You've Got Mail

Hello Everyone,

 

My little post office box has never been so full!  Your donations to my fundraiser for Paradise are pouring in.  Both my heart and my post office box runneth over.

 

Every name, dollar amount, email, or address has been entered into a spreadsheet.  I've assigned numbers to all of the donations and I've contacted most of you.  I still have some more to do.  The day after Thanksgiving, I sat at our dining room table surrounded by family, and we opened envelopes.  Checks, prayers, and personal stories were inside each envelope.  During the "opening" there were cheers, applause, gasps, and happy tears. 

The personal stories have been so touching.  Many of the envelopes came from areas of the state already ravaged by fire.  Some of the people who donated, had lost everything in the Santa Rosa fire or the fire in Redding......and they are donating to help Paradise.

I'm also amazed at how many people have a connection to Paradise and have traveled to the town, visited there as a child with grandparents, lived there, or have relatives who also lost their homes.

Many times over the past week I've been reduced to tears.  I try to read aloud to Mr. Joe, and my voice cracks, and the water works start to flow.  I'm a witness to the generosity of the quilting community as you reach out to help those who are hurting and in great need.  You are the BEST!

In between processing donations and sending out checks, I've been preparing for my week of teaching. I hit the road today and head over to The Quail's Nest in Sonora to teach Scrappy Maple Leaves.  This is one of my favorite classes to teach.

Saturday, I'll be at In Between Stitches in Livermore to teach Row-Mancing Alaska. Saturday night Livermore has a big Christmas parade, so I will be bundled up and watching my three grand daughters on the FFA float.  Hopefully the rain will stop long enough for the parade.

 

Sunday, I'm teaching Country Sampler at Ladybug's in Manteca.  This is also a fun class to teach.  There will be many ah-ha moments in class.

 

I get to spend next Monday and Tuesday at In Between Stitches with my Sew'n Wild Oaks girls.  This is always a fun time for me.

Mr. Joe and Mazey will be staying at the cabin while I'm on the road for a couple of different reasons.  #1, he wants to keep the driveway cleared of snow so I can get back home next week on Wednesday.  The second reason is that he has always wanted to be snowed in for a few days with his favorite blond....a furry, four-legged Golden Retriever who loves to play outside in the snow!

Soon,
Lynn

Emilie Elizabeth Part Two

Hello Everyone,

 

Quilters have big hearts and are so generous.  My friend Barbara is offering her version of Emilie Elizabeth in the raffle to help those who lost their homes in the Camp Fire in Paradise.

 



 

 It has such a wonderful vintage look and feel. 

Barbara is an amazing quilter and person.  She is also one of the most positive people I've ever known.  I'm so honored to know her, and call her my friend.

So now you have two chances to win.  The original Emile Elizabeth.....

 ....and the vintage 30's version....

  

So here are the particulars.  ALL monies received will go directly to the relief of Paradise residents.  The renters of our family home are in dire need of assistance.  Every childhood friend, except for one, lost everything in the fire. The lines for FEMA are long.  The rains are coming. People I know are living in tents or their cars. 

Tickets are $5.00 each.  I can't accept credit cards because I'm keeping this effort totally separate from my business.  I would prefer checks so there is a paper trail, and this process is totally transparent.  Your check is your receipt for income tax purposes.

Upon receipt of your check, I will enter your name and information into an Excel spreadsheet.  You will be assigned a number(s), and I will email them to you.  I don't want to waste money on postage or envelopes.  I plan to draw the winner of the quilt through a random number generator January 15, 2019. The first number drawn will get to select which quilt they want. The second number will win the remaining quilt. 

I have a long list in my spreadsheet with names and numbers.  I will work on sending your numbers out to you this week.  The envelopes have been filling my little post office box!

Please include your email in your correspondence! 

Please make checks payable to Lynn Wilder and send to:

Lynn Wilder
P.O. Box 3236
Arnold, CA  95223-3236

In the memo part of the check, in the left hand corner please write "Stitch Paradise Back Together"

I have been reduced to tears when opening the envelopes that I've received so far.  Your generosity and personal notes are so touching.  My next post will be all about the notes and checks received.

