Evening Sew-In January 24 AND

It just so happens to be the first "Visit Your Local Quilt Shop Day".   It's an event to raise awareness for the importance of local businesses.  I heard Bonita has an "incentive" to come into the shop.  Well, you were planning on joining us anyways, right!  So, save the date...Thursday, January 24, 5:30 - 8.   More info coming soon.

Now, if you've been reading the blog, you know we won't be meeting tomorrow, our usual sew-in day due to the holiday.  Hope you are joining in on the New Years Day Sit and Sew Day.  My pieces for my quilt have been cut.  Dinner will be left over soup and home baked bread.  

We will be meeting again next Tuesday, same time, same place!  See you next year!
Rita

Welcome Home, Lance Cpl Kenn Macejak and Cpl Richard Uribe

We had the honor of presenting quilts to Ken and Richard last night.  Thank you for your service!

QOV NYD S&S

There are a lot of ideas coming at us for the Quilt of Valor New Years Day Sit and Sew Day.  Here's one:

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/12/23/qov-new-years-day-sit-and-sew/

got this one the other day:

http://millendtextiles.com/attachments/5yardquilt/5yard_quilt.pdf

and this:  http://www.mccallsquilting.com/patterns/details.html?idx=13201

Hope you will join us. Let me know.  It's a virtual sew-in.  We can share pics and post.  Look at it this way, about 23 of you were going to sew that day anyways as it is our regular QOV sew-in day!  But now you don't have to battle the cold weather.
Rita

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas (again, as Mrs. M once told me, "Make Memories".   Can't help but think of Michael P who just returned and is celebrating Christmas with his family...something we all just take for granted.  I pray that the remaining troops are home soon to their families who await them to celebrate yet another Christmas.

If you want to join me on Thursday night as the Semper Fi family welcomes home a few more Marines, let me know.  Yep, the mission continues.
Rita

Welcome Home, Michael P

Yesterday, in cold Carol Stream, Susie was there to welcome home, Michael and present him with his Quilt of Valor.

If you're not busy New Years Day...

join us in a QOV sew-in.  So far there are 3 of us.   A good day to just sit and sew in your PJ's!!   They just issued a new Destination Report:

Destination report for 12/9 thru 12/15

Weekly destinations
Quantity needed EVERY week 80
Quantity assigned 12/9-12/15 42

Shortage 38
Monthly destinations
Quantity needed each month 135
Quantity assigned this month 26
Shortage 109  

 

 and as you can see, we definitely have a shortage.  Here is the challenge posted by our Destination Cordinator: 

the First Annual New Year’s Day QOV Sit & Sew!
Here’s how it works.
1. Respond to this message and let everyone know you’re participating.

2. Spread the word; ask your friends and guild members to join in!!!!!!!!
3. Pick a pattern that meets the minimum requirements for a QOV, http://www.qovf.org/content/basic-qov-requirements.html but that you feel you can piece in a single day. Select and cut your fabric in December (great excuse to spend a few moments in your sewing space!)
4. On January 1st Sit & Sew. Post your progress that day on Yahoo Chat, Facebook, QOVF Blog, your own blog…..wherever you want.
5. When your top is finished, request a volunteer longarmer http://www.qovf.org/req-longarmer.html or arrange to have it quilted by a volunteer longarmer in your area (if you have one)
6. After your quilt is finished (bound, labeled, washed & in a presentation case), request a destination http://www.qovf.org/req-destination.html and put NYD S&S in the comments field of the request form. You will receive information on where to send your quilt and your name will then be entered into a drawing for prizes (to be announced)
7. A winner will be drawn for every 13 NYD S&S quilts, which are completed by March 13, 2013, for which a destination is requested. So the sooner you finish your quilt, the better your chance is of winning.
8. Remember that our overseas destinations request red, white & blue, non-gender specific quilts so please keep this in mind when selecting your pattern and fabrics.
I hope many of you will join me in kicking off 2013 by making a New Year's Day Quilt of Valor to provide honor and comfort to a service member touched by war…..

Just wondering

Anyone else in the New Years Day QOV Sew-in?  Susie was over the other day to help me with those borders...remember those tops that came back undersize (Thank you so much, Susie.  SO much easier working with a partner!) and she brought along a block idea that I might have to copy and do it too.  What a great way to start off the New Year!

