We’re also a nation at war.  You may not like it and I may not like it.  In fact, I tune it out lots of times on the news because I’m so wrapped up in my own life.  But, the fact is that it is Christmas and there are so many men and women that are in Iraq and Afghanistan that won’t be home for a long time. 

There are also lots of groups out there of caring men and women that are trying to make the soldiers’ tour of duty more bearable and bring them home safely.  I want to be part of that.  So, the next question is what do I know how to do that can be helpful?  I sew, baby!  I sew like the wind!  I just bought a brand new Pfaff sewing machine and I want to use it to contribute to some soldier’s health and welfare and comfort while he or she is away from home.   I’m going to continue to sew Quilts of Valor for those soldiers that come home wounded, but even one takes a long time to put together.  But there are other things I can make – cool ties, for instance.    Easy and fast and very much needed in hot desert summer temperatures. 

I went online and found directions on how to make them and in my searching found lots of good information on the following website: http://www.martinworks.com/hero/helpdeployed.html

I not only can sew cool ties – lots and lots of cool ties.  I can also donate for postage to mail care packages.  It costs an average of $40 – $40!!!!!! – to mail a single package! 

I can also send regular emails of encouragement to soldiers.  The website above has links to do just that.

So my challenge to anyone who happens to stumble across my blog is to go the website and see where you can serve the soldiers who are serving you! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Sherry at Dragonfly Quilts.

The next step is to send it to a volunteer longarm quilter.  When I get it back I will put a label on the back and bind it.  Then I need to make a presentation case – a coordinating pillowcase most likely – and then request a destination. 

There is a group in Norman that seems to have a good plan in place.  One person a month chooses a pattern and supplies color ways or maybe even a fat quarter of starter fabric for each person in the group.  Each person takes that fabric and makes blocks from the pattern.  The next month the group meets and all blocks are collected to be sewn into a top by another member who brings the finished top the next month.  Then it goes to the longarmer and is returned the next month and goes to someone in the group for the binding.  So as a new pattern and blocks are started each month, a quilt or two is going through the steps of being completed also.  This system seems to work really well for them and would be fun to try.  They have 12 members who make a few blocks a month and switch off with the folks who sew and bind – they don’t make blocks the month they sew completed tops or bind. 

Personally, I would like to find a shop or 2 that will regularly donate scraps from shop models and/or backing fabric from their sale bolts.  We’re talking only about 3-1/2 yards for backing a lap size quilt.  There are lots of good shops in the Oklahoma City metro area.  If we wanted to get together and spend time sewing, local Hobby Lobby stores offer free use of their classrooms to craft groups.

I hope someone out there will read this post and get in touch with me at simplelife1@cox.net.

Oh, almost forgot.  Here is a link  to the Quilts of Valor blog.  It has a great video of soldiers receiving their quilts.  Really inspiring!

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/techniques/basics/pressing-like-pro_1.html

1 Block A and 1 Block B

I REALLY like this pattern.  Its from one of Pat Speth’s Nickel Quilt books.  She’s going to be at our February guild meeting for a workshop.  Sounds like a good time to take a mandated furlough day from work!  This state budget crisis may work in  my favor yet .

I’m still wishing for other like-minded quilters to work with on these QOVs.  I got some great ideas from the QOV yahoo group today about approaching local VFW and Ladie’s Auxiliary groups for sponsorship and maybe some fellow quilters.  Flyers in quilt shops also a good idea.  Anyone out there in the OKC area that wants to make quilts to honor our servicemen and women, give me a shout!

The classroom at OKQW

Diamond in the Rough - Debbie Caffrey pattern - so much fun!

Then I came home to a newly exterminated-for-fleas (yuck!) house, all picked up and straightened up, dishes done by my DH in preparation for the OU-Texas A&M game.  Poor OU.  They really suck this year with 10 players out with injuries, including their star quarterback.  They swamped A&M, which it turns out according to the men in the group, is even worse this season than OU.  I’m not a football fan necessarily, but our son is going to OU – doesn’t play football there, but watching the games with friends makes me feel closer to him. 

So, Sunday was cold and rainy, a PERFECT sewing day.  Woke up at 7:00 wide awake and thinking about my QOV, so let the cat out, fed the dog and closed the door to the sewing room and got in a good hour of sewing 1/2 square triangles before my husband woke up and discovered me and the animals gone from the room.  Made whole grain biscuits for breakfast, bacon, eggs, gravy – our Sunday morning ritual – would be huge as elephants eating this way every day – and then off to church.  Got in more sewing time in the afternoon and then off to what we thought would be a matinee at the local movie theater.  They have gotten so greedy at this theater that they no longer do matinee pricing and a bottle of water and a box of Junior Mints was $8!!!!!! Ridiculous. So we decided we will boycott this particular theater and drive a little further to one in a not so great part of town, but much more reasonably priced. 

I’m rambling..This post was supposed to be about the progress made on my QOV.  So, got all the 1/2 square triangles sewn and cut apart.  The instructor from class gave us a pressing tip that I had just mentally filed away until I discovered a good example of her “what not to do”.  She said that when pressing seams on quilt pieces, blocks, etc.  to let the pressed piece sit and cool before handling further, whether it is press the seam to the dark fabric side or to sew a completed block into your top.  Further pressing or handling while the piece is hot may cause it to stretch out of shape.   So, I’m in my “studio”, i.e., corner of the guest bedroom, pressing to set the seams on my 1/2 square triangles, press, open and press again.  It worked fine on the first piece, but the second one really stretched wonky when I opened it to press the seam to the dark fabric.  Bingo!  That’s what she meant!  So, I pressed the rest of the seams and set the pieces aside and will press them open tonight, trim the dog ears and then they’ll be ready to start putting the actual blocks together.  This top has been really easy to piece so far, but it is going slow and its going to be a busy week – guild tomorrow night, first meeting of our new small group on Wednesday night and Food Co-op volunteer on Thursday evening.  Hopefully I can finish the pressing tonight. 

Must get back to work…..

The 3 drawer units had been stacked on top of each other in the closet and a couple of them are a little wonky as a result, but they fit perfectly under my new cutting tables. 

For some reason Annie the cat has taken to sleeping on clean laundry right in the basket. So, I put her blanket in an old one and hopefully we won't have cat hair on our clean clothes any more!

I was so excited a few months ago when I discovered the organization (www.qovf.org) that provides quilts to wounded servicemen and women and in some cases, the families of fallen soldiers.  They even include veterans of other American wars.  Making quilts to give to wounded warriors is my way of saying “Thank you for fighting to keep me safe here at home.  Thank you for fighting the terrorist on his turf, not mine.  Thank you for your sacrifice.” 

So, here are a few pics of my first attempt.  The leaders of the QOV organization ask that you journal your quilt process and include the journal with the quilt to its recipient.  This will be another way for me to share it with other’s as well.

Ready to mix and match!

Red and white 4 patches made the easy way!

 Next will come blue and *white* (as in neutrals) half square triangles.  This pattern really goes together fast. 

I’ll update as I get more done.