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Presenting Quilts of Valor

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This week I was honored to present my first Quilt of Valor quilt to a 95-year-old World War II veteran. While the ceremony was just beginning, I remember seeing my veteran sitting across the room in the audience. We made eye contact more than once. I wondered if he knew I made his quilt.

That night, there were four quilts presented to veterans at the VFW Post 4816 in Porter, Texas. This was also the first time Quilt of Valor quilts had been presented at the VFW hall. It got pretty emotional in that hall after the first quilt was presented. It was also my first time to set foot in a VFW hall. It was quite something! Did I mention we happened to be attending during “steak night” and were treated to a lovely and delicious dinner? My friend, Susan, who heads up Quilt of Valor for our guild, Peace by Piecing Quilt Guild, also made one of the beautiful quilts.

Quilt of Valor is a national organization that has given veterans quilts since, I believe, right around 2004. As of July 31, 2023, 354,712 quilts have been wrapped around the shoulders of service members and veterans. The mission of Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comfort and healing quilts. Not only are the quilts wrapped around the shoulders of recipients like a “hug” during the ceremony, we also give them a little hug!

When I joined the guild a few years ago, I knew at some point I would make a Quilt of Valor. Just one though. Each quilt is a huge project. There are also lots of specific requirements. The quilt has to be a certain size: larger than I usually make quilts, and machine or hand quilted, not tied. Longarm quilters donate their services on behalf of the guild. Lisa Taylor did a fantastic job on my quilt! There is a patch stitched on the back with information such as who is receiving the quilt, date awarded, who pieced it, and quilted the quilt. We make a pillow case for the quilt to be stored in when not in use. Everything also has to be washed. The six color catchers I used came out purple. Thanks Susan for the heads-up on the color catchers!

I purchased the quilt kit at Stitchin’ Heaven in Quitman, Texas a couple of years ago. After the quilt top was finished, I purchased a wide back quilt backing with a patriotic-theme from My Favorite Quilt Store. The kit sat on my project shelf for a year after reading through the instructions. I noted the kit could be made with, or without, the central panel with the eagle. The instructions stated the quilt could be made with six-pieced blocks and the panel, or twelve pieced blocks with no panel. After finally piecing one of the blocks, I decided the quilt would be made with the panel. The pieced blocks were very challenging. There were lots of biased pieces. Six blocks vs. 12? Easy decision on my part! I almost had to go to confession over a few of them.

After the quilt top was finally finished and handed to Lisa for quilting, I decided I had made my one and only Quilt of Valor. I just checked it off my bucket list. Except … wait … after presenting my quilt this week … stay tuned … I betcha nine dollars I’ll be making another Quilt of Valor next year!

Angel In Flight collage quilt pattern release!

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While at a recent quilt retreat, I put the finishing touches on my latest quilt hand sewing the binding and quilt label. The quilt measures 42″H by 45″W. The pdf pattern is available in my Etsy shop. I call it “Angel in Flight.”

I chose lots of Kaffe Fassett fabric, and a teeny bit of vintage Tula Pink, for the angel wings. Can anyone spot the tuna can? While auditioning the wings at work, Robin, picked out the perfect background fabric. She really knows how to put fabrics together! The ombre background fabric, by Hoffman, is called Southwestern Skies Storm Clouds. It gives the perfect illusion of the angel wings flying to Heaven. Margo, owner of My Favorite Quilt Store (great online fabric store), picked out the binding (Blissful Blooms Navy by Moda). The longarm quilting was done by Lisa Taylor at Kingwood Quilts. The quilt label was embroidered by the lovely Sally, who has been making my labels for the past 10 years. This quilt was truly collaborative. Yep … it took a village to make this quilt and I love how it turned out!

While designing the angel wings pattern earlier this year, I envisioned it being a baby quilt. It would be one where you lay an infant each month between the two wings and snap cute photos documenting baby’s growth and changes. Of course, when the quilt was finished, the first words out of my mouth were “This is not a baby quilt.” But it could be. I have someone that wants to make it with pastel fabric. Stay tuned! It will be lovely!

The photos below basically show the steps of collaging the angel wings. Many of the supplies to make my collage quilts can be purchased at My Favorite Quilt Store such as Steam A Seam 2 Lite, pattern ease, applique pressing sheet, Karen Kay Buckley Scissors (blue handle), fusible glue, and lovely fabric!

Gumball Machines Galore!