I read a post on FB that said:  68,000 American Troops Still Serve in Afghanistan...Remember them

PS...Heads UP:   Remember that the next QOV Sew-in is BYOP---Bring Your Own Pattern.  Bring in your own string pattern that you want to work on...maybe an extra copy or two to share, if you so choose.   You might have a book or I just went online and looked for ideas.  Lots of free patterns online.   Have in mind  what color scheme you want to do.  You'll be able to pull out (very carefully, I hope) your strips for a quilt top.   These strips range in size from 1 1/2" - 2".   

Also note that we are NOT meeting on the first Tuesday in January, but the 2nd Tuesday, January 8th (due to the holiday).
Rita

Great job, but always room for reminder...

Took me as long to put away stuff from the last sew in as always and I wasn't there the whole day.  Thank you for what you do!!!  And Thank you for all the birthday wishes---still celebrating  (family today).  My biggy is 6 years yesterday!!!!

I need to remind everyone, cause I don't know where some of these tops came from, that the MINIMUM size of a QOV is 55 x 65 inches!  Just this week I came home with 6 tops that are undersize!   Need to add borders so that we can use them.  One of the problems is the 1/4" seam.  The kits we make are cut so that WITH a 1/4" seam they are to size.  Check and recheck your 1/4" seam.  Check and recheck to see if you even have the seams together!  It adds work to us especially because the kits are made in advance and we no longer have access to the fabric used, so need to work on locating some sort of matching fabric.  It takes time from someone (guess who) to fix seams that are overlooked.  Don't forget to put a running stitch 1/8" around the outer border so that the seams don't come apart---again, another issue for the machine quilter.

It bears repeating that this is not a race.  Yes, we need quilts but it is VERY time consuming to undo and fix.  I don't believe it is up to the machine quilters to do so.  So, if anyone has some free time and wants to help in adding these borders, let me know.

Also, leave a note with the quilt top or quilt with your first name and last initial only if you pieced and cut, or quilted the quilt so the label will be correct.   A lot of these quilts are going out without the name of the quilter and it should be included (rules)

I hope your December is going great and you are getting all your projects done.  I love this time of year!!
Rita

A New Years Day QOV challenge from our Destination Coordinator

I'm passing along a challenge presented to all of us.  If you are interested, let me know:


New Year’s Day QOV Sit & Sew
For the past three years, during the hectic days of December, I have taken a little “me” time to pick a patriotic quilt pattern and have selected and cut all the fabrics needed to make it. Then on January 1st, I sit down at my sewing machine with a goal of piecing the entire top that day. To me, it’s a great way to start the New Year.
So, this year I would like to ask all of you to join me in the First Annual New Year’s Day QOV Sit & Sew!
Here’s how it works.
1. Respond to this message and let everyone know you’re participating.

2. Spread the word; ask your friends and guild members to join in!!!!!!!!
3. Pick a pattern that meets the minimum requirements for a QOV, http://www.qovf.org/content/basic-qov-requirements.html but that you feel you can piece in a single day. Select and cut your fabric in December (great excuse to spend a few moments in your sewing space!)
4. On January 1st Sit & Sew. Post your progress that day on Yahoo Chat, Facebook, QOVF Blog, your own blog…..wherever you want.
5. When your top is finished, request a volunteer longarmer http://www.qovf.org/req-longarmer.html or arrange to have it quilted by a volunteer longarmer in your area (if you have one)
6. After your quilt is finished (bound, labeled, washed & in a presentation case), request a destination http://www.qovf.org/req-destination.html and put NYD S&S in the comments field of the request form. You will receive information on where to send your quilt and your name will then be entered into a drawing for prizes (to be announced)
7. A winner will be drawn for every 13 NYD S&S quilts, which are completed by March 13, 2013, for which a destination is requested. So the sooner you finish your quilt, the better your chance is of winning.
8. Remember that our overseas destinations request red, white & blue, non-gender specific quilts so please keep this in mind when selecting your pattern and fabrics.
I hope many of you will join me in kicking off 2013 by making a New Year's Day Quilt of Valor to provide honor and comfort to a service member touched by war…..

Downers Grove Quilt Guild

I really don't know if that's their name, but that's where 8 finished quilts came from yesterday.  Thank you Anna and it was nice meeting you and your friend.  It is great seeing that the "thank you"  mission of covering our veterans is spreading.

As I was telling Anna yesterday, I keep getting contacted by people requesting quilts.  Met Rosemarie who is involved with the veterans going thru the court system in Lake County.  When these veterans are thru, they have a graduation ceremony that they want us to be a part of.

The group of Marine wives and parents from Addison who have deployed family members, not only are requesting quilts, but are sending monetary and fabric donations--Thank you!

See you at the sew-in today, we have quilts to make!
Rita