Quilters Accountability 6/30

 

 

First off - I have updated my blog to come into the 20th century - and It might be above and beyond my comprehension!!! So wish me luck as I get everything figured out!!

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I missed QA Last week, and I really have no good excuse, except nothing really got done. I had wanted to finish my Carolina Christmas, but realized I hadn't even finished putting the rows together!!! - Now, I am done. Well I am Topped! Still needs quilting.

 

So now I am finishing up 24 more Blue and Yellow String blocks. This was out Heartstrings challenge for April and May - so as usual I am right on top of things!! I have 24 finished, and will finish these this week. ( I hope)

We also attended a graduation of another Soldier from PTSD School. This is a Quilt of Valor that my mother made. I was excited to see that quilt. I think it was her second quilt she ever made, and he CHOSE it for his graduation!!!

And then - there is today. We are in the middle of hay acquistions. This is the time of year to gather ( and hoard) all that we will need for the summer.

You will note who is working and who is not - right? And of course, I am doing the toughest job, trying to take some pictures while avoiding falling hay. I didn't do so good, but I saved a dog ;-)

Goals for Next Week:

1. Finish 24 String block and trim them up
2. Put string blocks into a top
3. Help sons continue to sew on there ( hope to be this year) Fair quilts. 

If you want to see what everyone esle is up to check out Bari's blog

http://crossroadsquilts.wordpress.com/

Warrior Games QOV Quilt show

I told you that I had more pictures of Quilts of Valor that went to the Warrior Games - so I thought that while I was thinking about it - I should show them to you!!

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And I will try to tell you who they came from ;-)

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The first three in this post are some of the Quilts that Kathleen H and the Friday Bee group from Franklin TN sent in:

This Pretty Pink quilt and the RWB quilt under it comes from Colorado Springs!! Linda V and her group - the NCO Chapter 300 makes a lot of Quilts of Valor - and they sent these two to head to the Warrior Games.

These Next three quilts ( That blogger has seen fit to turn funky) Come from Sara K in Eagle NE. She must have gotten very busy!!

This beauty comes from Janet M in Flandreau SD. I love how that center has a ribbon look!



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And the last QOV for today comes from Jane M in Harker Heights TX.

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Hope that gives you some inspiration!! They are all such beautiful quilts.

We are hoping for a coolish type afternoon as most of it ( okay ALL of it) will be spent at a swim meet.

Warrior Games Recap

I have been getting quite a few questions about the Warrior Games lately, and unfortuneatly I don't have a lot to report. We did deliver the quilts, they had Navy Safe Harbor there to hand them out. I know they were very protective of their athletes, and they had there own camera man on the premises.
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These two pictures were forwarded to us - so I hope you enjoy them. Somehow, I have recieved a few comments and thank yous ( which have been posted in previous entries) - which shocked me, as I didn't have any of my information in the quilts - except the few I made.
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(May 11, 2010) To fight off the chill in the air during track and field practice at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo., Navy LT Melanie Monts de Oca wraps herself in the warmth of a Quilt of Valor she received as a wounded warrior athlete participating in the inaugural Warrior Games. The athletes are wounded, ill and injured personnel from all service branches and will compete against one another in archery, cycling, track & field, swimming, shooting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball. (Photo courtesy of Joe Martinez Photography).

(May 10, 2010) Retired Coast Guardsman Michael Bell selects a Quilt of Valor from a mountain of 200 quilts provided by the Quilt of Valor Foundation to athletes competing in the inaugural Warrior Games hosted at the Olympic Training Center and US Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo. Bell is one of three Coast Guardsmen participating on the joint Navy/Coast Guard team during the inaugural games. In total 187 seriously wounded, ill, and injured athletes from all service branches and will compete against one another in archery, cycling, track & field, swimming, shooting, sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball.

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I know I have more pictures to post of the quilts that were sent in to us to deliver to the Warrior Games - so I will get to it ( I promise). Even though they have been delivered you might still like to see them. Such great quilts were made, and given to these people. I know they were appreciated - I hope some of you recieved some thank you's. I believe that the Thank you's are hard to write, as I so often hear how overwhelmed they are to have recieved something so beautiful.

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If we get any more photos - I promise they will appear here.

Sandra Dallas Book Winner

Just so you know I did draw at 6pm, but then dinner was called.... and in my house if you don't show up quickly - there is NOTHING left to eat. Case in point.... I made 12 hamburgers for lunch, I ate 1, and there is only 1 left. Wish me luck.....
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Anyways to the important part - the Winner.......
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NFCMS is the winner. And they left an email for me to contact them - so be looking for your email!!!