Soon,
Lynn

P.S.  My Etsy sale ends today!  Click HERE to go to my Etsy shop.

Time With The Family

Hello Everyone,

 

While the family sleeps, and the cabin is quiet, I'll try to get off a quick post. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  We had a good day spent with part of the family, yet bittersweet while our thoughts turned to our friends in Paradise.

 

Toyland Tree

Don't forget the raffle of my Emilie Elizabeth quilt from my previous post. All proceeds will go directly to the displaced residents of Paradise, my hometown where I grew up.

Also, to kick off Black Friday, I'm having a sale on my Etsy site.  Click HERE to check it out.

We are going to put our tree up today.  It is supposed to rain, glorious rain, all day long. Christmas carols, hot chocolate, laughter, and reindeer games is our plan for the day. We will be inside snug as bugs and enjoying leftovers.

Soon,
Lynn

 

Stitch Paradise Back Together

 Hello Everyone,

After days of hand wringing, worry, and sleepless nights, I've decided what I can do to help in the effort to repair lives torn apart in the incomprehensible destruction of my hometown of Paradise during the Camp Fire. I am going to raffle off my Emilie Elizabeth quilt.

The quilt measures 76" x 76". She is gorgeous if I do say so myself!  She is named after my maternal grandmother, Emilie Elizabeth Ross, who also lived in Paradise in the 1950's and 60's. 

 



 I deigned, made, and machine quilted this quilt.  My sister Gail helped me make this quilt, so it was a joint effort.  We had a tight deadline to make the quilt and ship it off to Marcus Fabrics, so it could hang in the Marcus booth in Houston during the 2014 Quilt Market.

Click HERE to read a post about us making this quilt.  Gail was a guest blogger and it is pretty funny reading.

Since we made this quilt together, and we both lost our hometown and family home together, I think this is the best quilt to donate to the cause.

So here are the particulars.  ALL monies received will go directly to the relief of Paradise residents.  The renters of our family home are in dire need of assistance.  Every childhood friend, except for one, lost everything in the fire. The lines for FEMA are long.  The rains are coming. People I know are living in tents or their cars. 

Tickets are $5.00 each.  I can't accept credit cards because I'm keeping this effort totally separate from my business.  I would prefer checks so there is a paper trail, and this process is totally transparent.  Your check is your receipt for income tax purposes.

Upon receipt of your check, I will enter your name and information into an Excel spreadsheet.  You will be assigned a number(s), and I will email them to you.  I don't want to waste money on postage or envelopes.  I plan to draw the winner of the quilt through a random number generator mid-January.

Please make checks payable to Lynn Wilder and send to:

Lynn Wilder
P.O. Box 3236
Arnold, CA  95223-3236

In the memo part of the check, in the left hand corner please write "Stitch Paradise Back Together"

As money comes in, I will distribute it directly to those in need.  I will keep you posted on amounts collected and disbursed.

Together, we can lighten the hearts of some of the residents......one family at a time.

If you are in a guild, please share this information via social media.  If you have any questions, please email me:  sewnwildoaks@gmail.com

Let's do this together quilters! 

Soon,
Lynn

A Scrappy Heritage

Hello Everyone,

 

The Independence Hall Scholarship Quilt is on its way to the machine quilter!  I finished the corner sections and borders yesterday.  Mazey loves to pose in front of the quilts when the camera comes out.  It looks like she is missing her back legs.  Trust me, they are tucked under all that golden fur.

 



Here is the group responsible for making the quilt.  There are more too, who left before I took the picture.  More quilters also came to the second workshop in October.  A least 20 different quilters worked on this quilt.  That means 20 different sewing machines, 20 different 1/4" seams.  Once it was all together, it was only 1/4" smaller than it should be.  That was amazing!

Tickets will be available soon so you can buy a chance to win this beauty.  All proceeds will go to the scholarship fund to assist deserving seniors who plan on continuing their education.  Our goal over the coming year is to fill the guild bank account, and help as many students as we can.

