Monday, April 21, 2014

April’s Monday Meeting – Show and Tell



Monday’s Quilts of Valor meeting brought in some more fabulous quilt tops – it’s amazing how unique and beautiful all of these are … See if you agree!

QOV Mystery quilt top done by Barb from Crafty Threads - designed by Le Ann Weaver of Persimmon Quilts - see her QOV Mysteries (this is #20) at:
 http://www.persimmonquilts.com/index.html


Jill’s first is an excellent Eagle top:


And Jill’s second is from our current pattern – love the stars!


And this beauty - adapting our current pattern with sashings and borders - is from Pam:


Our current pattern is adapted from the Fon’s & Porter book “Patriotic Quilts”.  It is a design called “Waving Old Glory” by Toby Lischko.  It looks stunning in all its variations!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

April Meeting Show and Tell



These are the fabulous Quilts of Valor tops and quilts from April’s Friday meeting at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop.  There will be another meeting on Monday, April 21st, so watch for more later!
Top made by Diana for a friend who served in the US Army

Top made by Janice (AKA the Barefoot Piecer)

Ginger's April top - to go to a Vietnam Vet in memory of Roger

Ginger's May top - to go to a Vietnam Vet in memory of Roger

Pat B's quilt for a friend's husband - a US Marine Vet (Vietnam) with a Purple Heart Award

Sharon's quilt for her church's deacon, a Vietnam Vet   -   to be Awarded to him on Memorial Day

Quilted by Virginia Isaacs - see sidebar

Detail of Virginia's special quilting!

Quilted by Pat B

Quilted by Pat B

QAYG by Pat N

QAYG by Pat N - detail of the backing fabric

Bound and finished

Another QAYG by Pat N - Bound and finished by Marilyn

Bound and finished by Marilyn

Rows sewn together by Jolene - soon to be another quilt!

Not a Quilt of Valor - but a special quilt made by Janice - it is to be sent to a Navy serviceman currently posted in Afghanistan who will then send it home as a special gift from him to his beloved daughter.  What a sweet story!

Donations of fabric panels from Janice

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Meeting Reminder - Fri, Apr 18th and Mon, Apr 21st



Just a Reminder …
Our Quilts of Valor Group will be meeting TOMORROW,
Friday, Apr 18th AND Monday, Apr 21st

From 10:00 – 4:00

The agenda for both April meetings includes:
Sewing together quilt tops using
the new design and making more kits; plus
some possible hand sewing of bindings and labels.

Come join us and pick the project YOU want to work on …

Bring a lunch/snack or visit a local restaurant.


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Spotlight on VA Volunteer Services



The CT Quilters Quilts of Valor Group was created when Barb Linares, owner of Crafty Threads Quilt Shop in Tampa, agreed to be an “Under the Wings” Quilt Shop as part of the Quilts of Valor National Foundation - dedicated to recognizing our Veterans thru a presentation of a Patriotic Quilt for their service to our Country.

The majority of our first awards were to the James A Haley Veterans Hospital.  This was accomplished by working with Ronika Anderson, a Volunteer Services Coordinator at the hospital.
   
Ronika Anderson when she was Voluntary Specialist
 of the Volunteer Services Division of the Tampa VA
 in June 2012.  With her in the photo is retired Marine

Corp volunteer, Commandant Willie Little, Jr. 
As we grew in our experiences, so did Ronika.  She went on to be the Chief of Voluntary Services at the Memphis [Tennessee] Veteran’s Hospital.  Because of Ronika’s previous  link to us, she wanted the same experiences for local quilt groups in the Memphis area to be able to provide QOVs.  She came up with the idea to showcase four small representative QOV quilts on her display boards.  Our group was able to respond to her request and sent her four quilts in February.


We received this thank you from Ronika for our efforts and we hope that those in her area will be enticed to make QOVs for their area.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Jefferson Memorial


When April rolls around, many people think of the beautiful cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.   The cherry blossom trees were a gift, made in 1912, from the people of Tokyo, Japan to the United States.
And nestled in among all of those blossoms is one of the most majestic of the national monuments, the Memorial to Thomas Jefferson.  Jefferson, as one of the Founding Fathers of the Nation, was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence.  He later served as the 3rd President of the United States (1801-1809).  His noted accomplishments included:
  •  the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 that nearly doubled the size of the Nation;
  • the commission of the famous Lewis and Clark exploratory expedition; and
  • maintaining the security of the Nation by sending the US Navy to defeat the infamous Barbary pirates!
 
