Quilts of Valor Colorado

I feel like we are still recovering from the High Of Veterans Day - so many awesome Veterans all over the US were honored. I know we do this year round - but for some reason Veterans Day felt like the Christmas of it all!!

This one was cool for me - these are the Veterans in my Church

I can not tell you how nervous I was

We laughed - as I talk to millions and do ok - but these guys -

especially since I knew them - was nerve wracking

and we kept it a surprise

I have a big mouth

It's hard to keep a secret - but they were amazed!

This Quilt was made by Barbara - Quilted by Connie

The block pattern can be found here

https://www.craftsy.com/profile/quiltygirl

Below

Made by Marilyn V a

I believe it is a Bonnie Hunter pattern

Below

Left made by Leann quilted by Ann R

Right - made with MQX block drive blocks Quilted by Connie

Below

Left and Right

Made by Hands all Around

Below

Left Made by Hands all Around

Right made by Marilyn with Wonky Star Blocks Quilted by Connie

Wonky Star Pattern can be found here

http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2015/09/qov-2015-block-drive.html

Below

Left - made by Margie

Right - made by Lynette

Both Quilted by Connie

Pattern found here:

https://www.craftsy.com/profile/quiltygirl

Hope you are inspired to quilt a little bit now? 

Haha!!!

PS - I have updated my Pattern Links to all sorts of patterns on this blog

Free Pattern Tab

Life on the Ranch

With all the boys home, my devious mind thought - Oh!! Muscle!!! They can help me, and I can make cookies and laugh at them.....

We had to get hay. It has been a mild Winter so far, and that worked in my favor.  My Hay guy said - you need to come get it all, I am replanting.... yada yada.... so off we went!

This was the first load - 

Little Bit, Wrangler Man and I got it

Not too bad of a place right?

The only problem?

With Daylight Savings time ( or winter time or WHATEVER we call it)

I run out of day before I run out of lists!!!

So loading hay at sunset became normal

BUT THEN

The other boys came home,

and some of their friends!

And the snow came

and they loaded all of it and stored it in the barn 

So I am one happy camper now!!

(PS - I did make cookies while the men got the hay - so I forgot to take a photo of them.)

(PPS - they ate all the cookies, and the tacos, and the pumpkin pie, and the milk)

(PPPS - I may need a milk cow next time)

Mystery Monday and more!!

I hope you all had a Great Thanksgiving and week. My whole family was home, and man did I work them.... More about that tomorrow!!

In Between all the work - Bonnie EnProvence Mystery Clue #1 came out!! Yippee!!  The men went Black Friday Shopping... and I started in on Clue #1

( before you give them too much grief - Carhartt Jackets were on sale, and mine is 22 years old, and Smooth Wire was on sale, and Hay tarps.... so you know - it was all manly stuff!)

As you know - Bonnie patterns are pretty scrappy, but she gave some cool options for this first step - so mine feels a little boring - but I am sure it will work out great in the end!!

So! There it is in all of its Glory - Clue #1

(PS - I'm linking to Kevin's EnProvence too - he and I are both doing it in Patriotics!!!)

Kevin the Quilter

And since it didn't take me as long as I had scheduled for - I started working on this!

My goal is 12 blocks - I am now up to 9 blocks

(maybe 10 by the time you read this, but I hadn't squared it up yet 

so it doesn't count)

and yes - I am double Designing Walling !!

These are Chimney Sweep blocks

Every pattern I read had them in 2 7/8 inch strips

but I had a huge box of pre cute 2 1/2 inch strips - 

so I modified the pattern a bit

You can find it in my Craftsy store ( for free)

if your interested

Quiltygirls Craftsy Site

Linking to:

Cooking Up Quilts

Patchworktimes

Love Laugh Quilt

Quiltville Step 1

Oh Happy Week

My kids are home - we have a lot of work to do, and there is the reward of Turkey at the end ;-) 

Hope you all have a great week and focus on the things that you are Thankful For, 

and that bring you Joy 

Enjoy!

