2012 has not started out the way I planned. It was too early to even have a plan. We were enjoying my sons’ last day of the Christmas break last Tuesday and it was bitterly cold outside. We built a fire in our fireplace and we enjoyed a low-burning fire all day. I went into the kitchen to cook dinner and was cooking proscuitto in a skillet when I heard David say, “There’s a fire in the wall. I’m not kidding. Get out of the house and call 911.
There was no smoke, no flame, no spark to indicate anything was wrong, so I thought it was a false alarm. But David saw embers under the firebox, felt the wall and hit was hot. So he knew there was a fire.
He was right. We watched the firetrucks pull up and drag the huge hose into our home. The firefighters gingerly pulled the Old Glory quilt down from above my mantel and broke into the den wall. Flames leapt out of the wall, along with huge billows of smoke. We were still outside, but I could see my quilt studio on the second floor fill up with so much smoke you couldn’t see inside it.
We all got out okay, the fire was contained to the one wall of the house, and the firefighters put it out quickly. We have more smoke and water damage than anything. But guess what happens to my quilting fabric?
A textile cleaning company removed ALL of it from my studio, will be cleaning it and specially treating it, will fold it back up, and return it to my studio. Same with my quilts. Almost all of them.
So, I won’t be doing any quilting for a while, but I’m anxious to see my quilting fabric when it returns. Will it be the same? Better than new? Or not?
We are hugely blessed that this happened during the day instead of in the evening, when we normally enjoy a fire. So we’re looking on the bright side and not letting this dampen our spirits or get us down.
Until we deal with the insurance company. Our absolute favorite activity. 
Bless your heart! What a way to begin the new year! I feel for you, that is a lot to deal with. Thank God you all are just fine, however, and hopefully, your house will be repaired quickly along with the fabrics & quilts that have smoke damage. I turn my house alarm on nightly (I sleep soundly) just in case, as we have been hit by lightning previously, just at the phone box on the side of the house. But we live on/very close to bedrock, which attracts it. I pray that all will go well with the rebuilding projects and that your family will be closer than ever after such an event. God bless you all!
Oh, Maria, I feel for you. Thankfully, you were all okay, but you must’ve been heartsick at the thought of all your quilts and fabric being affected by the fire – and by what could’ve happened. I hope that your fabric and quilts will all soon be back and in the same condition that they were originally. Just think of it this way – you’ll now have lots of time to come up with new quilt and book ideas!
I’m so sorry to hear about the fire, but you and your family are certainly blessed to have escaped like you did. This is the second time in less than a week that I’ve heard about a quilter having a fire in her home. It has really made me aware of the possibilty, especially since we heat with wood. Your last statement has also hit home with the fact that it has been quite a long time since I’ve taken even a quick inventory of my quilting supplies. I think many of us have no idea of what we really have and how much money we have invested in machines, threads, fabric, and other supplies. I have decided that I’ll spend a good part of tomorrow in the sewing room, taking inventory. Again, I’m happy that you had so little damage and that you and your family are safe.
wow! i can relate as we had the temp control in our very old oven go out while gone. thankfully, i needed to go home for something and walked in to fire coming out of the oven–firefighters said we had a few minutes and the whole house would have gone when it traveled up to the attic. i wasn’t a quilter at the time but had all sorts of crafting stuff needing care. i’m so glad your husband caught it in time–super scary. hope your beautiful quilts and fabrics return ok. i definitely need to inventory. crazy way to start the new year!
Oh Maria, I was so sorry to hear about the fire but thanked God that you your husband and children were all safe. That is something we all worry about when we have a fireplace. I truly hope that all the fabric and your beautiful quilts come back like new. Do you keep a list of all of your quilts and there worth. Insurance companies are usually not the greatest to work with but I will pray that all will go well with them. Blessings Sandra
Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and prayers. Our repairs are going smoothly, I get to select new paint colors for our interior, which is fun for me. The textile company that came in to clean all the clothing, quilts, and fabrics had never seen anything like my quilt studio and all the fabric in it (and my stash isn’t big compared to many quilters). They were stunned!