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I just realized I’ve never posted the three versions of my gumball machine art quilt pattern. It is available for sale in my Etsy shop. The pdf quilt pattern also includes a quilt photo, supply list, detailed instructions and now you have three ways to collage it!

The first art quilt version is a traditional I-Spy quilt in the form of a super fun gumball machine! I call it “I-Spy Gumballs.” It has approximately 50 gumballs and is a great opportunity for little ones to learn language. It would be a great gift for the preschool/kindergarten teacher on your Christmas list.

The second gumball machine quilt used a fraction of my Halloween novelty fabric. Over the years, my eyeballs tended to gravitate toward Halloween fabric. I never knew exactly what to make with it. I call this art quilt “I Spy Spooky.” I love to hang seasonable quilts and was happy to add a whimsical Halloween quilt in my entryway!

Of course, the third gumball machine quilt is a shout-out to Santa Claus. I started with a Santa panel and after a little fusing and cutting placed him in the gumball section of the quilt. I used Christmas fabric that reads “white” for the rest of the gumballs. It was fun to experiment with different shades of red and white for the gumball machine base. I call this art quilt “I Spy Ho-Ho” in honor of Mimi, my special needs daughter, who passed away in 2018. She adored Santa. Due to her limited speech, she called him “Ho-Ho.”

If you are needing to source collage supplies/fabric such as Karen Kay Buckley scissors, pattern ease, Steam-A-Seam 2 Lite, applique pressing sheet, fabric glue, and pretty fabric consider purchasing from my go-to online store: My Favorite Quilt Store.

The adorable model with the completed quilts is my handsome grandson Ben! He’s five.

“I Spy Gumballs” new art collage quilt pattern!

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  • Art Quilt ready for a background
  • Finished quilt top
  • Lots of gumballs
  • All finished except background
  • Isn’t the frog cute?
  • Adding background
  • Pining gumballs to pattern
  • Adorable Quilt Label by Sally
The making of “I Spy Gumballs” art collage quilt!

I’ve been working on this new collage art quilt pattern for a while now and it is finally ready to release! But first … the reason why I chose a gumball machine! In the past, I’ve enjoyed making “I Spy” quilts for the grandkids, and charity, from a pattern that utilizes lots of little mason jars. Each “jar” is a different novelty fabric. So adorable! But then I thought … what about an old-fashioned gumball machine with each gumball being a novelty fabric? How much fun would that be? The prototype “I Spy Gumballs” quilt is in line to be longarmed at A Needle and Thread. My friend, Sally, made the adorable quilt label! She is so talented and enjoys surprising me with a new embroidery design. Since the quilt top is complete, I am releasing the pattern.

This quilt would look amazing hanging in a child’s room, playroom, or classroom. The finished quilt size is 34 inches wide by 50 inches long. There are approximately 50 novelty “gumballs” in the quilt. Lots of opportunities for a child to learn language! Each gumball is 3-1/4″ in diameter. The PDF pattern can be purchased in my Etsy shop and, as always, a portion of the proceeds goes to charity! This quilt is so much fun to make and I can’t wait to teach it!

I’m currently making the quilt again. This time with a Halloween-theme in mind. Stay tuned!

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Saying goodbye to a charity quilt

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  • Mary’s Garden Heart collage art quilt
  • Close-up of collage art quilt
  • Identifying quilt label
  • A work in progress
  • Melanie with her Bobo … just because

The other day I hopped on the HOV lane toward Houston. I carefully weaved my way through downtown as I had for so many years toward the medical center. This time I was alone. For four years my husband was treated at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital (MDA) for a stage 4 cancer. Sadly, Rick passed away at home last year from a brain tumor. I am so grateful to MDA for the four extra years he was with our family. The day he died was also when Texas was shut down due to COVID-19.

The purpose of this trip was to drop off a quilt made for MDA’s Ovarian Quilt Project. Every two years their online auction raises funds for research and education. In 2021, the auction will be held October 20 through November 3. The collage art quilt is in memory of my sister, Mary, who passed away several years ago from ovarian cancer. It is called Mary’s Heart Garden. She loved gardening and had a huge heart. I hope it makes a lot of money.

I purchased lots of the fabric at myfavoritequiltstore.com, where I work part-time cutting fabric orders. Most fun job on the planet. Just saying! The art collage quilt was custom quilted by Erica at http://aneedlenthread.com. My friend, Sally, is the embroidery wizard and does all my quilt labels. Erica and Sally always make my quilts shine a little brighter!