Proudly Featuring Our Quilters …

We’ve posted lots of pictures of our quilts in progress and our finished quilts, but now we’d like to highlight the remarkable contributions of the people who have ultimately made this possible - namely our machine quilters.  It has been said that “Quilting makes the Quilt”, and we can truthfully say that our quilts go out with every stitch speaking a special “thank you for your service” to the military personnel that receive them.

We have four quilters that have made our quilts very special:

Barb, Pat, Diane and Jan

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these ladies for the thought and care that goes into the designs that are quilted on these Quilts of Valor, and also for their time and commitment to ensuring quality heirloom quilts.  Oh, and we don’t want to forget to mention that Barb’s Dad is special to us also in that he tends the computer-aided process on occasion for Barb - ever vigilant for that annoying empty bobbin …. 

And, here’s a sampling of their products:

Barb from Crafty Threads Custom Embroidery and Longarm Quilting

Closeup of design being quilted by Barb in the photo above

Closeup of quilting design



Pat holding a quilted quilt waiting to be bound



Jan's Quilting

Closeup of Jan's quilting (on a home machine, not a longarm!)



Another item quilted - binding to be sewn down

 The CT Quilters Group thanks all

of our quilters so very much!

A Delivery - A Welcome and - A Good-bye

The CT Quilters were so pleased that we were able to put together and deliver another batch of quilts to the Poly-Trauma Unit of the James A. Haley VA Hospital here in Tampa, FL.    Pat (a founder and leader of the CT Quilters) delivered nine quilts for our group – Wahoo!

While at Haley, Pat discovered that Ronika, our liaison in Volunteer Services, has been promoted and will be leaving Haley and working in another state.  Congratulations to Ronika!  The CT Quilters want you to know that you will be missed down here in Tampa, but we wish you well with your new posting.

Dawn (l) and Ronika (r) with Patricia's Donated QOV

 And Pat was introduced to our new liaison, Dawn.  Dawn is a Volunteer at the VA from the American Legion Auxiliary.  We are pleased to be working with you now, Dawn, and we are happy to report that we already have more quilts in the works!

Here are some of the pictures of the preparation and delivery of the quilts. 

Quilts and Presentation Packages (pillowcases) being prepared

The volunteers reported that they were sorry that we couldn’t all see the joy on the recipient’s faces when they received their quilts, but we understand that security must remain tight and that privacy should be protected.  We just want each of these service personnel to know that we are trying to give them a piece of home and a touch of comfort.

Each quilt has a special label on the back

We also enclose a letter of thanks with each of the Quilts of Valor that we award so that the recipients know how much we value their service and sacrifice.  Each quilt is awarded in a pillowcase presentation package.

Stack ready to go with letters

Pat at Haley with the QOVs

And as a side note, we received a lovely letter of thanks from the Department of Veterans Affairs for our previous donation of quilts.  We feel privileged to be a part of the Quilts of Valor program and in turn, we thank the Dept and its volunteers for facilitating to get the quilts awarded to their new owners.

Pat has more news about their fall fundraiser and I will write more about that in another post!  Keep your eyes out …

Recap of 8/10/12 Meeting

Question:   If rising productivity means getting more output from less input,

 what do you get with more input instead of less?

Answer:     Plentiful abundance, that’s what!!

We were so fortunate this month to welcome four new members to our group and the various Quilts of Valor projects were all in high gear at the meeting:

v      We laid out blocks for three more tops from our favorite design (the Fourth of July by Bonnie Hunter) and numbered the rows ready to be sewn together next month

v      We cut and cut and cut:

-         Squares for “A Blocks”

-         Preparations for backings

-         Border strips

-         Binding strips

Cutting borders and hand sewing bindings

 v      We ironed and ironed and ironed:

-         Backings

-         Borders

-         Bindings

v      We sewed and sewed and sewed:

-         Borders

-         Bindings (by hand and by machine!)

-         Labels (by hand)

Sewing on borders and bindings

v      We assembled more “A Block” kits

Cutting blocks and kit assembly

v      We made packages of blocks ready to layout into more tops

v      We had a mini-tutorial on how to square up a quilt after it has been quilted (thank you, Barb from Crafty Threads!)

