Quilts of Valor 2014

The dark has encroached on my morning and my evening now.... I always imagined that living in the country in the winter would be like Little House on the Prairie - and we would sit around the table and stitch.....

Little House on the Prairie forgot that fact that chores still need to be done!!  Except now it's dark... and some of those dark animals - they creep up on you when you least expect it... or disappear only to scare the everything out of you when they reappear. My dog gets a kick out of this.... she's black....

All that to say - that I enjoy being inside to photograph these wonderful Quilts of Valor!

This lovely String Quilt was Pieced and Quilted by Glenna B

This yummy Scrappy Quilt ( which is now on my bucket list - was pieced by Deb and Lynn, and Quilted by Dawna in Colorado.

The one below was Pieced and Quilted By Judy V in CO.

The next one ( below) was pieced by Kathy and quilted by Connie.

They are a famous Duo... I talk about them all the time ;-)

This is another one pieced and Quilted by Kathy and Connie.

If I remember right this is an eleanor burns pattern.  Don't hold me to it though!

Colorado Quilt Council is our State Wide Guild. They do a cool block thing - and you turn in blocks. Then names are drawn ( from the block makers)  and the winners get to choose where the finished quilt will go. Ellen entered blocks and was chosen - and she chose Quilts of Valor to be the recipient.

The charity can use the quilts as they see fit - gifting, auctioning, fundraising etc.  We chose to Wrap a Warrior!

The next four quilts are from the Arapahoe County Quilt Guild.  - They held a sew day and WOW!

Did these quilters work their fabric off!!!   They made quilts - and they made pillowcases....

And they just had a great time!!

They did a great job!!

I'll leave you with a few more smiling faces!!  That ought to make your day bright and cheery!!

Enjoy!!

My Design wall might fall down

I might have maybe,sort of, kinda overloaded my design wall... maybe....

In my defense.... my brain is a little overloaded as well... so I might as well have it all out there... right?

I have been working on using my scraps, finishing projects, working on new ideas, and back to scraps ..... and you know how you work on stuff and it doesn't seem like you are making any progress - and then BAM!!! There's a lot almost done at once???? No??? you don't?  You must be one of those organized quilters I dream of becoming..... some day!

Are you ready for the full disclosure..... can you handle the truth?

My design wall.... I will not tell you how many projects are up there - but you can see at least.... well.... three???

So let's peel it off - this is the heart blocks - (Tutorial found Here)   I only completed 9 of the RSC color challenge blocks. BUT!! It is Nine more than I had at the beginning of the year - so I am good with that.   It is going into top stage Right! Smack! now!

And then under that - peaking out to the right hand side are my Scrappy Logs.  I have most of my scraps organized into these little bins, and when the bins overflow - I have to do something. This has been year of the Red's and Blues.....

My bins....

I made this from the bin

And made this one from the bin

And even after those two quilts.... I still have full bins - so I have been making these wonky log cabin blocks as leader ender type blocks.... I say type, because sometimes they are all I work on before my time is up.

My advice to myself. Do not put the bins away until they are empty.

I have the room on my table - so why not! Plus I have 8 more blocks in progress.

They finish at 12 1/2 inches so it will be at least one quilt when its all done.

And that is my scrappy advice for the month!

Go see what others have up on their design walls at http://www.patchworktimes.com

and Tuesday - go check out all the scrappy goodness at http://www.shecanquilt.ca/

A Log Cabin Challenge

At the beginning of this year I started in the RSC challenge, and as I was figuring out my block that I would make I started making lots of Log Cabin'ish blocks.   At the end of January - I went to my guild meeting and out president issued a Log Cabin Quilt Challenge for 2014.

The Catch - the Quilt had to be completed by December 2nd!  ( and completed meant bound too! ugh)

I was in Limbo - Do I do my Color challenges as a log cabin? Do I start something else?  What to do...... well..... I was indecisive for a while!

I remembered seeing a Log Cabin quilt in 30's Prints on Quilting is More Fun Than Housework - and I thought - I could do that, bust my stash of 30's, enter the challenge, and have a finished quilt at the end of the year....

So I grabbed my stash, and I started cutting 2 inch strips.... and I started sewing, and I realized that there was a LOT of stash in that bucket....  I persevered and On December 2nd I had a finished quilt , bound and all ready to hang at our Guild's show.....

Only one problem... I am not in love with it..... I am in like with it.... and it will probably grow on me, but I wonder.... usually my projects take a stall out phase.... this one couldn't.... so is that why I am kind of mad at it?

I couldn't get a great hanging photo, I had the longer lens on since I had just been at a basketball game.. So I came home and laid it on the floor.  All that stuff you read about how hard it is to take quilt photos at night?  Yep! They are right.... lighting is just rough.

I changed the design up a bit from the photos I saw.. I didn't want to copy exact - and I wanted it to be 72 x 90 at least.  I did a LOT of feather quilting, and I practiced scale of feathers on it.

I am truly thinking that I am going to put it back on the machine. I ran out of quilting time, knowing that it had to be bound. But I think I would like to go fill the unquilted border spots with lines - lots of echoing lines....

And that.... is the Finish that was my Anonymous Finish for November. But it was actually finished on December 2nd at 3pm....  because I had to leave for a basketball game at 3:15, and get this to the guild meeting that night at 6:30 ....

Oh.... and look at this:

I still have scraps!!!!  UGh!!!  I forgot about the amount of scraps I was going to generate!!

And This is what is left of my 30's Stash.... I see at least 3 more quilts in there???? Do you????

Linking up with
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Crazy Mom Quilts

Winners!!!

