scrappy

One of the patterns Quilts of Valor quilters often use is the Carpenter's Star. It's nice, has a different look with different colors, and while fairly simple to piece it looks elegant. It also works well as a group project, which our local group has been doing a lot of the last two years. Last fall, in an attempt to use up some scrap fabrics and get ready for a group project, I stitched all my scraps together to use for the basic blocks. It turned out even better than I hoped, and I was quite pleased with the result. I think our group and our longarm quilter did a great job in putting this one together. We often don't get to see the quilts awarded to the veterans, but I do hope to see this one presented.

update

For today's update, check out the quilting page! :)

Quilts of Valor

For the last several years I've wanted to participate in a quilts of valor group (they make quilts for soldiers who have been wounded or served our country in a war), but the closest groups at the time were in Wake Forest or Fayetteville...both of which were too far to go for a day of quilting. Then last fall Bernina World of Sewing in Raleigh started a group that meets once a month. I've made it the last two months, and am really enjoying getting to know the ladies, as well as seeing the variety of quilt blocks and tops everyone is making.

At our last meeting, I finally completed the squares for my quilt top, and it's not quite turning out the way I had hoped. My fabric choices are very different from what most people do (red, white, and blue), but the print, which you can't really see here, is an Army print, and all the colors surrounding it are in that print fabric.

Here it is on the design wall in the classroom:

So far I've been able to sew the bottom two strips together. Hoping to have the entire top finished by the 18th so I can turn it in to the lady who does the quilting (QOV wants all quilts to be professionally finished...and I'm not at that level yet!).

So hopefully there'll be more pictures to come!