Stars-N-Stripes QOV #5

This week I finished up my latest Stars-N-Stripes design for Quilts of Valor.  I started with my first design and then made changes to the center portion of the quilt.

QOV Stars-N-Stripes design #5

 After constructing all the blocks, I laid them out on my design cloth and was prepared to sew them together.  But, the center seemed too blue.  That's probably because I used a dark almost solid blue.  After letting it set for a while ( a week or more) I decided to change those blocks and add some of the multi-colored fabric that I planned to use for the outer border.  

This quilt top measures 63" x 81".  All 35 blocks finish at 9-inches square. 

I'm linking up with:

     Finish It Up Friday

     Link A Finish Friday

Please check out these links to see what others have been working on this week.

Thanks for stopping by....and...Happy Quilting!!!

   ~Diane

Design Wall - April 6, 2015

Over the past few days, I've been working on another Quilt of Valor.  I'm using my "Stars-N-Stripes" design, but the blocks are set on-point.  The finished dimensions will be different as well because of the setting.

QOV Stars-N-Stripes On-point

For added interest, I'm alternating the colors of the floating star blocks. 

Blue Floating Star block

I really like the red and blue stars on white background fabric.  Unfortunately I don't have enough of that fabric for the borders I planned so I'll have to come up with a new plan when I get to that point.

Our local Quilts of Valor sew-in is coming up this Thursday, so I better head back to the sewing maching.  

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!

~  Diane

  

W.I.P. Wednesday - Stars-N-Stripes

QOV Stars-N-Stripes #2

Hot off the ironing board is my latest Quilt of Valor top.  

I call this design "QOV Stars-N-Stripes".  I know it's not very original, but naming quilts has always been a struggle for me. 

QOV Stars-N-Stripes design

A couple of months ago I wanted to create a quilt that was fairly easy to make and this design was the result of my efforts.  

In the original design, I made blocks of blue stars on a white background and red, white, and blue stripes for the alternate blocks.  The borders are simple strips as well.  Once I made all the floating star blocks the rest of the top went together really quickly.  

QOV Stars-N-Stripes #1

Our local Quilts of Valor group has been working hard to meet the demand, so I made myself a goal of making one or two quilt tops per month. 

This month I used the same design, but switched up the fabric choices.  I added a small square of the flag fabric in the center of the stars and like how that turned out.  I'm not sure which quilt top I like best.

QOV Stars-N-Stripes #2 - corner

QOV Stars-N-Stripes #2 - middle

Thanks for stopping by.  I'd be interested to know which version of Stars-N-Stripes you prefer.  

Happy Quilting!

     ~Diane

  

Quilt of Valor - 8 Blocks On Point

Yesterday I was able to get my latest QOV quilt top completed.  Yeah! 

This top measures 56 1/2” x 80”. 

Two of the blocks in this quilt are the QOV 10th Anniversary Block.  If you are interested in making this block it can be found at HERE at qovf.org









I started with eight 9-inch finished blocks and added dark blue/navy strips to make the blocks measure 12-inch. 






The sashing is 4-inch wide with cornerstones that create stars at the intersections.









I made each setting triangle separately using three different fabric strips before cutting the triangles.  The corners are two triangles sewn together to form a larger one.  Getting the red strips to line up from triangle to triangle was a bit of a challenge for me.







This will be the last QOV quilt top I’ll be making for a while.  Next month I’ll be heading up to the lake for the summer and have other quilting projects planned for my time there.  In the meantime I’ll try to get more blocks cut and made before the next sew-in.

Thanks for stopping by.
I'm linked up with Patchwork Times and Free Motion by the River and Freshly Pieced.

WIP...QOV Eagle

A couple of days ago I posted my design wall progress on this quilt for Quilts of Valor.  Since then I was able to finish piecing the small red stars as begin sewing the blocks into rows.

My goal for today is to get the rows sewn together.  I'm not sure if I have enough blue fabric left to create the 6-inch borders as I planned so I may consider adding some red and white.

I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.   

Happy Quilting,
    ~Diane

Design Wall Monday…March 24, 2014

A while back I made the eagle block with the intention of using it as the focal point in a new QOV (Quilts of Valor) quilt.  Unfortunately I did not have enough fabric to make the rest so the block hung on my wall for several months.  Recently I was able to track down the identical red and blue fabrics.

Earlier this month I went to my local QOV sew-in and was told that we need 100 quilts done by June for a presentation.  That gave me incentive to finish the design and get this quilt top put together.
 
I found the eagle block in an old quilting magazine about ten years ago.  Unfortunately I only sketched up the design and did not record any information about the source of the design or the publication.  If anyone out there can provide that information, I’d be grateful. 

There are still twelve small red star blocks to make before I can put the top together.
Thanks for stopping by.  I’m linked up with Patchwork Times.

Happy Quilting,
  ~Diane

Design Wall - January 6, 2014

With the local Quilts of Valor sew-in coming up this week, I thought I'd better get working on this.   You can read my previous blog post about this quilt top Here.

Original design plan

I took my friend Dot's advice and decided to set the blocks on point.  Then I made four more blocks for the corners.  Some of my decisions were based on the amount of fabric on hand.  I was determined not to go out and buy more fabric but to use what I have.  

When I calculated the side setting triangles, I made them expecting to cut the small red cornerstones in half as shown in the pic.  But as it turned out I was able to keep those cornerstones and only clip off the points, which makes the quilt interior a bit larger (almost 48" square) and that's good.  

