Recap of 10/12/12 Meeting

Ever been to a Binding Blitz?!  We have a fabulous meeting last Friday and I’ll show you the results of the binding blitz in a minute.

We are so pleased that we are continuing to add members to our group.  Linda found out about Quilts of Valor through a Fons & Porter show and looked up our Under Our Wings shop (Crafty Threads) through the Quilts of Valor main site.  She and her friend Donna joined us as new members only to discover that they had instant friends here since they had also recently joined their local quilt guild … small world, isn’t it?  Welcome, Friends!

These were the wonderful quilts and tops brought and/or donated in this month

Debbie found a great unfinished top in her stash and added borders to bring it up to QOV-size to donate:

Patricia brought in her Persimmon Quilts QOV Mystery #20 top to donate:

AND Patricia also brought in her Persimmon Quilts QOV Mystery #24 top to donate:

The Persimmon Quilts Mysteries are generously posted by Le Ann Weaver.  Click on the link to visit her website – thank you so much, Le Ann for offering up these designs for our use.

If you look at older posts on this blog, you will see other Persimmon designs (check here for yet another one, #4, from Pat and here for a #24 from Kathy) – they make wonderful Quilts of Valor – always the perfect size.

                         

Kathy’s donated top was adapted from a pattern by Tony Jacobson in the March/April 2012 issue of Fons and Porter’s magazine.  We wanted to use the pinwheels that are leftover from our snowball blocks, so we adapted the sizes of the stars to accommodate them – no fabric is ever wasted with our group!

Joanne & Dawn returned 4^th of July tops - they had finished sewing together the rows at home and Jadene finished sewing on labels and bindings for two tops:

Debbie donated some excellent fabric again this month and a lady named Chris dropped by and donated an entire bolt of red/white/blue fabric.

Pat (left) accepting the fabric from Chris (right)

Be assured that all fabric donations are put to good use and we profusely thank our generous fabric donors – you make our Quilts of Valor possible!

Our Country Quilt is now a finished top.  We had the panel donated and Janet and Patricia came up with the perfect design to showcase it:

Patricia (left) with Janet (right)

During the meeting, we also

·          Made up 4 pillowcase presentation kits

·          Sorted fabrics into categories for their most efficient use

·          Pieced several backings

·          Cut blocks and made up the Kits that can be signed out to take home

·          Sewed bindings

Did you see that last entry?  Did I just say “sewed bindings”?  Yep, that was the Binding Blitz!  Since we use the scrappy 4^th of July quilt by Bonnie Hunter (thank you again, Bonnie, for this excellent design that works well when multiple people are sewing blocks) as our “go to” quilt pattern, we have leftover fabric – and combined with some of the smaller donated pieces, we have plenty to make scrappy 2½ inch bindings.  Our members sewed and ironed miles and miles of bindings this month!

This box has multiple layers of the folded bindings – enough for over 25 quilts and some are still at the ironing stage, so you can see that the ladies were VERY productive!

extras to be ironed

 And last, but in no way least, we had a tasty lunch provided by Pat – soup, salad, crusty bread and crudités with dip … NOW aren’t you sorry you couldn’t be at this meeting?!!  Thank you so much, Pat.

Gotta stop taking pics when people are eating!

Sorry, didn’t want to make you feel badly about missing lunch - but mark your calendars now for next month – Friday, November 9^th is the date.

Be sure to join us next time for the fun or pick up one of our “take home” kits at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop to sew up and return it at your convenience to the Shop.  We missed some of our regular members and hope to have everyone join us next month - we want to help cover ALL of our combat Veterans!

Meeting Reminder!

We will be meeting Friday, Oct 12^th,

from 10:00 – 2:00

at Crafty Threads Quilt Shop!

Click on this link to learn more! 

A Reminder Message from Pat:

This Friday at Crafty Threads - be there or be square. No, not a quilting square ... You know!

We love our volunteers - they are working hard for our returning wounded. We can use your help either in labor or donations.

Pat Neville - CT Quilter

Reminder – VA Fall Fundraiser!

As you know, the CT Quilters send their Quilts of Valor to the Poly-Trauma Unit of the James A Haley Veterans Hospital.  Since the individuals in this unit are often severely wounded, it is entirely possible that they will be spending the holidays in the hospital this year.  How can you help?