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Thanks for playing....

Sandra Dallas Book Giveaway

I have to tell you I am so excited!! Sandra Dallas has come out with a NEW book. I love Sandra Dallas books. I think I have read them all, and even made a quilt like one in her book - "The Quilt that Walked to Golden"
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And now she has written a NEW one. If you have never read a Sandra Dallas book before - head on over to Amazon or your favorite Book store and get a book written by her. My favorite book is "Prayers For Sale". Oh, or maybe it is "The Persian Pickle Club", Oh, and I like "Tallgrass" as well. Kind of reminds me of the area in which I now live.
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Another way for you to be able to read her new book "Whiter than Snow" is a giveaway!! I have been given the opportunity to give away one copy of her new book to one very lucky blog reader. So if you are so inclined to be included in this giveaway. Leave a comment on this post before Sunday June 27th at 6pm, and tell me what your favorite quilt pattern or block is. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you for your address to send the book to if you are a lucky winner!!
Here is an excerpt from Sandra:
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Sandra Dallas, Whiter Than Snow

Nothing defines my characters more than their sewing.
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In my first novels, my female characters smoked. My books are set in earlier times, long before we knew about the evils of tobacco, when a woman who smoked was independent, a little daring, sophisticated. As a writer, I could do so much with smoking: A character could watch the smoke curl up or blow smoke into someone’s face. She could pick a speck of tobacco off her lip or snuff out a cigarette in anger. And there was all that wonderful smoking paraphernalia, such as Bakelite cigarette holders, monogrammed cigarette boxes, and remember those huge standing ashtrays with sand in them? But today, smoking says something negative about a character, no matter what the time period. So my characters have quit smoking. Instead, they quilt.
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The way a woman stitches says something about her. A woman who takes small, even stitches is different from one who sews with big, sloppy stitches. A quilter who selects black and white fabrics for her quilt is more somber than one who picks primary colors. And the patterns the women choose, whether an intricate design with thousands of pieces or a big, bold pattern of large blocks, say something about them.
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The titles of the quilts, too, affect the stitchers. Log cabin quilts were a favorite of women who helped escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad. More than one pioneer woman pieced a Road to California before setting out for the West. And it’s hard to imagine that a woman who likes her toddies would make a Drunkard’s Path.
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My characters don’t just sew. They are part of a community of stitchers—the quilting circle. I first wrote about a quilting circle in The Persian Pickle Club, thinking there were a few quilters out there who might relate to the subject. What I didn’t know was there are 27 million of them and that they understand the significance of the quilting circle far better than I. So I’ve included sewing in virtually all of my books, to a greater (Prayers for Sale) or lesser (Whiter Than Snow) degree.
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What these readers know is that quilting isn’t just about making bed covers. In a quilting circle, women support each other. They share each other’s joys and sorrows, help in times of need, pull together when a member is threatened or in trouble. Quilting is a way of sharing, and the work of the women’s hands represents warmth and comfort not only because they are making a quilt but because that quilt is made with love.
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I’ve often been asked if I’m a quilter. Some years ago, I wrote The Quilt That Walked to Golden, a history of quilting in the Rocky Mountain States, for the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colo. In the book, I write that quilting all but died out during World War II, and the women who picked up their needles a generation later were often self-taught. They did things no self-respecting quilter would do today, such as use polyester fabric or quilt in the ditch (on the seam line.) I tell of one woman who made a quilt for her sister as a wedding present, a stuffed quilt made of huge puffs filled with cotton. She didn’t know when to stop stuffing, and as a result, the quilt weighed 25 pounds. Their brother had to take it to the wedding in the back of his pickup.
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But my sister cherished the quilt anyway.
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© Copyright 2010 by Sandra Dallas. Reprinted with permission from the author

http://sandradallas.com/excerpts/snow-excerpt-1.html


GOOD LUCK!!!

A QOV mini Quilt Show

Maybe you want a cup of coffee or hot chocolate ( or pepsi) for this one? I tell you - I just love looking at all these quilts. I haven't found one that I don't like yet!!!
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This first Quilt of Valor comes from Kim B in Colorado. She and PJ are a team that can't be beat!
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The nine patch quilt comes from Amy S in WI. She recently got a quilting machine and now is double trouble - she can piece and quilt!!! One of my boys wants to copy this one.
Amy can be found here!
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This quilt comes from Vicki M of Morrison CO. I met her thru email, and just thought she was wonderful. Then I attended a Colorado Quilt Council ( our state guild) meeting and I heard the name Vicki M mentioned, so after the meeting I wandered around and found her! She was much sweeter in person!! What a small world.....



