News

Loves Me … Foundation Quilt Finds a Home in Texas

BY Courtney Leach, Web Copywriter

Fort Wayne, Indiana (August 4, 2010) — After making its way through Vera Bradley retail locations in Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, Kansas and Texas, the Loves Me … quilt created for the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer, has found a home with a loyal Vera Bradley fan from San Antonio.

Quilt winner Barbara Dallahan (left) shows off her newest addition to her Vera  Bradley collection.

Created by Fort Wayne craftswoman Jennie Blume, the Loves Me … quilt is a unique fund-raising concept six years in the making. Blume, a regular participant in the Vera Bradley Classic, proposed the idea in 2004. The 2009 quilt, made and donated by the designer in Hope Garden (last year’s breast cancer awareness color), raised approximately $8,000 for the Foundation. The “Blume quilt” will now be an annual effort. “Making quilts is something I love to do,” Blume said. “It’s fun to be able to do something you love for a good cause.”

Beginning in March, the Loves Me … quilt was sent on a tour through some of the more popular Vera Bradley hotspots, concluding the journey with an appearance at the annual Vera Bradley Outlet Sale. For every $2 donation made during the quilt’s visit, customers were awarded one entry for the quilt giveaway sweepstakes.

After the random drawing, it was Barbara Dallahan – who admired the quilt and donated at Vera Bradley at The Shops at La Cantera – who won the beautiful Blume piece. “All [of the] ladies in my family love Vera Bradley, from my mom to my 7-year-old granddaughter,” Dallahan said. “I bought my first piece in Carmel, California, over 20 years ago. It was a Villager bag that I have been traveling with ever since. I just retired it this year.”

As for her recently acquired addition, the friend of Vera could not be more thrilled. “I feel very lucky to have been presented with this beautiful work of art. It has such wonderful craftsmanship and is in one of my favorite patterns,” Dallahan says. “I have the Stephanie bag in this pattern.”

The San Antonio resident plans to display the quilt in her guest room and promises the Loves Me … piece is in good hands. “I will enjoy the quilt, just as I do giving to a good cause,” Dallahan says. “It is a true treasure.”

While she has already set her sights on the next object of her Vera Bradley desire (a Weekender in Night & Day, for those who are wondering), the importance of the sweepstakes has left quite a lasting impression. “This contest is a great opportunity to donate to a worthy cause and to receive a very personalized item. I will be proud to display this in my home.”

All donations from the Loves Me … quilt will go to breast cancer research through the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. “I hope that people will continue to support the Vera Bradley Foundation. There have been so many great advancements in cancer research and there is still so much to discover. And thanks to contributions from organizations like [Vera Bradley] the research will continue.”