What Quilt Design Does the CT Quilters – QOV Group Use?

To ensure quality, the Quilts of Valor Foundation (QOV) has strict requirements for donated quilts.  This group adheres to those instructions.  The sizes requested are a generous lap-size, ranging from a minimum of 55 x 65 inches  to a maximum of 72 x 90 inches.   Good quality, 100% cotton quilting weight fabric suitable for an adult is to be used.  Machine or hand-quilting may be used with a low-loft quality batting – tied quilts are not acceptable.  All quilts are to be labeled with a QOV label and are to be presented in a presentation case (more on that in a later post). 

One of the best-known quilt designers, authors and scrap quilters on the Web is Bonnie K. Hunter.  She has benevolently offered a free quilt pattern on her site that she has entitled the “Fourth of July!”.  Its dimensions of 60 x 72 inches makes it perfect for a QOV project and Bonnie has graciously provided blanket permission for use of her pattern for that purpose (with credit to the designer, of course – see her website for more information).

In addition to being simple and patriotic, this quilt design makes up beautifully with scrappy red, white and blue fabrics and with many different contributors.  The kits (mentioned in the previous post) that are available for checkout at the Crafty Threads store, are comprised of the two main blocks in the quilt:  (1) Blocks “A”  are the 4-patches and (2) Blocks ”B” are the snowball blocks.

In this detail of a quilt top,
Block A is at the top center and
two Block Bs are at the bottom

The group originally made a sample quilt that is on display at Crafty Threads to entice visitors to join the group, sew up a few kits and/or just to raise awareness of this great project.

     
After enough blocks are available for assembly (the design calls for 40 A blocks and 38 B blocks), volunteers begin arranging the quilt top to be sewn together:

          

Two different outside borders are added after all rows are sewn together to make a complete top.  Currently, Barb Linares, owner of Crafty Threads, and several other machine quilters and long-armers are donating their services to sandwich and quilt these tops with gorgeous machine stitching.  Then the quilts are bound by other volunteers and ready for presentation.