In 1934, it was President Franklin Roosevelt that felt that Jefferson should have a monument – the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument having already been constructed.  After some length of time, John Russel Pope was selected to design the Memorial, which was ultimately based on a neo-classical dome with a portico based on the Pantheon in Rome.  Jefferson himself had used some of the same features in his home in Monticello, VA.


Construction of the Memorial began in 1939.  The statue of Jefferson at the center was created by Rudolf Evans.  The 19-foot high image was originally cast in plaster as metal was rationed during WWII, but after the War was replaced with one cast in bronze.


Marble for the Memorial came from Vermont, Missouri, Georgia and Tennessee.  The granite pedestal for the statue was a gift from Minnesota.  The Memorial has 26 pillars – the number of states at the time of Jefferson’s death.  On the panels of some of the interior walls are excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson’s Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom, 1777, in the VA House of Burgesses, and various letters penned by Jefferson.

The Memorial was completed on this date, April 13th in 1943, the 200th Anniversary of Jefferson’s birth.

Because the Memorial was in danger of sinking, a $12.4 million project for major seawall repairs was undertaken in 2010.  The original timber pilings used to support the wall were probably not long enough to reach bedrock and were replaced.  Many of the monuments in Washington, DC, were underpinned with pilings that reach bedrock, including 500 supporting the WWII Memorial.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Washington, DC, be sure to stop by the Jefferson Memorial.  It is one of the few monuments that are still open 24 hours a day and admission is free!

Friday, April 11, 2014

April Meeting Notice



April Meeting Dates –
Friday, Apr 18th and Monday, Apr 21st

You are welcome to attend one or both meetings of our
Quilts of Valor group and stay the entire time or join us
for as long as you can between 10 – 4:00 on meeting days.

12330 Racetrack Rd, Tampa
From 10:00 – 4:00

You do not need to sign up to attend!

 No sewing skills are required –
You may choose to bring your sewing machine, rotary cutter/mat,
or hand sewing needles and thread (red/white/blue).
 We also need ironers at these meetings. 

Mark Your Calendar
April Meeting Dates –
Friday, Apr 18th and Monday, Apr 21st


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Quilts of Valor Block Drive



Been thinking of making just two or four blocks for a national effort?  This is the deal for you – there are PRIZES!  MQX Festivals holds enormous quilts shows and events.  It's too late for blocks to be submitted for the April New England show, but plenty of time for the Midwest show.  Check out this opportunity:

MQX needs YOU, and you, and you to make two blocks...



Want to make more? The top three individuals, group or organization that makes the most blocks will win nice prizes.....! *

MQX's goal for its 2014 shows (New England and Midwest) is to collect in excess of 1,250 blocks.

At last spring's New England show they collected over 300 blocks which were distributed to two active chapters of Quilts of Valor, Colorado and New England.

Can you think of a reason that they cannot double, triple or quadruple that number in 2014 if you contribute? Yeah,we didn't think so.........

Check out the QOV January Newsletter - click here


There are two colorway choices:  1) Patriotic, and 2) Modern Grays.  
 All blocks are 12" finished.

All blocks used with permission from Marcia Hohn of Quilter's Cache with additional pattern details furnished by Candace West

                                                           Buzz Saw block directions

                                 Buzz Saw has printable templates and detailed
                        directions on how to complete this block (by Candace West)



                                                          Mississippi block directions 

                                                                Anvil block directions


Examples of the "Modern Gray" fabrics
 
And some Samples made with the Modern Gray fabrics:

Downloadable Electric Quilter (EQ7) file available, please contact Janet-Lee at MQXShow@comcast.net

* If you are unable to attend the show, please mail your blocks by
      September 10, 2014 for the Midwest show to
:

MQX Quilt Festivals
P.O. Box 490
Hampton Falls, NH 03844 

Block Drive info comes from this MQX site: