Fort Hood Quilt is Here!

This quilt is destined for Fort Hood.  Ain't she a beauty?!  Sure wish I could take the credit - but that goes to the High Country and Friends quilting group.  Gosh, they do nice work!

 http://www.americanquilter.com/quilt_world/guilds_view.php?id=2056

I hope you can see the red, white & blue variegated thread that makes up the free motion quilting.  Gorgeous.

In a previous post, I speculated that a quilt from Wisconsin really ought to have a few cows on it.  Well, great minds really must think alike, because some of the red squares contain tiny black and white dairy cows.  Gotta love that!

FYI - I checked Cherry House's postings, and she will eventually post information on all 31 quilts sent to Fort Hood.  I can't wait to see the rest.  See:

http://lizzyhouse.typepad.com/cherry_house_quilts/

Well, its time to get to the post office.

The Friend of the Wife of a Friend of a Friend

Had coordinated a group effort to whip up a patriotic quilt for Fort Hood.  But in the process, received a generous offer from the friend of the wife of a friend of a friend...who has not one, but THREE patriotic quilts on hand! 
The donated quilt will change hands several times before it reaches me, and of course, once more before reaching Fort Hood.  Kinda neat to think about.
Can't wait to see the donated quilt next week! and to credit its creator..Will snap a picture or two to share before I send it on to TX.

Meanwhile, my 24 partially pieced squares will be lovingly packed away until RW&B fever compels me to piece some stars to balance all the stripes. Being a Wisconsin quilt, I woul like to find a barn print with some mik cows on it.  But this will become a project for another day.

Veteran's Day, My Birthday

Now and then I get the urge to create something red, white and blue.  The table runner at left was a first attempt at quilt-as-you-go strip quilting - made about the Fourth of July. The quilt at right is a jeans quilt I made during a bout of election fever in 2008.

Now, I'm compelled to work with red, white and blue again- this time for the families of the victims at Fort Hood.  I rallied the troops (i.e. fellow quilter friends and friends of quilter friends) and we're going to coordinate our efforts.  I've always wanted to do a community quilt, where different people contribute different squares.  But I'm saddened it will be for this purpose.

So, tomorrow is my birthday.  As a kid, it meant that there was no mail on my birthday so I couldn't get any cards.  As an adult, it has of course, taken on deeper meaning.  But I approach it with a heavy heart knowing some young Wisconsinites were injured or killled at Fort Hood, just a few days after leaving home.  I've talked with people who know families affected by the Fort Hood incident.  On one hand a family rejoices their loved one survived.  Other families greive.  Hard to comprehend how life turns out sometimes.

But I do take solace in the response of the quilting community to the call for quilts.  Confirming once again, the power of the human spirit, commitment and community and (of course) that quilters are the salt of the earth.  Peace.