Allegiance QOV mystery and Circles

This is one of the Alliegance Quilts of Valor  - it was a mystery that Vicki Welsh wrote back in 2014 ( not very long ago)

Janet made this one - and I decided to quilt it with Circles...

Here is a Sneak Peek!

Allegiance - the FINAL step - for me!!

Just a little note - for me means that I will beg (plead and show tears) for someone else to bind it ;-)

I hope you will allow me a little story before I show you Beautiful Quilts.  I know you all know we do this for a reason, and the comfort we bring to our Veterans is Immense... but if you will allow....

Yesterday I met a soldier who survived a Mortar Blast. His story was scary, and surprising that he survived. But as he was telling me his story, his mother ( who was right with him) was just beaming. I couldn't help but think - why... this is an awful,scary story... I would scream and run home to my Mom... and then I realized - she was THAT Mom!

She was truly tickled that her son was next to her, and so tickled to be a part of his recovery, and so tickled that he chose a quilt and snuggled right into it... and as she hugged me ( and cut off my supply of oxygen) she told me how much it meant to her to have him back. And how much it meant to her to see that he was honored for his service, rather than pitied for his injury.

I really think that this quilt meant as much to her as it did to her son... and that my friends ... made my day!

Onto the FINISHED ALLEGIANCE quilts!!

 This lovely one is Carolyn's... I LOVE the combo!!! She blogs over at http://sweetpeasandpossum.blogspot.com/  . She thinks she will bind it in the green.... LOVE

The next one is from Caroline... Oh My GOSH!!! I LOVE this color combo too!!!!  What a stunner!!

This one is from my wonderful Connie H in CO... Don't you love it too!!!   The cheddar/gold... mmm mmm - Connie loves me even when I am grumpy....

This next one is from Ellen. Ellen is a fabulous quilter.... I can't wait to see how she quilts hers!!

This last one is from Vicki S in Wisconsin... but I am going to claim her - she used to live in Colorado!!!  Hers is so awesome too!!!

A Last minute addition.... This one is from Liz and it is all Scrappy and I LOVE it!!

I know there are some other who are making it - I have heard from them... and some are cutting it into kits for retreats!!  So with that - Vicki W created a whole pattern... if you want to print the WHOLE thing it can be found here:
HERE

After all that - can you handle one more?

This is mine. Remember I have been one with the pantographs lately ( edge 2 edge designs)

I quilted it with a Heart/Flag/Circle Design

And then because I am adventurous... I put the Eagle in it.  And I see a thread that needs to be trimmed... ignore that please....

The back... I used a Cream Moda - and thought it would be fun. One of my soldiers tells me that he and his wife tease because she loves the front of his Quilt of Valor ( the pieced side) but he loves the back because of all the quilting... so there you go!!

We drew a winner... so Vicki!! You are the winner... you can tell me which prize you want ;-)

Hope you all enjoyed the mystery!!

Allegiance Clue #4

Allegiance Quilt – Step 4

©Vicki Welsh

PRINTABLE INSTRUCTIONS ARE HERE

This week we are going to put it all together!

First a little more cutting. This quilt is assembled on point so we have to cut side and corner setting triangles.

Go print out the instructions.... I am going to show you mine... but if you want to be surprised - go print first..

I started laying it out on the right side on my design wall... and kept adding....

Until it got to big for my little wall. - so I started sewing the rows together, and then layed it out on the floor....

And Ta-da!!  Here s my top!!

Now you have your top... what next?  I will show you next week how I quilted mine. If you are interested in that come on back.  Other options:

1. Finish it yourself and go request a destination on the QOVF.org website. I know a lot of requests for Quilts of Valor have been made since Brian W went on TV...  so there is a need.

2. Go to the QOVF.org website and request a Longarmer. They will need you to send the top and the back. The LA'er will quilt it and most likely get it back to you for binding.

3. You can contact your state Coordinator to see if they have Local quilters to help.

4. Send it ( with it's backing) to me, and I will get it finished up. There is not guarantee it will stay here in Colorado though. Some of the other coordinators need help - and we are all about honoring our Veterans in a timely manner.  PS - if you have done the Honor Flight size - and are willing to have it go to Northern Colorado Honor Flight... get it to me... We will get it ready for the next flight!

****Send me a photo of your quilt. it does not need to be finished... just snap it where you are and get it to me before July 9th. I will post it here and add a link to your blog if you would like on the 10th. That way we can all see the color combos used. ( PS you do NOT have to have a blog)****  ( my email is in the info section)

Each of you who send me a photo will be entered into a drawing. You will have your choice of THREE prizes.

Prize One - a box filled with Red White and blue scraps and pieces and crumbs - for you scrappy quilters - you will love it... about 3 pounds worth!

Prize Two - a box of random pieces of fabrics of various colors ( not necessarily patriotic) .. again 3 pounds worth.  ( most of these are bigger than 1/4 yard)

Prize Three - 25% off Machine Quilting a quilt of your choice.

See you next week with my Quilted ( but don't be surprised if it is not bound!) Allegiance Quilt.

Allegiance Part 3

Allegiance Quilt – Step 3

In this step we are going to make another set of simple rail fence blocks and cut some additional pieces. The rail fence block cutting instructions are for the full width of the fabric.

Quilt of Valor:

Cut 6 strips 2 ½” wide in fabrics 2. Cut 6 strips 4 ½” wide in fabric 4. Sew the strips together to make 6 strip sets. Sub-cut these into 9 ½ blocks for a total of 24 blocks. The blocks will be 6 ½ x 9 ½.

Additionally cut 8 - 6 ½” squares from fabric 3 and 9 – 6 ½” squares from fabric 2.

