The Night THE DEAD CAME TO LIFE

Quilt coats weren’t always part of Cherie’s plan. In fact, the entire journey began with a moment of disappointment.

Since moving to Texas, the semi-famous Christmas in Cowtown GIft Market had always been something Cherie wanted to do. She had been waiting to go with someone but it never worked out. This year she was determined to go even if it meant going alone, which is exactly what she did. In early October, she headed out to the famous Will Rogers Colosseum in Ft. Worth and saw a display of quilt coats—warm, bold, beautiful pieces of wearable art. She fell in love instantly. But every coat she tried on felt wrong… every coat was either too short for her arms and too long for her bum or too short in the bum and long in the arms. She left inspired, but discouraged.

Weeks later, her favorite store, Mavericks, advertised quilt coats of their own, and again some was off. This time the price tag made her hesitate. Still, something tugged at her. She felt a quiet pull—a sense that she wasn’t meant to buy one. She was meant to create one.

So she took a deep breath and tried.

She remembered the words of a social-media quilter she admired:

“Don’t save your fabric for the perfect project. There will never be a perfect project. Just use it.”

So she did. With one bold decision, she cut into a beloved piece of fabric and created what would become her first true masterpiece: the Day of the Dead quilt coat. It was imperfect, iconic, and deeply hers. And it lit a spark.