QOV CO Block Drive Finale!!

Whoot Whoot - Lots of Block have arrived - and I am so tickled!!! You never know how these things will go - and I know everyone is already so busy - its just the way life goes! But I get so excited when everyone takes a moment to make a block.

And this last weekend a LOT of Quilts of Valor were presented - it's always so cool to say - and 42 people made your quilt..... freaks them out ( ha ha ha)

These 12 blocks came from Carol H of our QOV group ( here in Kersey)

And the 6 below came from Maureen H in NY!!

And Now.....

Drum Roll Please.....

We had 

649 BLOCKS

arrive at my doorstep 

and another

103 Blocks

From the Softball team at University of Northern Colorado

For a total of

752

Blocks!!!

That will make at least 17 Quilts of Valor

and maybe 18 - because I have a lot of them in process

They are just so much fun to make!!

A huge shout out to Jan of

http://thecolorfulfabriholic.blogspot.com/

for designing the pattern and so graciously Sharing it!

If you still have blocks in progress that you want to add to ours

feel free to send them in 

Stitching in Earnest will begin in January!

Pattern can be found here:

http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2016/08/quilts-of-valor-block-drive-time.html

AND NOW!!!!

For the Winners of the Waterpik Showerheads

The one on the Left   :      Christy M of Galena KS  

The one on the Right  :   Jeanne Ann A of Orlando FL     

And the Winners of the Stash Packs

From http://www.colorwaysbyvicki.com/

are

1. Holly M in Brazil IN

2. Julie S in TN

3. Laura R in Weed CA

4. C  Delostrinos in WA

5. Deb M in Denver CO

So All of these lovely Gifts will be shipping out of Friday and Saturday to all of you!

Thank you SO much for playing along and being a part of Honoring 

our Veterans Touched by War!!

Boo Boo Blocks

That is now this Quilts name in my head - can you imagine when I go to present it - I will tell the Veteran - your Quilt is named Boo Boo Blocks.... and everyone will probably look at me like I sprung a leak!

I will need to rename it before hand!

Anyways - the 6  blocks - that were 12 1/2 to 13 inches in size are now their own quilt and I believe they are happy!   It has a back all chosen, and is in my Queue to Quilt....

Here it is - in all of it's glorious Scrappy Ness!!

I love it!

Here are the blocks when I was trying to figure out how I wanted it to look

The yellow tags were the block sizes 

I knew I had a bad memory and would forget as soon as I looked away!

Each strip of fabric

reminded me of another quilt!

Too cool

And laying them out to make it the right size

I sort of took over the house - 

Good thing my Men are nice to me!

And now....

It needs to be quilted !

Yay!!

Now - just a little precursor - the Block drive is now finished - you can still send blocks ( we will love them I promise) but they won't count for prizes. Wednesday I will have a recap for you

This last weekend was sort of like the Super Bowl of Quilts of Valor - Veterans Day was well awarded.  ( I have no idea if that makes sense or not - but keep coming back - it will!)

Linking to:
Monday Making
Moving it Forward
Patchwork Times
Main Crush Monday

Quilts of Valor - November

So... Confession time.... I dropped the ball yesterday at getting to the po and taking Block photos.... I did...

In my other job we run a little Farm to Freezer business - and we had a lot of hogs needing to get to peoples Freezers ..... so I was a delivery driver.... and then I ran out of time.  I am usually better than that - I will blame my customers - they are so much fun to talk to!!

Instead of Blocks - I will Woo you with Quilts!!  How is that?

These are all Quilts of Valor - they are either already being awarded , will be awarded this week ( Friday is a BIG QOV day) !!

This was pretty cool to me - the Vet on the Right received his QOV in Wyoming

he asked about us presenting his Grandfather is a Korean War Vet

So we did - isn't that cool?

