Quilts of Valor

[Circle Square]

Are any of you longarmers volunteering to quilt the Quilts of Valor? How is it working out?

[IBQLTN2]

I quilt for my local QOV chapter when I have spare time, I have only done 3 or 4 over the past year, it is good practice for me as a beginner and they only want all over designs, so they are pretty quick.

[SandraC]

Our guild is making them starting now til our show next June (I'm sure we'll consider continuing after that). I have offered to quilt one per month til that time. They aren't very big and I figure it will be a good opportunity to practice different techniques, along with the fact that it is for a good cause. I'm quite busy right now, so if I don't get one of these quilts made up myself, at least I'll feel I've done my part.

[Beachside Quilter]

Hi Ann:

I signed up to longarm directly with QOV. You can participate at whatever level you want to contribute...just longarm, or backing, binding, etc. All the information in on their website. I have them send me the tops and backings and I provide the batting and thread and longarm and return them. The LA coordinator is great to work with.

Vickie Oliver

Beachside Quilter

APQS Rep SW FL

[Georgene]

I have quilted 20 or more QOV for my guild in the past year. I do one or two a month. I have also made 3 or 4 myself.

It is great practice and it's a great cause.

The quilts aren't very large and all the batting is provided.

[AbigailE]

Hi,

I have qulted one of these and have two more waiting to be done. Here they ask that these not be treated as practic and that tension be consistant and stitch lengh consistant. That said, not always are the backings or batting provided. I think it is how you work it out. also in question is the binding and labeling. It depends on your requested level of involvement. Here in Ill. Rita Pennington is getting ready to have made 73 quilts for the December return of the Illinois National Guard. Those are two of the tops I have in hand when this quilt is off the frame.

No matter what your feelings are about the war, these members have been through an emotional journey. I believe a quilt, of warm thoughts and healing kindness is one we can all support.

Abigail

[quiltingshirley]

Many quilters in my guild do the quilting on the Home of the Brave and the Quilts of Valor. I usually do a couple every few months. On the Home of the Brave the quilting needs to be simple so that the signatures show well and it's not that time consuming to do. The other quilts I do edge to edge quilting with a red, white, & blue thread most of the time and a design with flags and stars or something like that. Doing this work makes me "feel good" and others in the guild say the same. I know that's what the long arm owners have said. I have a mid-arm so I probably don't count in the answer you're looking for. Some the designers offer their patterns free for quilters doing these quilts. I'd attach a picture but I have no idea how.

[Liam]

I haven't done any yet. But a couple of my quilting friends and I are doing up 25 Amazing Grace Panels in November when my work shuts down for the month. We plan to take them to our local VA Hospital for Christmas gifts.

[mitzi]

I volunteer with our local chapter. I have completed two and have three more waiting for me to get to. One of my commitments when I started my business a year ago was to give 10% of profits to charity and to complete quilts for QOV. I will even sew on the binding and handstitch that down before I return it.

[Sandra Darlington]

The guild I belong to makes quilts for cancer patients, both adults and children. We also make quilts for the VA hospital. They have a group that makes little muslin huggy dolls for the kids and also surgery caps and pillow cases for Koncur Cancer. In fact, this group also knits preemy caps, too. That said, I really belong to an active guild with charity always a focal point; I'm proud to belong to such a wonderful guild.

I have a friend, who has a friend, whose son was killed in Afganistan a few years ago, and so she became very involved with QOV. That said, I have quilted some of the tops my friend pieced, then gave them back to her for the binding. Her friend then sews the labels on and takes the donated quilts to their destination organization.

I piece a lot of tops using much of my leftover fabric, or fabric that has been sitting here a few years. They remind me of the "Eye Spy" quilts. I often buy flannel by the bolt at JoAnn's with my 40% off coupon (plus my 10% off from my guild membership). I wash and dry the flannel then load it on my Liberty, then just put one baby/child quilt on, one right after the other. I can quilt quite a few rather quickly using this method. I just have to keep my tops narrow enough to fit on one width of the flannel to do this "production line" style. I also use batting pieces that I piece together that were from other projects. Of course, I need to still buy batting for these quilts, but it sure helps me keep my excess batting pieces under controll.

I also buy panels and just put a coordinating border around them; then I just need to quilt them. I buy enough border fabric to use for the binding. They come out adorable! I usually just quilt a puzzle meaner over the panel and do a design, maybe daisies, or whatever coordinates with the panel or border fabric, on the border to "dress it up." The quilting really shows up on the flannel backs and looks good.

Anyway, I know I'm rambling...I am getting nervous and excited because in a few hours I am heading to the airport to fly to Scotland for a 2 week vacation. Yippee! I have to ramble enough this morning to cover the next two weeks - not bringing a laptop on this trip.

