, but instead sends morale booster boxes for the little Marines out there. This time there were oodles of Easter and bunny rabbit theme books, puzzles, toys and a cake topper complete with track and a toy truck that would go round and round. I think she was having entirely too much fun shopping for these items. As a grandma I know I see things and grab them for storage in my gift closet. When a need comes, open the door and voila!! The Marines were at first puzzled because it wasn’t a quilt. When I explained what it was, their eyes got wide and things started flying out. Main comment was it was like having another grandma out there – the ultimate compliment from these guys. Good job, Alanna.

Everything is carefully wrapped in zip lock baggies, which is also appreciated.

Out in the parking lot for the WWB is a newly donated vehicle – the largest golf cart I’ve ever seen – complete with a wheelchair ramp on the side

These aren’t my best photos – being shot from my phone. Too many items to lug around with me during tax season, so please accept my apologies for the grainy texture and movement – guess I need a tripod?

What I really wanted to talk about was the nature of the beast for the injuries at the WWB. I’ve heard, in sotto voce, from a few visitors that these Marines don’t appear to have much in the way of injury. Hanging around every week during tax season I get a vastly different picture of the extent of damage done to these fine young Marines. If you read the article in today’s Parade magazine that came with the Sunday paper, you’ll see a note on traumatic brain injury. I was also cleaning up the huge accumulated pile of magazines on one of my sofas and found September 2008 issue of Popular Science. In this issue is a very good article about blast trauma, entitled “Shock to the System”. These Marines have been discharged from the actual hospital setting but are in no way ready for normal, mainstream work. They have all the traumatic brain injury memory problems discussed in those two articles and more. One Marine this season was my project. It took FIVE appointments to get him to my office to begin fixing his tax situation. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to come. Five minutes after we would set an appointment he absolutely could not remember there was one made. Having experienced the widow’s fog after the death of my husband I can relate in a tiny manner. I would promise folks that I’d do something. Learned that I had to write down what I said I’d do. Once the note was put down in the to-do pile the memory of it absolutely left my brain. Six months to a year later I’d find the note as it rose to the surface – and then had to decide if I’d do the thing tardy or never at all. While doing the taxes I watch the Marines struggle with log in id’s and passwords. Some have huge notebooks filled with all the things they have to REMEMBER. If they ever lost those books or the phone with memo capability, their ability to function is toast. The WWB is striving to assist them with regaining memory functions and coping mechanisms so they can get back on track, and a good job done by the USMC in addressing this issue.

Now I’ll get off my soap box and get back to crunching numbers for tax returns…..the accumulated pile of quilts needing binding is crying out to me, but I must have strength and resist for another three weeks!! Hope you and your families have a great spring.

Therese Thomas