Quilts of Valor

A part of quilting is giving and sharing.  That's why I sew with my local Quilts of Valor.  Ours is not a large group but a very active and productive troop of  25+ quilters. The leader provides a different pattern and fabric each time they meet. They piece and piece the hours together.  Kits of blocks are assembled and finished at home. Last year this group made well over 150 adult sized quilts of various patterns

So what is my part?  Because of an immune problem, I am unable to meet in large groups but I do work a home.  My part is making this center block from Marianne Fons' pattern for Quilts of Valor.

Depending on fabric and pattern, the group finish this quilt to look like this:

Now I want to share with you a recent news item.  An Army Ranger was presented the Purple Heart award while he was unconscious attached to more wires than carried by the space shuttle.  He was covered with a patriotic quilt. While they thought he was unconscious, he raised his arm to salute his commander during the presentation.  The doctors were amazed.  One doctor was at his side and when he saw his arm raise and helped him.

This scene went viral on the internet and then a Quilts of Valor recognized the quilt draping his body.  It was one they made.

Orlando Sentinel

NBC Nightly News did a piece on these busy ladies last week and you can view it here.

NBC Nightly News

Bowl Me Over

Here's a picture of a round robin table topper completed in my small quilting group. The 9-patch block was my start and the rest was added on as it passed from quilter to quilter. This comes out when we have Mexican food takeout and when I make the best ever (easy) chicken tortilla soup. (Recipe only available to my followers upon request.)

Recently at a craft show they were selling microwavable soup bowl potholders. The evil eye checked them out--I know crafters hate this--and came home to search the internet for instructions. There are dozens of tutorials out there but I took the best from three different tuts and made two. By picking them up by the corners, you don't burn your fingers or dip your potholder into the soup.  reat for oatmeal too. In fact one of the sites mentioned using them for ice cream too--not in the microwave silly. Would keep it cold and your hands warm.

Here's where I went wrong.  I sent my daughter a picture and her response was "I'll take four." So I went bowl crazy and looky here.  

Row by Row Quilt

Since I showed you PamKittyMorning's matching mug to the tea set  I won on Monday and told you how  I love her fabrics, now I want to show you a quilt I made with Pam's PamKittyLove fabric using Fredashive's Berry Fun Row by Row pattern. When I saw Nanette working on her rows, it became and automatic on my list of things to do.

This pattern has piecing and minimum applique.  My applique is all by hand but could easily be done on a machine.  Perhaps what caught my eye was the colors and the log cabin blocks around the edge.

But the colors and patterns are amazing.  Look at all those happy colors.

Check out the baskets. There's rick rick on the top edge and the handle is appliqued on to the background of white on white dots. Choosing fabric for the baskets was just plain fun. You know what I mean.

The flower centers were appliqued and topped with a fabricated strawberry in red gingham.

The strawberries, two rows above, are appliqued with wool leaves. There is machine stitched leaf veins as well.

One of the most eye catching parts of the quilt pattern are the log cabin blocks around the edge. Each center log cabin block, on the top and bottom rows, is nearly solid with rich fabric reds.

The final border is red gingham because that's just the kind of person I am. There was no doubt the binding would be scrappy.

Keep Calm and Carry On

PamKittyMorning is a favorite blog of mine.  Every morning she has a different coffee mug and chats with her readers.  But look what she showed yesterday.  Is that not a coincidence or what!  It is a mug just like the tea set I won yesterday and showed in my previous blog.

You probably are familiar with her fabric lines and they are on sale now at Fat Quarter Shop where I am headed at this moment.



http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/

Picture by PamKittyMorning

New to Me

It must be spelled out:  Oh My Gosh!  Looky what I got.  I like tea in the afternoon and I love red.  How can this be more perfect?

  

Quilts on Display

The community's quilt group held an outdoor quilt show today.  Each of us hung a few quilts outside in front of our house.  It was kind of a spur of the moment idea, barely advertised but perhaps next time it'll be more organized.  It was fun to drive around to see the quilts displayed.  I didn't think to take pictures until my husband was putting things away.  But here's what I did get.  Too bad the camera wasn't with us as we checked out the other displays.

Before bringing this one in for the kitchen table, I tossed on the patio to get a full picture and a close up.  The only quilting is a machine feather stitch using metallic gold thread.  The points on the edge are similar to prairie points.  The pattern is from Quilts Without Borders--if you like working with color this is a great book.

I'll get pictures of some of the others tomorrow with better light.

Not Idle

Even though I've not posted, I have not been idle.  It was necessary to put some D rings and other custom things in my new gym bag (prior post) and then I wanted a pouch to put my wallet, phone, etc. in so I can just lift it to my purse when needed. Easy to make but I need to find a red clipper thingy.

That completed, on with philanthropy projects.  Let's see:  one pillowcase for the small guild, one rail fence block quilt top done and half of another quilt sandwiched and quilted for the other group.

Also, I've made good use of the ending of the baseball season.  While the games are on, it gives me good "seat time" to work on my Gingerbread blocks from Crabapple Hill.  There's lots of small detailed work to do on it yet.  Since this is only block two, I can honestly say it might be for Christmas 2014--or 2015.