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. Looks like it may turn into a series! Quilts of Valor, for soldiers long returned from service. Red, white and blue is included in these quilts representing maybe a whole life, and thanks for their service.

Half of the top, needs some changes

Half of the top.

Bottom half of the top.

Pinning the sandwich.

Two halves laid together.

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!

Autumn in Indiana

Quilts of Valor, in memory of my cousin, who was never brought home from Vietnam or Laos all those years ago. To soldiers who served long ago, in thanks for that service.

 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.

Back to Quilting Quilts of Valor

	Just like everyone else, Covid, all the hate and negative politics, including the destruction of life as we know it, life in general got to be a heavy load in late Feb/early march. I stopped sewing. I stopped a lot of things for a while. I guess I got to the point that I was thinking that just surviving life really wasn't enough, if living, if hope and joy are indeed gone, then why do any of us want to 'go on.' Sort of, 'what's the point,' I didn't answer the question, though I have moved past the conversation with myself - answerless.

Figment Masks and Bag

Several weeks ago I stopped sewing, I stopped cold. It had little to nothing to do with the pandemic, more to do with immense sadness at the meanness and hate displayed by so many. 

My sister likes Figment. We found a shirt, some socks and some bags at Epcot. I deconstructed one of the bags, just a 12x17" square bag with a drawstring across the top, and created several multi-layered masks and a purse to carry when we visit the parks, which we do several times weekly.

Quilt Tops Moving Along