You can support the fabulous Fall Festival held annually at Haley that helps raise funds for the Volunteer staff to purchase gifts for those veterans who are in the hospital and nursing home during the holidays.

When:             This Thursday, Oct 11^th

Time:               8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Where:            James A. Haley VA Hospital

                        Main Bldg – 2^nd Floor Auditorium

                        (near the Volunteer Svcs office)

In addition to the Book Sale (think Christmas gifts!), Garage Sale (looking for that special item at a good price?) and Bake Sale (yum, yum!), you can purchase raffle tickets for donated prizes – just $1 each or 6 for $5.  The multitude of great raffle prizes includes restaurant gift cards (including Applebees and Outback), gift baskets, a Kindle Fire, a flag pendant and a 2-night stay at the Embassy Suites – USF, plus lots and lots of $25 and $50 gift cards.

Don’t forget that this is one way YOU can help our combat veterans.  The public is welcome, so take a neighbor with you and have fun for a good cause!

And just one more peek at this outstanding quilt donated by Diane Richardson and Pat Neville of the CT Quilters to the fundraiser.  This quilt (with a recorded value of $400!) will be awarded in a special raffle quilt from tickets sold on Thursday.  Here is the quilt that could be yours:

PS  It comes with its own pillowcase presentation package.

If you have any questions about attendance or the Fall Festival, please contact Diana Layman – Voluntary Service Specialist at 813-972-2000 x6579.

October Meeting Date – Friday, Oct 12th

The CT Quilters have one mission - We have joined in with the Quilts of Valor Foundation’s efforts to cover all veterans touched by war with a comforting quilt, and we remember that there would be no free United States without those veteran’s honor and sacrifice.

Everyone is invited to join us in working on our various projects - sewing skills are not required.  We have been delighted to welcome new members each month, and we’re waiting for you to join us!

So, what’s on the agenda for the CT Quilters this month?

We have a lot of activities waiting for us that will lead to many more Quilts of Valor:

"    Cut and sew outer borders,

"    Sew bindings – lots of bindings

"    Sew and miter inner border fabric

"    Cut backings from large pieces

"    We still have packages of the right number of blocks all ready to lay out and assemble into our normal design (called the Fourth of July, by Bonnie Hunter),

"    Sew rows together from the previously laid out 4^th of July tops

"    Finish up the Country Colors quilt – rotate out volunteers – and start another from aother country colors panel

"    Keep the pre-packaged kit basket full of block parts for home assembly by volunteers; may include cutting pieces or assembling more kits

"    The list goes on:

            like ironing, binding, labeling – eventually they will all be needed …

Friday, Oct 12^th is the day.  We will be meeting from 10:00 – 2:00 at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop (click on the link here or on the sidebar for address, phone and directions).   Hope to see you there!

Nebraska 4-H and QOV

Have you ever wondered what the youth of America are coming to?  Well, let me tell you a little bit about the Quilts of Valor project that was undertaken by over 200 4-H Club members and their leaders across the state of Nebraska.

Photo from the QOVF Blogspot below

This fabulous group of young people donated 80 quilts to the Quilts of Valor Foundation at the Nebraska State Fair on Sep 1^st, after having displayed them at local and county fairs.  And this was twice again as many as they had made when they originally took up the challenge in 2011!

We say kudos to those service-oriented kids for such an outstanding effort.  Your work will bring comfort to many of our combat veterans and is greatly appreciated.  We’re so proud of you!

Read the whole story on the QOVF blog at:

http://qovf.blogspot.com/2012/09/nebraska-4h-and-qov.html

Photo from the QOVF Blogspot above

Constitution Day - September 17th

        We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. …

Recognize the language excerpted above?  It is from the Constitution of the United States of America – a document that serves as the foundation of our democratic form of government.  Constitution Day is observed on September 17^th each year because that is the day that the US Constitutional Convention first signed the document in 1787.  The day commemorates the signing of this historic document but many also celebrate this day by recognizing all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become US citizens.

Take a moment to reflect on our checks and balances in government, our freedoms and our individual human rights.  Then stop and thank all of the military service personnel who have fought and sometimes made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may continue as a free nation.  We at the CT Quilters make our Quilts of Valor for that very reason - to say "thank you".

“Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are

 extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.”

— Harry Emerson Fosdick

Recap of 9/14/12 Meeting from Pat

First of all, thank you to all who came to our meeting at The Crafty Threads Quilt Shop.  It was a lot of fun and we numbered 16 this time.  We announced that the Volunteer Services from the James A. Haley VA Hospital will be holding its Fall Fundraiser on Thursday, Oct 11^th, so plan to attend that very worthwhile event.  See this blog post for more information.

We welcomed two very special guests today.  They were Sharon's mother, Barbara, and her mother's best friend, Gloria.  Gloria is a veteran of the Korean War, having served as a surgical nurse.  We also heard that Sharon's uncle is MIA from the same conflict.  They were very willing to help with Quilts of Valor and we put them to work assembling our quilt block kits that can be checked out to be sewn at home at your convenience.

On the right, Barbara (in front) and Gloria
waiting for the cutters to supply more blocks!
[with Dawn sewing borders on the left]

We accomplished a lot today:

ü        Two quilt tops to quilt

ü        Many pillowcase presentation packages made

           

ü        Block kits put together

           

ü        Four quilt backings done

ü        One country quilt ready

           

ü        One top taken home for homework

           

 Also, a big “thank you” to Debbie for the generous donations of fabric and the beautiful quilt, fully quilted!

           

We sorted thru all the donated fabrics and Kathy has them in order for next month – keep those donations coming – we are putting them all to good use!

Speaking of next month we will:

§          Complete two other layouts of blocks (hopefully even getting the borders done)

§          Continue cutting fabric for kits

§          Sew miles of bindings

§          Country quilt number 2 (yes, there is one!)

§          We may even be sewing some pinwheel blocks from the triangles that Kathy has been working with.

     

Thank you all for your volunteer hours, they are much appreciated.  I know that Barb, as the “Under Our Wings” regional location for QOV, had smiles in her eyes seeing all of us and the work we accomplish.  Our next meeting is Friday, Oct 12^th.  Mark those calendars now!

QOV Meeting Day TODAY – Come on Over!

A Note from Our Leader, Pat:

Wow its time to meet again this Friday [see this link for more info about this meeting], we welcomed four new members last month. 

We look forward to any of you who wish to drop by and see what we are doing. We have fun, fun and more fun. We are making great friends and enjoying working on this worthwhile cause.

I was at the VA today and they have given so much and need so much from us. These quilts say we care and thank you. Look for information [click for link to this blog post] about the VA's Fall Festival to be held on October 11th, to provide funds for Holiday gifts for those veterans at the Hospital and the Nursing Home.   Many have families and many do not.  Some families are far away or unable to travel.

Look forward to meeting any of you this Friday. Remember we need donations of Red, White and Blue Fabric and twin size cotton battings. We also can use 4 yard pieces of patriotic Fabric for Quilt backings.

Pat - CT Quilter

Meeting Reminder!

We will be meeting Friday, Sep 14^th,

from 10:00 – 2:00

at Crafty Threads Quilt Shop ...

Click on this link to learn more!

And a reminder that we would like to set up this month putting all sewers on the right side of the room towards the back and in front of them additional cutting boards and kit makers.  That will leave the left side (inside classroom wall) to lay out quilts to work on (both our standard pattern and the Country Quilts).

We plan to:

Make kits with Yvonne (both cutting and packaging)

Sew quilt tops and design Country Tops (Patricia and Janet)

Make pillowcases

Sew the backings together that were cut at the last meeting

Put borders on tops that are ready for them

Sew bindings

Square up and bind any quilts that are ready

AND HAVE A GOOD TIME!!

Everyone is welcome to join us!

Special Event – VA Fall Fundraiser!

Mark your calendars now because I'm sure you'll want to know about a garage sale, bake sale, book sale, raffles and more – all in one convenient location!!

Yes, indeed!  YOU are invited to the fabulous Fall Festival held annually at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital.  This big event helps raise funds for the Volunteer staff to purchase gifts for those veterans who are in the hospital and nursing home during the holidays.

When:             Thursday, Oct 11, 2012

Time:               8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Where:            James A. Haley VA Hospital

                        Main Bldg – 2^nd Floor Auditorium

                        (near the Volunteer Svcs office)

Who:               Anyone may attend and You are especially invited!