On to some yummy quilts

We covered a Womens PTSD retreat - so we make a few extra feminine quilts

Normally this is not a big need - but we wanted these women to feel extra loved ;-)

Left is from the Mollahan Girls - Right is from Rosalie

Left was made by R

Right was made by Doris

Both were quited by Ann W in Colorado Springs

Left was made by Mary

Pattern can be found here : Craftsy

Right is a String quilt from the Girls in Yuma ;-)

And this last one - 

Made by the Mollahan Girls!

Have an awesome day! And make it Quilty!!!

I have a plan.... continued

I laugh, some of my friends tell me that you can't do anything Christmasy until after Thanksgiving.... and I say - it is my Christmas now - I am working on a bunch of Quilts from my Clients for Christmas. It changes the way you can show things!!  and!!

it gives me QDD - since I work on other's gifts it makes my brain just spin and spin with ideas - and then I need to sit and stitch something....  So - here is where I am on my Scrappy "I have a plan" blocks.....

See - the right section is now stitched together 

( and there is plaid!!!)

And the left section is stitched together

and now I need to make it longer....

I'm still thinking on how I want that to look....

Of course - now that it is darker earlier

I have to do chores earlier,

(cuz I don't like the dark)

which should mean I have more evening stitching time 

Right????

PS: It is Thankful November - and over on my photo blog I am trying to capture what I am thankful for each day.   http://alyciaclicks.blogspot.com/  Enjoy!!

Linking to:
Patchwork Times
Main Crush Monday
Monday Making
Moving it Forward
Quilt Story
FreeMotion by the River

Antique Quilt - Continued:

Remember the quilt I showed you Monday? Well!

We decided to do an all over on it -

One - because she really wanted the fabrics to shine - not the quilting.  and
Two - to help ease in the fullness without having to pleat anything ....

and so - I proceeded ;-)

This is it on the machine - the centers were pretty taught - but the edges got a lot rippley.....

I basted lightly so that I had some guideline, and then got to praying

I'm thinking the praying worked 

In the whole quilt I only had to take one little pleat, 

and after basting it closed - you couldn't even tell 

Here it is all finished - 

She thinks it will work well!

We used Quilters Dream Cotton Select

In our opinion this is a perfect Batting for these antique quilts

There is No scrim - so it is just soft and drapey

and doesn't wear against the old fabrics

And here is the back

You can see the quilting a little bit better

Added some Whimsey to it ;-)

Anddddd

Look what I found...

I have no idea what I will do with it - and of course there is NO flat on this either

but it looked lonely and so it came home with me...

Suggestions??

Linking to:

TGIFF
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Fabric Frenzy Friday
Crazy Mom Quilts

QOV Block Drive Progress

Happy November - and Good Morning Quilters!!!

QOV Presentation
Connie was the "QOV Wrapper!!" ;-)

I went to the Post Office and the Postmaster said - It is about time you are here! Ha!! I had a few packages and boxes to pick up - YAY!!!

Thanks to Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic  for Designing this years block

and a Special shout out to WaterPik  for these Prizes:

and to ColorWays by Vicki  for these awesome Stash Packs of her Hand dyes!!

And now for the Blocks

(Below)

From Melody in IA!

(Below)

From Amanda in LA

(below)

From Holly in IN

 She even sent a back and binding fabric - nice!!

(below)

From Bonnie in VA

(below)

From Christy in KS

(Below)

From Cynthia in NC

(below)

From Ann in MN

(below)

From Cathy in IA

(below)

From Verna in CO

( she lives in a Beautiful part of CO!!!)

and From Erin in VA

You will see some of the Name are Links -

I tried to link to their blogs - so go check them out - 

we have a ton of great fun bloggers!!

So!!! Remember the Block Drive Ends on Veterans Day

which in NEXT Friday on the 11th - 

so get all your blocks in before then to be eligible for the prizes

I will start kitting them and our group will start making tops in January - 

so you are welcome to send more in if you like ;-)

Send them to

Alycia Quilts

PO Box 233

Kersey CO 80644

Block Instructions are here:

http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2016/08/quilts-of-valor-block-drive-time.html

Linking to:
Mid Week Makers
Let's Be Social