QOV ALL FINISHED!!

Sunday I finished sewing the binding to the back of the quilt and Monday I got the label sewn on.  It's all ready to go.  As soon as I know if there will be a retirement ceremony or not.  If there is, I will take it with me and if there isn't, I will send it to him.  

I quilted it all with white thread on the back, but on the top I used different colors:  brown on the eagle feathers, white on the head, etc.  In the border I used grey thread.  I didn't purchase quite enough of the backing fabric, so I added a panel down the middle with some extra blocks and patriotic squares that I had.  I'm happy with the way it turned out.  It measures about 71" square.

This morning I was reading the latest blog from "Love" and she was talking about watching the Memorial Day concert and how she gets tears in her eyes when she hears the National Anthem.  It made me think about the flag that she gave me several years ago that I had hanging in our camper for years.  She wrote these words on the white stripes:  "Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?" by Francis Scott Key, 1779 - 1843.

A few weeks ago, I came across that flag from Love and decided to hang it on my TV cabinet.  It's hanging on the knob that opens the DVD storage shelves.  Under and to the right of the flag I have placed tiny houses made out of wooden blocks and painted to be village stores that I have lined up on the bottom shelf of the cabinet.  I found them at a garage sale and thought they were/are so cute! 

Love's handwriting on the white stripes is perfect!

I'm sure I would have had tears in my eyes too if we had been watching the concert.  I meant to watch it, but then forgot!

I have finished 3 quilts during our time of isolation, and now I want to just work on a few smaller project.  I do have one  smaller wall hanging that is partially quilted, so I think I'll finish it first.
Thanks for visiting and have a good week!

Quilt of Valor for my Son

I just finished the top of this quilt for my son.  It's not an official "Quilt of Valor" because I'm making it myself and I'm not going through the QOV organization.  DS is retiring from the Air Force, where he served for 23 years and we are very proud of him.  He was a Lieutenant Colonel C-130 pilot.  I plan to baste and quilt it next week.

He is supposed to have a retirement ceremony June 8, but we don't know if that will even happen.

I needed to get the red, white and blue "grunge" fabric that I wanted to make the flying geese out of and since our LQS has been closed I emailed a friend who works at the LQS in our town to see if they were open or would let me buy some grunge.  She said that they aren't open yet, but they are working on putting all their fabric on line and she would be working on Monday.  I went over there on Monday and was able to get the grunge.  I should have purchased the backing the same day but didn't, so a friend and I went there yesterday and they are not open yet, but fortunately, I was able to get the backing, so I will be basting it on Monday.

Our son and his family have all been studying at home:  2 boys doing their school work on line (they are finished now), our DIL taking graduate classes on line also, and DS studying on line for his new job which will be starting soon, I think.  They sent us pictures of the boys at a restaurant with huge pancakes - the first time they could go to a restaurant to eat!

Oregon is starting to open up as well as long as there is 6 feet between tables in restaurants, etc., etc.  Yipee!!

UNCLE HENRY'S BARN

Thanks for all the great suggestions for my barn quilt name!  I ended up taking one of my sister's ideas, which really seemed to be the right name.  When we were kids, we would go to visit my Mom's aunts, uncles and cousins in Minnesota every summer and we always stayed with Uncle Henry and Aunt Gertrude.  I even spent over a month there the summers I turned 13 and 14 - it is a very fond memory.  So "Uncle Henry's Barn" seemed right.

I finished the house quilt, which I named "16 Houses"!  That name was pretty obvious for me.  I love how it turned out.

When I was looking for backing in my fabric closet, I noticed these blocks I had made for a quilt that I gave my brother and SIL.  I had made the top too large and taken these blocks off, so I decided to use them on the back.  I had just enough of the yellow fabric, which has eagles flying across the back.

I wanted to share a couple more pictures of the doll quilt that I received in Lori's doll quilt exchange. The doll, named Albert (after my grandpa), was my Mom's doll and is about 100 years old.  He doesn't look that old, does he?  He has new hair and shoes and I made him some clothes a few years ago.  I think a doll quilt should have pictures taken with a doll.

The quilt I received is large enough to wrap Albert up in it.

My next project will be a quilt of valor for my son who is retiring from the Air Force.  His retirement ceremony is supposed to be June 8 but we don't know yet if it will take place.  Once I decided to make him a quilt (which will be a lap quilt), I ordered a panel with eagles on it and have decided I want to have a flying geese border made out of red, white and blue grunge fabric, so I hope I can get some of that fabric locally or I will have to order it on line.  I need to get going on it!!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you are all well.