Quit of Valor, mostly a 'skyscape'!

Some of the fabrics for the next QOV

 I don't have or can't purchase locally, the fabrics I want for my next Quilt of Valor, and unfortunately had to go online to purchase. Once I saw how long it takes for them to cut a piece of fabric (3+ days) and then to ship (longer than what it takes for a completed quilt to be shipped and delivered) I decided I would not be purchasing online again, it appears to be a racket!

Quilt of Valor number 46, A Seascape Art Quilt

The top pieces laid together

And so on to the next Quilt of Valor, a gift to a combat veteran begins. A seascape, maybe 'From Sea to Shining Sea' who knows!

The Fabrics, though the red changed

 

The bottom begun

Quilt of Valor - What's on the binding?

 As you know, each of the bindings on the Quilts of Valor (and other quilts I make) have text in the binding. As my machine gets older, some of the text isn't as easy to read, it makes up letters as it goes in some places. But what's in the text?

- Quilt Name

- Receiver's name (when I have it, I don't always have it, unfortunately)

- The what and the why - Quilt of Valor and Thanks for your service

- Quilt Care - Never pull strings, put in a bag to wash (even a pillow case, to protect those seams) lay flat to dry

- The fact that it's homemade, and has flaws, making it even more unique 

and more...

Quilt of Valor - Purple Mountains Majesty

This is the next quilt of Valor - number 45, I think, in a series of 55. I should be finished in about a year. Each one takes, you will remember, about 100 hours to make. Lots and lots of work involved.

 

Part of the sky and mountain tops

More Mountains

The Bridge in Summer - A Quilt of Valor

The next Quilt of Valor - beginning!

 This quilt will be very like the last one completed, The Bridge in Autumn, but in summer greens.

Half of the top, needs some changes

Half of the top.

Bottom half of the top.

Two halves laid together.

Pinning the sandwich.

Beginning the Next Quilt - The Bridge Series

 Couple of weeks ago, the puppies got into my sewing supplies and ate the batting for the quilt I was building, among other disasters. Took me a little while to replace it, and get motivated to finish it and get it out of the house. So, I started pulling together the next fabrics, for the next quilt.

Fabrics Gathered

Cutting Begun!

Building and Building

Pieces laid together

Pinning the sandwich

Finished!

A Quilt Bag or Cover - For a Quilt That Doesn't Have the Owners Name On It

 I try to put the owners name on each of the quilts I make, as well as the sewing machines letter program works. Sometimes it flows well, others times it just makes strange foreign looking characters, Klingon, if you will, For Southwestern Nights, I didn't have the name of the recipient, and so after thinking about it for awhile, came up with the plan to personalize and mail along the bag, so that the owner wouldn't feel slighted. Personalization, people's names with the Thank You for Serving text, I think, is important!

Seascape - Peaceful Murmurings - Yet Another Quilt Of Valor

This week, I've put the last two quilts into the mail to their recipients. I think the folks who see them presented at the meeting will be surprised. They are more 'art' than the many I have sent up before. You can judge for your self on my Quilt of Valor page, and scroll down.

Gathering the fabrics together

 

Sorting fabrics into groups for cutting

Building very, very slowly so many pieces!

The first two strips assembled.

Pinning the Sandwich

Quilting, this one has taken FOREVER!!!

Finished! Can you see it??

Finished!

Autumn in Indiana

 

 Went shopping at the end of last week, for a big stack of fabric to begin my next several quilts. It might not be enough to finish them, but I have ideas for the next three. Starting the process here.

Building blocks of colorful leaves

Blocks into strips, and strips laid out

Top strip and batting attached to back

And there it is with tree trunks and binding!

Isn't the back pretty?

Quilt of Valor ...And Amber Waves of Grain

Here I go again! Actually, I'm about a week in, not at the beginning. With everything that's going on, (and there's a lot going on! Two family members broke arms, a month apart, both needing help, three new puppies, that car crash in December still having reverberations in that my car was not repaired well....) I'm starting on my 40th Quilt of Valor! It's tentatively named '...And Amber Waves of Grain'. 

For a long time, I've felt that 40 might be my last quilt. It always felt like a distant number, but had no meaning beyond that. But I realize now that's wrong, it has to be 55. So far, that's how long Curt has been left behind in Vietnam. One quilt a year for surviving forces, that made it home.

 

Choosing fabric from my stash

First into strips, then into triangles

Enough triangles to start building blocks

How I begin my block builds, then stack to rows

The first two rows laid into blocks

The 3rd row going together

Using the row above to build the 4th

The last two rows set up ready to sew

6 strips set and sewed, laid out into quilt top

Sandwich built for the first 2 strips

Sandwiching the last 2 strips

Quilting, stitching backwards to build the top

Top two thirds quilted, pinning on last

Changed! Bottom added and pinned.

Landscape Quilt - I've always wanted to make one as a QOV

My next Quilt of Valor - Who says that they all need to be red, white and blue?!! Especially for veterans of long past wars. An image of the American Southwest is just as celebratory, right? I happened to see an ad, for a calendar, and I am taking my inspiration from this. I've done art quilts before, so, onward! I've even done landscape quilts before, but it's been a while, and it's time to do another one.

Update: This quilt went into the mail on March 1st, with the last quilt I created at the same time. I think I may try my hand at a couple more of these 'type' quilts. Folk Art at it's finest.

One of these may be my next attempt!

Choosing fabrics

I think I add a base to each block

Building strips, 3 here

A different view of strips

Strips (6), not yet assembled

Same strips from a different angle

The Quilt. I like it!