This is going to be a long post... I can tell.... get a snack ;-)

Alright - the last of the blocks arrived:
Tuesday Quilters of Greene County IA    (126)
Cathy of http://saneandcrazy.blogspot.com/   ( 15)
Jenny of http://downtosew.blogspot.com/  (5)
Jayna Sewell of AR                                    (30)
Claire Young of NV                                   (48)
Jane Melohn                                               (15)
Karen Green  of OH                                   (12)
Fran Simpson of IL                                    (24)
Peggy Simpson of IL                                (24)
Kevin of  http://kevinthequilter.blogspot.com/  (15)
Maureen Hyslop in NY                                           (6)
Jeanine Michelin  in  NC                                     (10)
Melissa Storms in WV                                    (22)

That gives us 189 Entries!!

Our first Prize is .......

A luscious Fat 8th pack from https://www.etsy.com/shop/vickiwelsh  ..... the winner is:
 Maureen Hyslop in NY..... Yay Maureen.... I will email you for your address

Next is this awesome shower head from waterpik.com This is called a Waterpik Premier - Rain Fall + Power spray.  It's at least 7 inches in diameter and is AWESOME!!  I am always so tickled that Waterpik supports our Block drives!!   And the winner is:

Tuesday Quilters of Greene County!!

Next we have this Moda Jellyroll.....

And the winner is:  Jan Risley in CA  ... Jan I will email you, but maybe I need a vacation.... I could deliver???

There is a FQ pack - it is 12 FQ's of patriotic fabrics... but it is downstairs and I am cold, so I am not going to get it.... just close your eyes and imagine....

And the Winner is: Sue Von Dohlen in VA ... I email you Sue to confirm your addy



and last... the Wonderful Vicki Welsh donated a second stash pack - the winner of it is.....Diann Kueck in CO!!!
 Diann - I can mail it, or bribe you to come to another Sew day ;-)

So.... the grand total of all blocks!!!!
945 Blocks!!!

That's so awesome!! I know it was a short time, but I didn't want to stress you all through the holidays - and you all started sewing!! LOOOOVE it!!

You all go have a piece of chocolate now ok?

Thanks for helping out, pitching in, and showing the love!

Quilts of Valor 2014

Our Thanksgiving Holiday began on Saturday the 22nd.  My oldest son came home, my husband was home - so we started it with a bang - A Quilt of Valor Presentation

Here are a few images:

 There were quite a few Veterans.... And they were so excited, and tickled, and talkative.... it was hard to round them up for a group photo.

But the quilters, the spouses, the guests - they persevered...

My son got to a higher location,,,,

Guests got to higher locations:

And dear sweet Kathy B - she is the master of the panorama.... she succeeded!!!

Nineteen.... That is how many Combat Veterans you welcomed home that day. Nineteen!  For the first time - hearing Welcome home from Civilians.... Yep.... It was an AWESOME day.... even though I lost my voice.... and they made fun of me....

Quilts:

Here are more Quilts of Valor in process....


This one was made by the whole group - we made those Churn Dash blocks using the Missouri Star You Tube Video - kinda fun ;-)   I Quilted it.

This one is made by Cowboy Bob. He played in the Orphan Block Bin. I have named him Master of the Orphan Block - he thinks I am a dork.. I quilted it with Baptist Fans so all the blocks would shine

These are Block Drive Blocks - put together by Dee and Quilted By Mindy M in the Springs area.

This one is made, quilted, bound, and washed!! By Marsha G in Paoli..  She and Elenna came to visit me, they brought quilts - I like them!

This is another one that Marsha Did.

The next two are made by Elenna. She quilted both of them!! Cool Quilts!!!

The final Three Quilts were made and quilted by Marsha. I think we hooked her!! She and Elenna came to our sew day, and the also got to present a quilt. It was really awesome!

I know I am supposed to post winners today - but I have made an executive decision - it will be Tomorrow!  I want you to absorb all the yumminess today!

Shopping

Small Business Saturday drew me to Downtown Greeley.  There is a little Quilt Shop called Sew Downtown and it's right across from the Rio - and close to the Nerd Store.... there is something for everyone.... So!! We all headed out.

I still couldn't talk much - but could get one or two sentences out before I went mute again...

I decided we should stop at the Post Office on our way in.... and then maybe make a run to the Laundromat to wash some quilts on the way home.

Check this out:

Those are the boxes/block packages we picked up!

the 4  COUNT em FOUR bolts of fabric I purchased ( all for QOV backings)

1 bag of kid laundry and 3 bags of Quilts of Valor to wash!!

Crowded car eh?

After finding my fabric we went walking...

To the Rio to eat yummy mexican food ....

and then around the corner - in the alley we found:

My men ( minus one)

There were cows!

We cracked up - you leave the country to go to the city and bam

it follows you!!

Aren't they cute?

And then I had to go home and unload - wow!

December A lovely Year of Finishes Goals

You all know how easily I get sidetracked.... this actually Posting a list of what I want done.... may actually help. I got everything done last month in my ALOYF goals.....  although I am frantically finishing a goal today. The goal was December 2nd - as that is when our guild challenge is due....

December Goals:

*( and it's what is up on the Design Wall right now)

ORCA Bay.  My goal is to get it completly into a top, make a backing, and fingers crossed - quilted!

Goal Number 2 - Bind this Puppy.... yep - and that actually means digging in and finding an appropriate binding fabric!

Goal #3  .... This plaid. ... Plaid #5... it needs a backing, quilting and a binding.... I can do it right??

Those are my goals....

Those are the facts....

Linking up with:

And Design Wall Monday at http://www.patchworktimes.com