David Taylor

[Diane F.]

Ricky,
I saw your post about David Taylor's fire. I contacted him and he confirmed that his studio received major smoke damage. I want to send him some of my babies (batiks.) Do you have any scraps to spare of your wonderful hand dyes?

A friend in quilting

UPDATE David said that he won't have a place to live for months so he doesn't need fabrics. ops:

[Diane F.]

Just let us know if and when David may need fabric.
Jeanine

[Nancy R.]

Ricky is collecting cotton threads for David. This is from Ricky on Facebook:

I have just concluded an emotional phone call with David Taylor. Here are more details about the explosion and fire at his home last Tuesday evening, February 17, 2016. The explosion is under investigation, but it appears that ice/snow slid from the roof onto the gas meter causing it to breech the line and cause the explosion. David was not home at the time. He was teaching in Chicago.

What was lost:
His very first quilt is gone. It was made from his Grandmother’s pattern from calico prints. In David’s words, “It’s just gone, it’s nothing but charred ruins."
His first pictorial quilt, Woodland Sprits, is gone.
The quilt he has worked on as a personal project since 2003 (which was nearing completion and was on his Handy Quilter), is gone.
His BERNINA sewing machines and his Handy Quilter Sweet 16 is gone.
All of his treads are gone.

What was not lost:
His extensive Harry Potter collection is untouched - pristine, untouched.
His bedroom, untouched.
His new Hogwarts model that he created after Christmas was in his kitchen. Most everything in the kitchen is gone, but the Hogwarts model is untouched.
His fabrics are covered in soot, but appear to be salvageable and members of his guild in Steamboat Springs will assist in caring for them.
His most beloved quilt, “Did you Wash your Beak?”, is on exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum so it was not in his home at the time.

Insurance:
David says he has excellent insurance which had been recently increased due to nearby wildfires in recent years. The insurance will replace everything that is replaceable. Obviously they cannot replace his one-of-a-kind treasured quilts.

The future:
David’s insurance will also provide him lodging until he can return home. At this time it is not sure if the structure will be restored, torn down and rebuilt, or whether or not he will have to relocate. David expects several months of being displaced.
David plans to continue with his teaching commitments.
David has a very strong support group so he will not be abandoned in his time of need.

Show your support:
For those who wish to do something as a way of supporting him and letting him know you care, I am creating a thread drive to replace his threads. David only uses cotton threads. He uses solid and variegated threads by Superior, Sulky, YLI, and Aurifil. If you would like to help replenish David’s thread collection as a way to say you care, please send a spool or two (doesn’t have to be new), to:

Threads for David
c/o Ricky Tims
PO Box 392
La Veta, CO 81055