Our Quilt of Valor Project - No Soldier Forgotten

I have been asked some questions about the Quilt of Valor project and I thought I would try to answer them all today.
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First of all, our school QOV project started 4 years ago now with my sons 5th grade class. They were learning about veterans and my son told the teachers about the QOV quilt project that I was involved in. So one of them contacted me and asked if I could address the class. They gave me 20 minutes - I took an hour. Well Not really me - the kids had the most awesome questions and they wanted to get involved. One innocent kid asked if the class could make a quilt ... and the thing just took off from there.
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The class that year made 8 quilts. Another child and his mom made a quilt and I had one. We were invited by the chaplain to present the quilts to him. It was cool. Jump to this last year. The chaplain now serves a unit of 400 soldiers that have been wounded. Our delivery to him this year consisted of 48 quilts. I sort of lost count - but I think our kids made 15-20 quilts.. there was a quilt from each group of kids, and quite a few scrappy quilts. The others came from very generous quilters across the US.
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As we left this year the Chaplain asked if maybe we could bring 100 quilts next year, and I thought - why not? As we were driving back I started thinking of ways to get my quilt guild, friends, more students, etc involved. I spoke to quite a few people and started getting people excited. Then a friend ( and yes - I still call her that) from a Quilting list challenged the whole list to help out. If there were 400 soldiers there why couldn't we try to cover them all. Why should Chaplain choose only 100 soldiers to recieve a quilt...

And Voila - a challenge was born!
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Now many many of you are involved with QOV and I DO NOT want to take any quilts from your own projects. I know there are soldiers ALL over the country that need a quilt. I KNOW that many of them could use a quilt now - however our goal is to get these quilts to the Chaplain in May 2009 and have enough for every soldier in his unit at one time.
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The way we are doing this is :

1. I dragged my mom - not so kicking and screaming - into the project. She organized a group of ladies to sew.

2. My own quilt guild is having monthly sew days to work on QOV's

3. We will be setting up a booth at the Larmier Co Fair to entice people to join.

4. We will be sewing in the school again. Not only in the 5th grade, but the CFS teacher at the high school has joined in - she is a force unto herself ( I Love her!) We do have to let them go to school and get the regular education - so our sewing goes around their schedules. We do need the Whole year to make our quilts. I do the quilting... but rumor has it the CFS teacher got a machine to help out too ( hint hint Mrs. W )

5. Anyone who reads this who wants to contribute - but will not take away from another project - is wonderfully and wholeheartedly accepted.

We need quilts from sizes 50x 60 to 72x 90. I don't want to discourage anyone - but No smaller than 50 x 60 please.
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I also drew up a fairly easy quilt pattern that you are welcome to use. http://www.quiltygirl.com/QuiltPatterns/not%20so%20top%20secret.pdf
Many have asked for it in Pdf form and a very sweet blogger did it for me...Thanks Liz ( http://lizquiltz.blogspot.com/)
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If you want more info about quilts of valor there is a website. http://www.qovf.org/ it has lots of info, if you have specific questions about this project - you can email me too - I may be slow but I will answer them.
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Another quilter (Lisa) suggested that we needed a motto - "No Soldier Forgotten" I like that and it applies - we will not forget one soldier and for us - defineatly not the soldiers in this unit.
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I hope that answers some of your questions.. keep em coming! - When something is so close to your own heart and you have been involved in it - you ( okay me) sometimes forget that not everyone can read your mind... which might be a very good thing somedays. My mind wanders and I hope it doesn't get lost LOL
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Have a quilty day!
Alycia

I have been asked for my address - but alas can not reply to the comment...
It is
Alycia Quilts
31544 U.S. Hwy 34
Kersey CO 80644

If it won't work in the label thingy sometimes you have to spell out Highway - but UPS does know where we are ;-)