Honor Flight Quilt:

Cut 4 strips 2” wide in fabrics 2. Cut 4 strips 3 ½” wide in fabric 4.  Sew the strips together to make 4 strip sets. Sub-cut these into 6 ½ blocks for a total of 24 blocks. The blocks will be 4 ½ x 6 ½.

Additionally cut 8 - 4 ½” squares from fabric 3 and 9 – 4 ½” squares from fabric 2.

Just to prove to you that I am keeping up ;-)

Here is my step 3 and the cut outs!!

Allegiance Part 2

Allegiance Quilt – Step 2    PRINTABLE PAGE HERE

This week we are making rail fence blocks. All cutting instructions are for the full width of fabric.

Quilt of Valor:

Cut 6 strips 2 ½” wide in each of fabrics 2, 3 and 4. Sew the strips together with fabric 4 in the middle. You will have 6 strip sets. 

Sub-cut these into 9 ½ blocks for a total of 24 blocks. 

The blocks will be 6 ½ x 9 ½.

Veteran’s Quilt:

Cut 4 strips 2” wide in each of fabrics 2, 3 and 4. 

Sew the strips together with fabric 4 in the middle. You will have 4 strip sets. 

Sub-cut these into 6 ½ blocks for a total of 24 blocks. 

The blocks will be 4 ½ x 6 ½.

Press the seams any way you prefer. It will not matter when we assemble the quilt.

Just to prove to you... I AM Keeping UP!!!

Here are my strips:

I chained sewed them all together while watching an episode of Drop Dead Diva...THAT is a first for me. Usually I get up and wander around.... this time I forced my self to stay seated!

And Ta -Da - My blocks!!!

Don't forget to check out Vicki's too  -http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/field_trips_in_fiber/

Allegiance Part 1

Allegiance Quilt – Step 1

In this step we will make 18 pinwheel blocks.

Using Fabrics 1 and 3 make 18 pinwheel blocks. For the veteran’s quilt the blocks will finish to 6” (6.5” unfinished). For the Quilt of Valor the blocks will finish to 9” (9.5” unfinished).

There are many ways to make a pinwheel block and you should use your favorite method. If you are cutting half square triangles here are the cutting instructions:

Veteran’s quilt: Cut 36 squares in each fabric 3 7/8” and cut once on the diagonal.

Quilt of Valor: Cut 36 squares in each fabric 5 3/8” and cut once on the diagonal.

Alycia is making the Quilt of Valor size. So she calculated that using 42 inch wide fabric would yield 7 squares per strip. Therefore you would need 6 strips.

You can press the seam however you prefer. Just try to minimize the bulk at the center of the block. The direction of the seams on the edges of the block doesn't matter at all.

Alycia’s Method of Half Squares Triangles:

Alycia Cuts 5 ½ inch squares (as she is not the most perfect seamstress). Then she draws a line down the center of the light colored square.

I sew ¼ inch on either side of the line, and then cut down it. That way I don’t stretch a diagonal. Most of the time I do not need to trim down, but this gives me a little leeway in my imperfections.

Ta da!! Step 1 and 9 1/2 inch pinwheel block

PS –

I will always accept these quilts – the small ones will go to Honor Flight Northern Colorado. The larger ones to all of our locations.  You can also find your state coordinator – there is such a GREAT need for Quilts of Valor right now . So you are welcome to contact your state coordinator – or even request a destination when all finished ;-)  Questions?  Definitely let me know!

Allegiance - a QUILT of VALOR Mystery

Allegiance Quilt - desgined by Vicki Welsh


I AM SO EXCITED!!!
the wonderful Vicki Welsh has designed a mystery quilt for us!!!  Today you will get all the fabric requirements - and on June 12th the first step will be revealed.

Why so long? For you to find your perfect fabric of course!!  Please share this with all of your Quilt of Valor friends and groups! This is a fabulous quilt, and beginners to professionals will be able to make it. It would be so awesome if we could flood QOV's gates with quilts!!!

Never made a Quilt of Valor before? THIS QUILT is a great one to jump on in with!!

This quilt is designed as a mystery quilt specifically for veterans and military. It’s offered in 2 sizes.

The larger quilt is for the Quilts of Valor program and will finish to approximately 68” x 89”. 

The smaller quilt would be Great for Honor Flight Northern Colorado. That version finishes to approximately 48” x 63”. 

Instructions will come weekly for 4 weeks.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric	Color in My Version	Veteran’s Quilt	Quilt of Valor
Fabric 1 – block background	Light Gold	1	1.5
Fabric 2	Dark Gold	1.25	2
Fabric 3	Dark Red	1.75	2.5
Fabric 4 – background	Blue	3.25	4.75 (includes binding)

This quilt requires 4 fabrics:

The background can be light or dark. Fabrics 2 and 3 are the main design fabrics and should contrast well against the background. 

They should be “different” colors instead of different values of the same color. Fabric 1 should be a different value from Fabric 3. You can easily make this scrappy by picking 4 colors and pulling scraps in those color groups.

Some possible non-patriotic combinations:

Palette	Fabric 1	Fabric 2	Fabric 3	Fabric 4
Beachy	Sky Blue	Med to Dark Tan	Med to Dark Blue	Tan
Tropical	White	Yellow	Orange	Turquoise
Woodsy	Tan	Medium Tan/Brown	Medium Green	Dark Green
Flower Garden	Pale Green	Yellow/Gold	Red/Dark Pink	Green
Black/White/Red	White	Gray	Red	Black

Want to Print out the Instructions - 
Click HERE to access the file and print!

INTERESTED in trying Vicki's Hand dyed yummy fabrics for this quilt?
Head over HERE for all the details!!  You will be IN LOVE!!! I promise

Vicki is making one - and so am I -
here are the colors I chose: - I think I may have put mine in the backwards order of hers.... But I tell you

I may have to do a Beachy one too!!