More Flimsies, and a Couple of Pillowcases

 Here is the stack n whack Quilt of Valor top. I still need to quilt it and figure out how I'm going to do that...no idea right now. This is for a military person that my friend works with. She lets me know that she needs a top or I as if there is anyone who needs one and I make them. The folks she works with are mostly active duty and are struggling with PTSD, so I am happy to do this. Makes me feel a little more connected to the recipients, even though I don't know who they are. This quilt , this one and this one were all made for her to give away. Oh, so was this one (I almost forgot). The skull, irish chain and hunter quilt were specific requests for specific people, the others are more generic.

 I also finished a top that will go back to the group I quilt with on one Sunday a month.

It's from a pattern called 4 Layer Cake and has many different fabrics. It's not my favorite quilt, but it did go together very quickly. Only two of us showed up last time, so Linda cut this pattern out, and I told her I would be happy to sew it together for the next meeting. It will be sent off to a volunteer long-armer and then given to someone deserving.

I also made two pillowcases for presentation for these two quilts. Very simple, but they work. I really like the "sausage" method  so that there are no exposed seams. There are plenty of tutorials around, the only change I make is that I cut the contrast bit only 1-1/2" wide instead of 2-1/2". Easy to do and the results are great looking.

To see what more people have on their design walls, check Judy's blog.

Another QOV-Design Wall

 I'm easily bored, or I guess easily distracted. I decided to start another QOV. I have a couple of requests. This one is from this fabric. It's not exactly restful, but it is sure RED WHITE and BLUE!

It's not quite large enough yet, so I'll be adding some borders. I think I'll use some of the original fabric for at least one of the borders.

To see what other folks have on their design walls, check out Judy's blog.

Design Wall Monday

I finished Daniel's quilt and was able to give it to his mother...he came home for some R & R. You can see it here.

I worked some more on the Cozy Modern Quilt QOV, I'm about half-way done now. These are not sewn together yet. I'm going to wait till I have all 42 of the blocks done then take a picture and look to see if there is anything I want to  move around.

I also went to sew with a group (only two of us there) to make QOVs. I finished the binding on one quilt, then took home pieces to make another. It's much too scappy to me, but that's OK. None of these blocks are sewn together yet, but I'll work on them during the week.

To see what other people have on their design walls, check out Judy's blog.

Daniel's QOV

Daniel came back home for a couple of weeks of R and R from rehab. His dad wanted a big welcome for him, so let folks know when he would be landing. We decided to go be one of the crowd, and though I wasn't sure I would be able to give the quilt to him directly, I decided to finish it up and bring it.

I made a label and a pillowcase to put it in. The body of the case is fabric I bought that I thought I might use. It's passport stamps from all over the world. I had a bit of the fabric that I used for the postcard blocks on the front of the quilt, so used that for the cuff.

It was pretty cool at the airport. When we got there, there were already about 50 or 60 people there waiting. His family of course, and people from his church. There were about 10 or 15 people who were Marine vets...an HD motorcycle club. People had signs and balloons, and when he got off the elevator everyone clapped.  I hope he felt the love. I gave the quilt to his mom to give to him. I hope he likes it.

Here is a clip of his homecoming (thanks Paula).

Tomorrow I go to work on some more QOVs with a group that meets at the Air Force Academy. This will be the third time I go. It's a small group, but it's good to be doing something.

Weekend Work and Design Wall

Here is the back of my UFO #1, done. Because there is not batting, just flannel backing you can see through the quilt. I like the way this looks. It is a summer weight quilt, and I just need to clip the threads and it's done.

Here is the front. I almost got it in time. It's a bit cloudy outside so the first picture I took didn't have any shadows, but then the sun came out. I am all done, and I know who this is going to. Oh, wait. I don't have the label done yet, so I still have a bit more work.

Daniel's quilt cam back from the quilter. I trimmed it and now need to add the binding. He is coming back to Colorado for a vacation from rehab in San Diego at the end of March, so I will be able to give it to him in person. He was up on "stubby" prostheses last week as a first step to getting around without a chair. Wow, it looks like really hard work.

Here is the whole top. I am going to use dark blue for the binding. I think I have enough from the backing that was left over that I trimmed off. If not, I have to go face the cutting nightmare again, but at least it won't be for 13 different fabrics.

 Here is the charity top with the outside borders. I had it with just borders between the stack n whack strips and on the top and bottom and it looked a bit unbalanced, so I added the two outside strips, now it's much better. Thanks Wynn Anne, Suzette and Deb for helping me out with that decision.

This is the design wall from a couple of days ago. I cleaned it now, and there are no more bits of thread or other dreck, so it's ready for a new design.To see more, go to Judy's blog. 

UFO Challenge #1--March

This one is going to be easy. I've decided to make it summer weight, and I think I know the recipient. The teal flannel was bought to back another quilt, but I used something else. It's just the top and the flannel. I don't know what I'm going to do yet for the quilting, but it will be something simple.

New Charity Top

Isn't this a fun quilt. It was a bit more work than I thought it would be, or I just didn't work on it that much. It measures about 45 x 54. Not huge, but a nice size. I was thinking of adding the blue fabric to both sides, what do you think?

Quilts from the Past

This is one of my favorite quilts. I made this about 7 years ago and gave it to a friend. It was a color study. I dyed the fabric complementary colors (yellow-green and red-violet) then made this quilt. I quilted the maze in the middle with a satin stitch. I forgot how much I liked it

This was made for the same friend, from a kit with some added fabrics. They both hang in her office. The one above is probably about 30 by 30 and the one at the right is a twin size.