Raffle tickets for donated prizes are currently being sold for $1 each or 6 for $5.  They already have had 25 prizes donated including various gift cards, gift baskets, a Kindle Fire, a flag pendant and a 2-night stay at the Embassy Suites – USF.  The prizes to date total $1,380.

One of the CT Quilters recently delivered a fabulous quilt that will become part of the annual Fall Festival fundraising effort.  This raffle quilt will be awarded separately from raffle tickets sold that day and has a recorded value of $400.  Check out this beauty:

 It was made by Diane Richardson and Pat Neville, CT Quilters.  These pictures show the quilt during machine quilting on a frame and the label that tells its story.

 It was given to the VA Volunteers in a pillowcase presentation package, and they were so thrilled that they hugged Pat!  What a warm feeling.

If you have any questions about attendance or the Fall Festival, please contact Diana Layman – Voluntary Service Specialist at 813-972-2000 x6579.

 

We Remember on Sept 11

There are certain days that will long remain

in the collective memory of a Nation.

September 11^th  is one such day.

Congress approved a joint resolution on Oct 25, 2001 requesting that President George W. Bush designate September 11^th  of each year as “Patriot Day”,  in memory of the 2,977 killed in the Sep 11, 2001 attacks.   He signed it into law on Dec 18, 2001.  Many Americans refer to the day simply as "Nine-Eleven (9/11)”. 

On this date each year, the sitting president directs that the American flag be flown at half-staff at individual American homes, at the White House, and on all US government buildings and establishments, at home and abroad. The President also asks Americans to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 A.M. (EDT), the time the first plane struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sep 11, 2001.

Many of our military personnel remain at dangerous posts around the world protecting the interests of the USA and its allied countries as we continue to fight against acts of aggression and terrorism.

"America was not built on fear.  America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand."  Harry S. Truman

As an authorized Quilts of Valor Group, we will try to do our part to provide comforting quilts that are a touch of home to combat personnel and veterans at the Poly-Trauma Unit of the James A. Haley VA Hospital.  You are very welcome to join us on Friday, Sep 14^th, at The Crafty Threads Quilt Shop, if you would like to be a part of this wonderful mission.

September Meeting Date – Friday, Sep 14th

The CT Quilters-Quilts of Valor Group will be meeting again next week.  Please plan to join us at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop.   You can pick your favorite QOV projects to work on, or just show up and we’ll find a spot for you doing something that you will enjoy.  Don’t forget, sewing skills are not required.  There are lots of ways you can contribute to the making of a Quilt of Valor without sewing!

What’s likely to be going on this month:

Ø      A top is expected back in that will need borders sewn on,

Ø      We have two packages of the right number of blocks all ready to lay out and assemble into our normal design (called the Fourth of July),

Ø      We will need to sew the rows together of the quilt tops mentioned above,

Ø      We will continue work on the quilt in country colors (an alternative design),

Ø      We will check on the status of the kit blocks that have been returned – sew up some blocks (either A’s or B’s) if needed and assemble more packages ready to be laid out into quilt tops,

Ø      We will monitor the status of the pre-packaged kits to be set out in the Shop – possibly cut and assemble more kits if required,

Ø      We will have a lot of cutting to do, especially white (light) squares,

Ø      We will make up some pillowcases for presentation packages,

Ø      And – the usual disclaimer à whatever else comes up! (like ironing, binding, labeling – eventually they will all be needed)

So, as Pat says “we will need some rotary cutters, some sewing machines and some chocolate” (Pat is so eloquent and inspirational, too!).

Be sure and put Friday, Sep 14^th on your calendars right now.

 

We will be meeting from 10:00 – 2:00 at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop (click on the link here or on the sidebar for address, phone and directions).  We’re always happy to see both new and old faces – so come on by and get in on the fun for a wonderful cause!

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

Here in the USA, Labor Day is a traditional day of rest and relaxation.  It became a Federal Holiday in 1894 and many take advantage of the three-day weekend to travel and enjoy many end-of-the-summer events like picnics, beach activities, and family get-togethers.

As a nation, we also take time to reflect on the services provided by our military service personnel.  It is our duty and privilege to support them as they continue to work and provide us with a secure environment.  We are grateful for their willingness to serve.