Quilts of Valor

If you have dropped in the Bright Hopes Quilting Shop lately, you will have noticed couple of quilts with a decidedly patriotic take. Here is the first one made by Mona.

The perfectly named pattern, Just Between Friends

After the Houston Market last year, Mona brought home lots of information about a major campaign push starting this May to distribute quilts to wounded US soldiers and that fabric companies were getting on board by printing more "RED WHITE & BLUE" fabric lines.

Quilts of Valor is probably nothing new to a lot of you and we have been shown plenty of beautiful quilts come through the shop on their way to this great organization but what is new is how the project is spreading beyond the strength of quilters to those who have never picked up a needle and thread.

If you go to the Quilts of Valor website, you will find everything you need to know to make and give a quilt. You will see samples of quilts that already been sent off, You will read that as of February 2011, Quilts of Valor has given 37,000 quilts to wounded soldiers. 37,000. They also have patterns and suggestions for fast quilts.

You will see that there are volunteers who will do the quilting for you and return it for binding and labeling. What a generous and charitable thing! (I have personally had one quilt finished this way.)

But if making an entire quilt is something you are unable to do and you still want to be involved, MODA has another idea.

Just One Star is a project where all you do is make one star, using the pattern provided and donate it to Moda. They need 1800 stars to complete their goal of 100 quilts by June. (So, make 2!) Please take note that the pattern also asks you sign your block with your name and state.

Now, you may send your block(s) directly to Moda at the address provided or bring them to Bright Hopes Quilting. We are a drop-off point through the month of April. They are already starting to come in. Pearl will be mailing every block she receives in one big package.

Okay, to pump you up, I make this promise. I will post a photo of every complete quilt that you make to send to Quilts of Valor. I would love to receive either a photo from you via email or bring your quilt in before you send it off and let us take the shot. I would love love love to have a gallery of these quilts on this blog!

I knocked this quilt out in a week. It's a simple 12" block sawtooth star, with sashing and cornerstones and 2 borders.

12 Stars

Let's see how many stars we can collect in April!