And, we were delighted to receive two completed tops that were made and donated by our members – these are now in line to be longarm quilted:

donated by Debbie

Mystery Quilt - donated by Kathy

♥         A special thank you to all of our at-home volunteers who continue to sign up to take and return our pre-assembled block kits – just drop in at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop and sign out a few kits at your convenience.

♥         And another special thank you to those that have donated fabric to our group – it is greatly appreciated – we are always in need of 100% cotton red,  white or blue fabrics (and a special hug for our new member Sharon who brought in a lovely huge piece perfect for a quilt back)

We missed seeing some folks this meeting, but we look forward to hearing about your vacations and travels next time.  Just wanted you to know we’re thinking of you.

Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Friday, Sept 14^th … pencil this in on your calendars now (we will be confirming this date on or after Aug 25^th) – watch this spot and/or look for your email!

August Meeting – Friday, Aug 10th

The CT Quilters-Quilts of Valor Group’s meeting date is fast approaching!  Please plan to come to the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop on Friday, August 10th.  There are always a variety of projects in the works and everyone will be able to join in the fun (whether you can sew or not – it doesn’t matter)!

Some of the projects include:

¨       Layout blocks into quilt tops for our normal design, called the Fourth of July;  we still have packages of the right number of blocks all ready to lay out and assemble,

¨       Sew rows of the quilt tops mentioned above, some are already in stacks of rows and ready to sew together,

¨       Sew up some of the “B” block kits since the A’s have been very popular recently,

¨       Monitor the status of the pre-packaged kits – possibly cut and assemble more if required,

¨       Make up some pillowcases for presentation packages,

¨       And, as always, whatever else comes up (like ironing, binding, labeling – eventually they will all be needed)!

Definitely plan to attend and bring your sewing machine if you’d like to sew.

We meet 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’ve been very happy to welcome new members each month – so drop in and say hello!

Korean War Veteran's Memorial

Today marks the anniversary of the Armistice ending the Korean Conflict and the establishment of the Korean Demilitarized Zone northeast of the 38^th Parallel.  During that war, several decisions were made that would set the course of world history.

Prior to the conflict, America was disarming from WWII, ignoring the communist threat.  After the North Korean invasion, President Truman set the doctrine that no country would fall to communism.  It marked the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union and established our industrial base for the next 50 years.

This is a picture of the Korean War Veterans’ Memorial in Washington, DC:

An inscription on the Pool of Remembrance reads:
"OUR NATION HONORS HER SONS AND DAUGHTERS WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO DEFEND A COUNTRY THEY NEVER KNEW AND A PEOPLE THEY NEVER MET"

We at the CT-Quilters Group make Quilts of Valor to honor those brave men and women of our Armed Forces who continue to sacrifice in combat zones around the world.  All of our quilts are stitched with love, prayers and healing thoughts as we try to express our heartfelt thank you.  You are welcome to join us (see the sidebar for more information).

Red, White and Blue Blog Hop

Did you hear about the exciting Red, White and Blue Blog Hop that has been going on since the beginning of July?  This on-line hop was initiated by Jane over at

 Jane’s Fabrics and Quilts.

Each of the participating bloggers spotlights a block of their choice and many offer tutorials on the construction of the blocks.  All are in red, white and blue, of course!  One of the participants was KatieQ from Katie’s Salt Marsh Path and she presented a beautiful stylized flag block and an absolutely gorgeous Dresden plate block.

Another one of the participants was Sinta Renee’s Pink Pincushion blog and it featured a look back at her first experience being published in a book of quilts in remembrance of Sep 11, 2001.  The cover sampler would make a great Quilts of Valor quilt.  She also shows a picture of another quilt made quite simply with red/white and blue snowball blocks that would be a great comfort to a wounded warrior.

