The City Quilts Blog Tour: A Look Inside Cherri House's New Book
You say in your book that Kona Cotton Solids are your favorite solids to work with. Why is that line of fabrics so appealing to you?
I love everything about it...I love all the colors, there is something about the pureness of the color that has the effect of colored glass...see City Green! I love the weight of the fabric, the quality of the fabric, the washability of the fabric. I love machine quilting on Kona Cotton Solids - with the right thread, and density of quilting, the fabric takes on the appearance of suede. The price is awesome - so reasonable for such high quality goods. If there was one thing I would change - it would be only adding to the colors, never taking any colors away...a girl can dream, right?
The quilts featured in your book are very contemporary, which could be appealing to younger quilters. Do you feel it is important for the quilting industry to branch out and appeal to a younger demographic?
Absolutely! Quilting must last, and must remain vibrant through upcoming generations. The only way for that to happen is to reach new quilters with work that appeals to them, and works in their lives. Most 20-year-olds just don't care about Civil War Reproductions - if it won't fit in their homes why would they buy it? They need sewing, and quilting, and they need to have the products that are appealing to them. 
Which comes first - the conceptual inspiration for a quilt, or ideas regarding its execution (color scheme, size, etc)?
Generally an overall vision (if I'm lucky), sometimes it is a fabric I adore/have to have, and then a project is developed from there. For me, there are 3 or 4 ways a quilt can develop - some are painfree, and some are a little more labor intensive. Who knew fabric could have a mind of its own?
As the title of your book indicates, your quilt designs deal exclusively with city life. Why is that theme meaningful to you?
It's where I work, it is my surrounding, my environment. I have a firm conviction about being happy where you are now, in what you are doing now. If I said 'I'll create when I'm at the sea, in France, in the mountains, or somewhere picturesque' I might never get anything made. I'm in Houston now, I work in a downtown environment now - I don't want to waste a minute imagining what is somewhere else, and miss what is here. I believe that beauty is everywhere, maybe not on an obvious level, maybe the definition needs to be expanded. To me, it's just a matter of seeking it out, and capturing it, wherever you are.
Do you have any projects in store for the future, and will they also be city themed?
Yes! Lots more quilting patterns in work, and thoughts on another book. In regards to city themed, I just don't know...I have about 20 more city quilts still floating around my head; I wouldn't want to wear out the theme, or have anyone think I was a one note kind of artist. There are so many things I love - but that geometric thing has a very strong pull on me.
What's your favorite Kona color?
Cerise - it is the same color as my favorite childhood crayon!
The Giveaway!
We're so excited about Cherri's book that we are having a great giveaway! All you have to do is leave a comment below for your chance to win a free copy of Cherri's book and a Kona Fat Quarter! A winner will be randomly selected. We'll select the winner on Monday July 19th at noon.
Robert Kaufman Fabrics
Hi all. We have selected at random the winner. "AnneD" who posted on July 17, 2010 is the winner. Congratulations! Keep on trying on the other stops along the Blog Tour.
Robert Kaufman Fabrics Posted on Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 7:00AM Share Article Print Article 267 Comments 
Reader Comments (267)
Thanks for hosting this interview.
lindsay.forgette(at)gmail(dot)com
Love the book!