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These next two quilts took the long boat to get here. Way back in January Jan M from... AUSTRALIA emailed me and said I am sending you two Quilts of Valor, but they may take a while. She knew what she was talking about. But how cool is that? To have two QOV's from such a distance away?


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Plus they are string quilts, and those Quilt as you Go ones - I LOVE them!!
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Thanks Jan for going to all that effort.








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This QOV comes from Barbara W in NJ. She followed along with our Chunky Churndash Mystery a bit ago, and sent this one in. I have to say - I am just enarmored with this quilt pattern. Thanks Barbara!!

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A bit ago I was invited out to a guild called Calico Quilters in Brush CO. They were the nicest group of ladies. And after the meeting they had a quick lunch and got down to business. Each member had brought in 5 inch squares of Patriotic Fabrics and they made 5 Dissappearing 9 Patch quilt tops that day. IMPRESSIVE. Shar and her friend Quilted them - and voila.....

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Thanks Ladies!

Remember when I told you a gal and her friend stopped by? I showed you what Susan had brought - we her friend Carolyn did not show up empty handed either!

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She made these two Lovely quilts for Quilts of Valor as well.
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I love how one friend hears about something, and they so quickly recruit other friends!!



Thanks Carolyn for these beautiful quilts.

And that concludes our Mini Quilt show for this week. I meant to do it yesterday - but it was Fathers Day. Hope you all had a great one.

A Happy Day

I was invited to attend a graduation today. And it was very cool. There is a resident PTSD treatment facility and after seven weeks, when the serviceperson is ready to graduate - they hold a graduation for them.
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It was COOL... I may have already said that - but I mean it, I cried - it was awesome. It. Was. Cool.
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There were three graduates this time, and they all talked about their deployments, and their struggles, and their injuries, and how much progress they have made.
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They were honored by their case coordinators, their families and by Quilts of Valor. That was the coolest part for me ( grin) As each man recieved his diploma, they were then presented with a Quilt of Valor.
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And then I got hugged! They were just SO tickled to recieve a quilt, and so excited. I met some others who had recieved quilts earlier and they asked me to tell "all you wonderful quilters" how much these quilts mean to them. One gentlemen wanted me to know that every time he snuggles in his quilt it reminds him that someone really does care, and it makes his heart happy. ( he totally got the mission huh?)
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So - again Thank you - all of you - who participate in Quilts of Valor in any way. You are angels!

Quilters Accountibility 23

Another week has gone by, and we are staying out of trouble - sort of... at least we are keeping busy!
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My goals for last week:

#1: Finish Judy L's Quilt of Valor sew Along ( http://www.patchworktimes.com/) DONE DONE DONE DONE - are you sure you heard me???? I was a little short on the Blue outer border... after searching my extensive blue stash ( there was NONE) and I even headed to the fabric store to see if they might have more .... and there was no more. So I improvised - and I bet you can't tell. ( at least I hope you can't)
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Oh - and to brag - I even made the backing and took a picture for Ms Sandy. She likes backs. I used the rest of my scraps up. But I also had 4 yards of the Royal Blue - thanks to Ms Vicki A of Machine Quilting Unlimited ( I raided her stash when she wasn't looking)
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#2: Help my kids get their quilts cut out.

Ugh - almost! We are working on them. And we got quite a bit cut, but not all of it. I think I will wrestle them down to the sewing room on Sunday and tie them to the cutting table until we are finished? Or until Dad calls us for lunch!

This is a sneak of one childs quilt pattern ( he designed it in EQ6) and his fabrics.
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And here is a sneak peak of another childs quilt (some fabrics are missing - we had them over on the cutting table already)







And this is the last childs - he doesn't want you to see his whole design until it is done.