So if you’ve ever thought of making a Quilts of Valor sampler quilt, “hop” on over and check out the many blogs participating in the Red, White and Blue Blog Hop.  Here is a link to the Master Schedule of participants with the dates of their appearances in the Hop:

http://janesfabrics.blogspot.com/2012/05/redwhiteblue-blog-hop-schedule.html

Meeting Recap

A lot was accomplished at the July 6^th meeting of the CT Quilters Group.  At times it looked like an old-fashioned sewing bee with all of the hand quilting!  One of the finishing touches to our Quilts of Valor is the hand sewing of the bindings - then the labels are put on and the quilts are good-to-go to comfort our wounded military service personnel.   Many hands made light work of this task:

Sewing Binding to Quilt

Hand Sewing Binding Down

More Hand Sewing Bindings

And we were all very excited when one of the CT Quilters brought in a quilt top to donate that she had made from a 2008 Mystery Quilt (#4) pattern offered by Persimmon Quilts.  What a fabulous top!  Sending you a special “thank you” from all of us:

We also laid out blocks for 3 more quilt tops ready to assemble into rows.  And, more progress was made on the design and production of the quilt in patriotic country colors - it's growing:

One of the quilts that was being bound had been quilted by a member of the CT Quilters on her home machine (not a longarm/frame).  What a wonderful finish: 

Quilting Detail!

More blocks and kits were put together:

And we snarfed up angel food cake with strawberries and sugar cookies (oops, maybe I wasn’t supposed to report on that part…).  Well, a good time was had by all.  And if you couldn’t be there, we missed you.

Pat will be delivering quilts again to the James A Haley VA Hospital later this month.  More on that in a later post …

These will be included in the next delivery -
A CT Quilter volunteered to take them home
and finish up the hand sewing.  CT Quilters are the BEST!
Don't they look grand?!

Hope you can be with us at the next meeting (mark your calendars now for Fri, Aug 10^th).

Meeting Reminder - July 6th

We look forward to working on our QOV projects during this week where we have celebrated our independence. QOV is our way of saying thank you to our Military for continuing to help safeguard our freedom.

Come help us or drop off donations. All are welcomed.

Pat - CT Quilter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We will be meeting Friday, Jul 6^th,

from 10:00 – 2:00

at Crafty Threads Quilt Shop!

Click on this link to see more!

Happy Independence Day!

Today we celebrate that on July 4^th, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence, setting the 13 original colonies on their path to freedom as a sovereign nation.  All over the USA, this Federal holiday will be marked with parades, fireworks, picnics and cookouts.

As we proudly wave our flags today, we remember that the convictions that were in the minds and hearts of the American people then, and so eloquently expressed by Thomas Jefferson, remain strong today.

We applaud and support the service men and women that have given their utmost to ensure that the freedoms we hold so dear remain ours to cherish.

Reminder:  The CT Quilters will hold their July meeting this Friday, July 6^th.  See this post for more information about what we will be doing.  Please join us!

July Meeting – Please Join Us!

The next meeting of the Quilts of Valor -  CT Quilters Group will be on Friday, July 6^th, at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop.  We have a variety of projects in the works and there will be something for everyone to do, whether you can sew or not!

We plan to:

¨       Continue working on the design and layout of the quilt in patriotic country colors,

¨       Layout blocks into quilt tops for our normal design; it's a Bonnie Hunter pattern called the Fourth of July and we now have 5 packages of the right number of blocks all ready to lay out and assemble!,

¨       Sew rows of the quilt tops mentioned above,

¨       Cut red star fabric into squares,

¨       Make up some more “A” block kits,

¨       Sew up some of the “B” block kits since the A’s have been very popular recently,

¨       Make up some pillowcases for presentation packages,

¨       And, as always, whatever else comes up (like ironing, binding, labeling – eventually they will all be needed)!

Please mark your calendars now and plan to attend.  Bring your sewing machine if you’d like to sew.

The meetings are always such a good time and it's for such a good cause.  We meet from 10:00 – 2:00 at Crafty Threads Quilt Shop and we take a break for lunch.  There’s usually a group that walks to a restaurant (very close by), or you can plan to bring a lunch, or just stop by to say hello and see what we’re all about!  Every week we have new members and we’d love to see YOU there.

Have You Considered Making A Pillowcase?

