Jersey Girl...

Not me.  My Mom.  

I'm a California girl... mostly.  With quite a few other places thrown in... to the point that one of my classmates in grad school commented that I often spoke like a "Texas Valley girl".  The "valley" being Southern California.  Like totally.  

But as usual, I digress.  

My Mom was born and raised in Palisades Park, New Jersey, and went to Leonia High School.  She'll wring my neck if I tell you when she graduated so ixnay on that.  Her sister, and her nephew and his family still live there and like most folks, we worried about them during Hurricane Sandy.  We were relieved and happy to learn - a few days later - that they were all safe and had fared well.  

Not everyone was so fortunate so we did what many folks did, we made donations to the Red Cross and hoped that it would help.  We tried to think of what else we could do because even though the news has moved on to other things, there is still a lot that needs to be done to get way too lives back to some new kind of normal.

While I was moving quilts around and re-organizing, I had an idea... and then I saw something on eBay that would make actually doing it a whole lot easier.  Like totally cool. 

I have a lot of quilts.  I have like way more quilts that I will ever use or need in my lifetime.  I expect I'll make more quilts in the coming years so maybe if I sold a few of my quilts with the proceeds going to the Red Cross, it might do a little teeny bit to help.

So this Friday, I'm going to list a couple of quilts on eBay.  I'll post the links to the auctions then - I just wanted to let you know what I was going to do... if you were interested.  

These are the quilts I'm going to be listing...

Message in a Bottle.

Message was made using the Butternut & Blue collection by Barbara Brackman & Terry Clothier Thompson for Moda.  The quilt measures 72" x 80".  

Quadrille.

Quadrille measures approximately 87" x 87" and it was made using the Aviary collection by 3 Sisters for Moda.

Little Red measures about 30" x 38" and it is made with an assortment of Reproduction prints.  Lots of them.  

And Bennington.

Bennington measures approximately 28" x 28" and is made with the Autumn Journey collection by Kansas Troubles for Moda.  

There will be more pictures on eBay - including a few close-ups - but I think it's a pretty good bet that while there will be more, they probably won't be "better".  

All of the quilts have been washed and used for quilt samples, meaning that they have traveled and been displayed but never used on a bed or table, etc.  They come from a smoke-free home but obviously not a pet-free home.  

If the quilt was appraised, I will include the appraisal form with the quilt.  And I will pay for all the shipping costs.

Payment will be done via PayPal and the money will go directly to the Red Cross.  The only thing I'll get is your mailing address.  

And yes, my Mom said that as long as I wasn't selling Birdseye, it was okay.   

So I'll be back on Friday - really.  This Friday - not the one in three weeks.  

Comments

[Cathy]

This is very generous of you. I live in NJ and while we came through pretty much unscathed, many were not so fortunate. I know several people who still cannot get back into their homes, mostly because the basements flooded, destroying all the mechanicals. Others had their homes destroyed completely. All the rebuilding will take some time.

[JoAnne McPHerson]

How very generous! I'll be watching for the listings.

[Amber]

Wow! Very generous. I'm from NJ and while we were very lucky others were not. My neighbors still can't live in their home since a tree fell on their house. And we're still waiting for repairs to be made on our house. Thank you for reminding people that there are people still suffering. The media has definitely moved on and people still need help.

[Ramona]

You are a woman with a kind heart.

[Nancy in Utah]

Way to go Carrie, your like, "Groovy Babe" ... no wait, wrong generation...ah well, no matter, it is very generous and a wonderful kindness your showing to the victims of this disaster and I hope people respond in kind. The quilts you are offering up are all gorgeous. I would especially be watching Quadrille if I was able to bid. Good luck! Big Big Hugs...

[Cheryl Miller]

Wonderful idea and very generous! We will all be watching.

[Darlene]

You totally ROCK!!!! ;-)

[Linda P]

You are so right, they still need lots of help!! Extremely generous, Carrie, but I am sooo not surprised. We'll be watching!

[Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts]

What a thoughtful, generous idea! You do rock!! ;-)

[kathie]

Incredible what a great idea! that is so cool! Can't thank you enough.
ok so did mom go to Palisades Amusement Park? I did a lot as a child actually grew up close to there....really small world.

[kathie]

This is very generous of you. Can't even begin to tell you how much help is still needed in NJ as well as NY.

[Jocelyn]

great idea carrie. i sent a couple of boxes of clothing and misc stuff. i think your quilts will go like hot cakes.

[Linda]

Wonderful idea. I'm anxious to see how they do.

[Wendy]

What a thoughtful and generous thing to do! I will try to remember to follow along, and maybe place a bid...if I can figure out how to do the paypal thing...

[Susan J.]

What a wonderful idea. I will be bidding for sure, especially on Quadrille. I bought the pattern as soon as it became available, and I have the Aviary fabric to go with it, but having a completed quilt is so much better at this time of the year!

[Helen]

That's a great idea! I think there are many ways that we quilters can help and this is a good one.

I'll check in on Friday.

[Kristie]

You can imagine my surprise when I was reading this post and found my hometown, Palisades Park, named here! I used to live down the block from the old Park Lane movie theater. Tell your mom that both schools, once fierce football rivals who would vie against each other each Thanksgiving, now compete together as a combined team and are playing in the state North 2 Group 3 championship being contested tomorrow afternoon at MetLife (formerly Giants) Stadium in the Meadowlands.

My parents and some siblings still live in Pal Park and were without power for 12 days following Sandy. My mom lost at least $1000 of roasts, turkeys, and other items in her freezers - but it was no comparison to the devastation down the shore. Thank you for your generosity in donating the proceeds from the sale of these quilts!