#3: Put the Carolina Christmas blocks into the top ( I only have rows sewn... bummer) Nope nada zilch - didn't even touch it. Thats okay though right - cuz now I have a goal for the next week - a reason to keep quilting, to still work with the fabric - to keep my space in the house ......
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So - I guess you know the goal for next week - FINISH THE CAROLINA CHRISTMAS QUILT before Christmas comes again!!!!
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If you want to see what everyone else is up to head over to Bari's
http://crossroadsquilts.wordpress.com/

Answering Questions

The First question I get a lot is where do I keep the Quilts ?until they are ready to go to their respective destination. Well - I have been very blessed with a larger workspace... and in one area I have the quilts in boxes and then stacked. I also have a table that has quilts on it that are waiting for me to wash, or label, or pillowcase. Which thankfully is not too many to wash these days - as my water is quite regulated in the summer.
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"What do your backs look like? Can you post some?"
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Well - they totally vary. Some of the backs are solid colors, some are pieced, a lot are creative. I do take pictures of backs that are unique if I think about it - so here are a few. I also like this way of making backs.
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http://www.maryquilts.com/off-center-4-patch-backing/ I think this makes nice backings.

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"What do you put on your labels?"

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I know the Quilt of Valor website has a lot of ideas, and I have read some really great labels from folks across the U.S. -

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This QUILT OF VALOR was created just for you. It is a Gift of Thanks for all you have done. This Quilt is a symbol of Courage. It is given to you in Love and with a Hug.
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This is what we start with.

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"Why Do we need a Journal and what goes in them?"

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Here's the thing - These soldiers really WANT to know who made these quilts for them. They may never send you a Thank you - but they truly want to know WHO did this? And WHY did they do this - these are just amazing tributes. So here's what I put in our journals. Pictures of the process. Many folks have NO CLUE how to make a quilt - here is a teaching moment LOL

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I put in any thoughts or reasons why this quilt was made. I am working on "Remembering George" and I will include that it was a pattern designed by Judy L, and made in Honor of my Great Uncle.

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Any thank you or info about yourself you think is interesting. And I always include an email address - just in case....

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How do you get all this done?

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Love this question - because sometimes I don't think I get enough done. But truly - a little bit at a time. Helps that I have to have a son up and out of the house by 5:30 in the morning, and we don't stop until the sun is Waaaay waaaay gone in the sky!

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What Kind of Chocolate do you like?

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Wait - no one asked this question? well that is just wrong - you should always worry about chocolate first!! ( Dove Dark Chocolate is my favorite)

Another Mini Quilt Show

It has been a rather gloomy day today - but a good day to get lots of stuff done on the inside!!
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Here is another mini quilt show for you to enjoy - of Quilts of Valor.
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The first four were made by the Gloria Christie quilters in Greeley CO. They made quite a variety of quilts, and they are wonderful!
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These quilters are super busy all year round and make quilts for various causes. Thanks ladies!!

The next two quilts were made by Susan B in Brush Colorado. She made them and took them to Kansas to her friend Brenda's house and they quilted them. Great team effort!!!

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She contacted me, and found out that I was on her way.... so I had the wonderful chance to meet both Susan and her friend Carolyn ( who you will meet in the next quilt show!!)

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It was VERY nice to meet them!!

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This Chunky Churndash was made by Bev H in Hamilton OH. I believe she followed along when we did it as a mystery quilt here. It is a Bonnie Hunter pattern.

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And this last quilt was made by Jeri F in Greeley CO. I got to meet her at our last sew day, and recognized this quilt - kind of. Turns out it was a mystery pattern on the QOVquiltmystery yahoo group. And we BOTH belong to it!! Amazing. (small world LOL)


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Hope you enjoyed the quilts for today.

We are not out of it yet

What a day!! No quilting for me at all!! We left bright and early to go retrieve my oldest son, who abandoned me for a week (for intensive swim training) .... and picked him up to drive back to a swim meet. Made it 5 minutes before warm up. They got about 18 of the 50 events swam, and lightening was spotted.
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And then there was more lightening, and then there was a downpour, and they cancelled the meet. (Or postponed it).
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We headed home, drove out of the storm, only to get home to these very omnious looking clouds that have moved a little to the east producing hail, and apparently --- tornadic action.
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And we are still under ugly grey green skies - that could move away any time they wanted to!
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Unfortuneatly this event has repeated itself a few times this week - Tuesday night we had 3 horses saddled up, and rather quickly had to unsaddle the 3 horses and make a run for the house.
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Thursday evening we were at the shooting range, all the kids were on the line, lightening was spotted, they called a cease fire, and we decided to wait a minute. About 5 minutes later we were running the the vehicles to get all the equipment into the cars without getting wet.... as we were trying to stay dry as well.
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Apparently global warming hasn't made it here?
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