When Quilts of Valor are ready to be awarded, they are “gift wrapped” in a pillowcase that serves as a presentation package in accordance with the Quilts of Valor Foundation’s guidelines.  The CT Quilters have been presenting their quilts in pillowcase presentation packages made of the same high quality fabrics as we use in the quilts and we choose red, white and blue patriotic colors.

Some of our pillowcases with quilts inside

If you would like to contribute, the CT Quilters welcome handmade (not store bought) pillowcases to go along with our quilts and offer the following tips and tutorials:

o        Use good quality, 100% cotton fabric

o        Use any combination of red, white and blue fabrics – contrasting top bands are nice (no childish fabrics or themes, please)

o        A great pictorial step-by-step process is offered at the Persimmon Quilts website:  http://www.persimmonquilts.com/Pillowcase/Pillowcase.html

o        The official Quilts of Valor Foundation website offers an entertaining 10 minute video tutorial on how to make the sausage pillowcase type.  Follow this link to see the video:

                        http://www.qovf.org/content/presentation-case.html

If you elect to make one (or more!) presentation package pillowcases, you may drop them off at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop, conveniently located at:

12230 Racetrack Rd, Tampa

 any time during store hours or bring them to the QOV meetings.  If you would like more information, please drop by our next meeting - scheduled for Friday, July 6^th, at Crafty Threads.  Future meeting dates are or will be posted on the sidebar.

And don’t forget, donations of good quality, 100% cotton red, white and blue fabrics are always welcome and greatly appreciated.

Happy Quilting and thank you for remembering Quilts of Valor!

Thank You to the Warm Company!

Are you familiar with The Warm Company?  This company has many great fusible products in addition to BATTING!  Why did I emphasize batting?  Because we at the CT Quilters Group were thrilled recently to be the recipients of eight (8) twin size, Warm & Natural batts donated through the generosity of The Warm Company.

We received an inspiring note from Dawn P., a representative of The Warm Company, that says in part:

            …Thank you and the CT Quilters Group for supporting our troops.  The Warm Company works closely with Quilts of Valor in donating the batting for this nationwide organization’s efforts.  Wouldn’t it be nice if every single returning soldier received a quilt?  We’re happy to partner with you…

Well, we in return “Thank You, The Warm Company” for your commitment to the military service personnel of the United States.  We are very pleased with your products and would like to recommend them to our members and blog readers.

To learn more about the many products offered by The Warm Company, be sure to check out this interesting YouTube video of Dawn giving an overview of different products with lots of project ideas at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsuKBuik5nI

Or you can check out The Warm Company on Facebook if you’re in tune with social media.  Dawn said they would welcome photos of our Quilts of Valor made with their batting and of course, your posts and likes on their Facebook page are welcome, too!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warm-Company/261044530611534

To support this company and their product outlets near you, please see this link:

http://www.warmcompany.com/buy.html

Recap of 6/15/12 Meeting

If you missed the recent meeting, you missed a good one!  The CT Quilters were very productive this month:

v      We worked on the “Country Quilt” – it’s different from our usual pattern - the design around the panel is looking great and the layout is coming together – we’ll continue to work on it next meeting.

Designing

Ironing Center Panel

v      We cut fabric and made up more “A Block” kits – the kits are flying out of the basket at Crafty Threads shop – thank you so much to all of our at-home volunteers!

v      We ironed and assembled more backings – we have several quilts out to be long-armed

v      We sewed some more blocks to make up some more tops – see next bullet.

v      We made packages of blocks ready to layout and sew into tops – we now have five – count ‘em – FIVE tops ready to lay out next meeting!

v      We had two special guests helping us – this young lady sewed at least a mile of bindings (yes, we measured)!

We also snarfed up some very excellent German Chocolate Upside Down Cake – thank you, Pat!  Some of us are still dreaming about it …

And then, as an unexpected surprise, we had a great Show and Tell.  One of our members brought in some of the 1930s quilts that her grandmother had made that she was making labels for:

Closeup of the 30s fabrics and the exquisite quilting

Aren’t these wonderful?!!

Our next meeting will be Friday, July 6^th … mark your calendars now!