Soon,
Lynn

 

Country Sunshine Class was in Session

Hello Everyone,

 

I spent a delightful day teaching Country Sunshine in the classroom at Friends Around the Blocks in Colusa last Saturday. So many beautiful blocks were born during the class.

 

All the blocks begin life on the block layout sheet.  This keeps you organized during construction.

 

My Country Sunshine pattern is located HERE on Etsy.  Here are pictures of my two Country Sunshine quilts.

Julie brought in the blocks that she'd made for a scrappy Heritage quilt. They were so gorgeous!

 

A customer brought in this heirloom quilt.  We were all amazed at the level of detail in this quilt all made by hand.

 

I am so lucky that I get to surround myself in such beauty day after day.  Not only do I get to spend time looking at beautiful quilts, and blocks, I spend my days with wonderful people. 

 

I've been researching how to conduct an online raffle of one of my quilts to benefit my friends who lost everything during the Paradise fire.  Oh the red tape to even begin! Which is nothing compared to the red tape the survivors are going through. I may have to link up with a guild since I am not a non-profit organization. I will keep you posted. 

 

The tales of heroism and horror are on our news every night.  Except for one, all of my childhood friends lost EVERYTHING in the fire. How can an entire community be erased?  It is incomprehensible.  The statistics this morning are staggering. 

 

56 souls perished,  The authorities are going house to house looking for bodies.

296 are missing....many on the list are elderly.

8,800 structures have burned to the ground.

 

This is too much suffering for a small community to manage.  The fire in Paradise is on my mind when I go to bed, and it's my first thought when I wake up.

 

Here is a picture of the church where our mom taught Sunday School. Craig Memorial Congregational Church

 

 

 

 

 This was were I went to Elementary School. 

It's going to take years to rebuild the infrastructure.  There's no water, electricity, or any type of services available in town.  It could be weeks before we are allowed in to the witness the area and see what is left of our family home and community. 

 

I've had a heavy heart for days.  While preparing for Thanksgiving, my thoughts return to my roots.  I'm thankful that I grew up in Paradise and have many wonderful memories.  I'm thankful the community gave me my sense of self, sense of place, and made me who I am today.  That cannot be erased.

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

 

 

 



Grammy Squares Class in Colusa

Hello Everyone,

 

Thank you all for your comments from my last post about the total destruction of Paradise, my hometown, and my family home. I can feel the heartfelt and sincere outpouring of love from you.  It is greatly appreciated.

 

Last week, my sister Gail and I drove to Colusa for the two scheduled classes on Friday and Saturday.  As we listened to the radio on the drive, never in our wildest dreams did we anticipate what was to come.

 

So on a cheerier note, we were surrounded in beauty and love in the classroom on Friday.

 

The class was held at Friends Around the Block in Colusa.  This quilt shop is located in a former mortuary. 

The girls listened to my lecture, then dug right in and started making blocks for Grammy Squares.  They were all so varied and beautiful!

 

Kathy brought in two of her quilts that she made from my patterns.  Winter's Warmth was first.

 



Second was Madrigal.  She designed her own adorable basket for the center.  Both of her quilts were works of art.

 

Gail and I were housed in this sweet little cottage.

 



 

If you are interested in staying here, I can provide you with all of the information.  I can't wait for a return trip.  It is a mere two blocks from the quilt shop!  It has three bedrooms......road trip anyone?  When we walked in the front door, we were instantly "home".

Here is an update on our home in Paradise.  There is a great Geographic Information site where you can locate information about the status of your home called the Camp Fire Structure Status.  It is still a work in progress.  In my past life, I was a Geographic Information Systems Analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.  I appreciate the amount of work that it took to create this website in a relatively short period of time.  I entered the address of our home, and this image popped up.  Every home on my street is gone.  We are taking one day at a time.  We aren't allowed to go into the area because of all the hazards.  I would like to remember our home and town as it was, prior to last Thursday.

I'm still formulating plans for what I'm going to do to help our tenant and our childhood friends.  I'll be posting my plan.

Again, thank you all for your outpouring of supportive words.  It is very comforting, and I appreciate YOU.

Soon,
Lynn