[jmcclannan]

I have done quite a few QOVs. It's true they don't want these to be "practice" pieces. I try to quilt them just as I would a customer quilt. Sometimes that means E2E and sometimes custom. In the end it does turn out to be great practice just as every quilting experience is!

[LinneaMarie]

I've done a few. Two were given to my own personal friends who were in the war. One was injured in Afghanistan; and the other is a prison guard in Afghanistan. (a woman, no less; so I figured she really needed it!)

I also did one for American Hero, but have not sent it off yet! My bad!

[April W]

I work with a local group that gets together twice a month with their sergers to piece. They pay a minimal amount for my batting (at their insistance) and I do quilting at no charge. They have a few other quilters, but apparently they aren't as quick about getting the quilts back to the group for finishing. I usually get 4 at a time and do them all in a weekend when I get a break in my lineup. They are always made up of red, white and blues and I usually put stars and loops on them.

[PatSchafer]

I'm doing American Hero Quilts for Sue out of Vashon Island WA. This is a somewhat similar program to quilts of valor, but all of these quilts go to soldiers in the rehab center at Madigan Hospital. They are there approximately six months - there's quite a turn-over and Sue is trying to handle about 100 quilts a month. I'm happy they are actually being used - not sent to someplace in the sky and they are local tomy area. The only ones she sends away are to those local boys in rehab in another facility like the burn center. The quilts she sends to me are well made. She sends backs properly sized and sometimes even the batting. She appreciates the extra effort (beyond meandering them together and she's great to work with. So I'm having a good experience.

Pat Schafer

Lake Tapps WA

ps - Of all the charity quilts I do (I don't do long-arm work commercially) I have a special place in my heart for these fellows - my husband is disabled from the Marine Corps.

[Quilting Heidi]

I've done several of these. I signed up for a quilt a month but some months I didn't receive one and I've had to take a few months off. I also quilt them for my guild. For our first fall meeting we always have a block as your ticket in. This year we are doing blocks that will be made into quilts for homeless woman veterans. The guild has decided that we will make one special top that will be raffled off and I've offered to do the quilting on it. I like doing it and I know they so appreciate it! Hubby is a 22 year vet and he just gets all choked up when I tell him stories of who these quilts go to. He works for the VA now and they just love their patients to get these homemade gifts of love! Makes them feel so special. It is a wonderful heart warming experience.

[Sams Mom]

I'm on my second year of two per month for QOV. In trying to get volunteers for our local quilt guild quilt show, I found out that one of the ladies I quilted QOV for heads up the Colorado effort. She said that they sent 700 quilts in a three month period this summer. She also teaches middle/high schoolers quilting for QOV. I'm more impressed with this organization every day.

donna

[jmyhogan]

I signed up with QOV two years ago and have enjoyed doing the quilting. I didn't sign up for a specific number but each month when the newsletter comes out I let them know how many , if any, I could do for that month. Many months I don't get matched up with a Topper. Some people I have done several quilts for at different times.

[RitaR]

Hi, Yes I eagerly quilt for Quilts of Valor... haven't had any problems. It can get pricy if they don't offer help for batting or backing, but so far, the piecers have been just wonderful. I'm lucky that most let me turn the quilts in locally instead of mailing them back, as that too is my cost, unless they choose to pay it.

I just appreciate our military (himself served 22 years) so much, and the world of good they do for us, at any cost, that I'd do more if I were able.

Hugs and God Bless to all Military, their families and the Quilt of Valor Quilters,

RitaR

[delld]

Hi , my guild has set a goal of 80 quilts this year. I've quilted many of them. We have about five more to complete the goal. Our guild has provided the batting and many people in the communtiy have denoted fabric. Here is one Iquilted last month. IT'S A JOY FOR ALL and means so much to the individuals that receive the quilts. I encougage anyone to be part of this!

[ffq-lar]

Dell-that is beautiful!

[LadyLake]

Our guild had a sewing day and made quilts of valor, then quilters volunteered to quilt and bind. A friend and I made one together which I quilted. Our guild has finished almost 25 quilts now! Not only does the QOV quilt touch the veteran, it has also given quilters a chance to reflect on the courage it took to volunteer.

My girlfriend found a neat 'Liberty' pattern pack with an eagle and stars that she quilted on a QOV -- turned out beautiful.

[witha'K'quilting]

My old guild made 56 quilts for American Hero quilts last year. I helped to quilt these. I agree...we need to do our best job of quilting these as they are going to our soldiers.

In the end...any quilting that we do becomes additional practice in my mind. I always learn something as I merrily quilt along!