I also changed the width of the white inner border because I didn't have enough to cut the strips as wide as planned.  Today I'm hoping to finish mitering the wide (6") red outer borders.  This quilt should finish at about 60" x 80".  

I'm linked up with Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.


Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!  
      ~Diane

Design Wall Monday - November 25, 2013

Over the weekend I was able to get the four alternate blocks made.  I chose white for the background fabric which is a bit brighter than the off-white used in the original blocks.  

Once these blocks are all assembled the interior of the quilt will measure about 34-inches square.  The next step will be to figure out what or how to expand this to meet my goal of a quilt that measures about 60" x 80".

I'm open to any suggestions you might have.  Just leave me a comment if you have any good ideas to share.  Thanks for stopping by.  I'm linked up with Patchwork Times.

Happy Quilting,
         ~Diane
  

Design Wall Monday - November 18, 2013

Last week I went to a QOV (Quilts of Valor) sew-in and worked on some orphan blocks that someone else had made.  I added the light blue strips and red corner stones.  There are a total of five blocks which I'll lay out in a giant 9-patch.  Now I'm auditioning fabrics and possible designs for the offset blocks.  

Please visit Judy's blog for links to other design walls.  

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!

        ~Diane

My "QOV Stars" quilt is quilted

I was so pleased today when I went to our local QOV (Quilts of Valor) sew-in at Montavilla Sewing in Portland, Oregon.  My quilt has been beautifully quilted.  In fact I heard that it was one that was quilted by the group during the recent Machine Quilting Expo last month.  I don't know who to credit, but they did a wonderful job.  I love the stars.

I also finished with making the pattern instructions and graphics.  Whew!  So, if you would like a pdf copy of my pattern, "QOV Stars", you can find a link on my Free Patterns tab here on my blog.  Please remember that any of my free patterns are for personal or charitable use only.  

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting,

             ~Diane

Got It Done - September 2013

September was a more productive month for me.  Here's my Get It Done list:

1.  Knit washcloth.  For more information, see my previous blog post (here).

2.  Craftsy BOM.  The August block was creating the basket.  This month we made the applique flowers.  I blogged about it here.

3.  Bind three baby quilts.  I donated these quilts to a pastor friend of mine who will find good homes for them.

4.  QOV star quilt pattern.  I have most of the instructions worked out but still need to add some finishing touches on the pattern.

5.  Scrappy Asterisk Baby Quilt.  All the blocks are made.


Now, Here is the list of things I'd like to accomplish in October.

Design Wall Monday September 9, 2013

This Quilt of Valor top is finally done!

I began designing and piecing this quilt back in April and May.  In the end I decided to scrap my original idea for borders and went with simple red, white and blue.  A shortage of dark blue fabric pretty much drove that decision and I wanted to keep from buying yet more fabric.  I know, that's a job most of us love, however a recent inventory of my fabric stash has me concerned that I have way more than I can possible sew up.

I'm planning to donate this top to our local QOV group and have someone else do the quilting.

Be sure to visit Patchwork Times and check out all the other Design Wall blog posts.
           Happy Quilting!
                  ~Diane

Design Wall Monday, August 26, 2013

Years ago I found an eagle block in an old quilting magazine and sketched a copy for future use.  Unfortunately I don’t have the information about the source of this block otherwise I would give credit where it’s due. 

I'm planning on using this block as the center square for my next Quilt of Valor quilt. 

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out Patchwork Times for more Design Wall blog posts.

Happy Quilting,
        ~Diane

Got It Done–April, 2013

This was the the list I made at the end of March. 

Grannie’s Scraps Quilt

I got side-tracked with other projects (Quilts of Valor) so this will have to be pushed off for a few months.

Craftsy BOM

Not started…..Not done…..Don't like the block....etc.  I may do this block some time in the future when I feel more inspired.

April Scrap Quilt

This was a UFO (unfinished project) that I wanted to see completed. 
I had most of the piecing done for the top.  I added a flannel sheet for the backing.  No fancy free motion quilting was done, just simple stitch-in-the-ditch to keep the layers together.  I didn’t even bind it.  I plan to use this as a cloth for the picnic table.

April Baby Quilt

I named this design Patches & Plates.  This baby quilt measures 37-1/2” square. 
For the quilting I did a simple serpentine stitch with the walking foot diagonally both directions.  The backing fabric is flannel.

April Washcloth

This month I knitted the Ball Band pattern. 
I blogged about it here.

QOV Quilt Tops

I help put together a couple of quilt tops for our local QOV group.  The individual blocks surrounding the center panel were already made so I attached them and then added the borders. 
For more information, I blogged about it here.

Getting It Done – May 2013

Here’s my list of quilting/knitting projects that I want to accomplish within the next month:


I’m linked up with the Getting It Done Challenge at Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday - April 29, 2013

Some progress has been made on the QOV quilt top.  I still need to make the red star blocks and cut some more solid red squares for the corners.  After I assemble the interior of the quilt I'll make a final decision about the border design.  My original idea was to have 6-inch solid blue borders with blue star blocks in the corners.  At this point I think the white needs to be balanced with more red and blues.

Please visit Patchwork Times for more Design Wall blog links.

Happy Quilting,
        ~Diane

Quilts of Valor quilt tops

Last month I visited a local QOV sew-in at Montavilla Sewing in Portland, Oregon.  I met some really nice gals who were busy putting quilts together for the cause.  Debbie had a couple of partial quilt tops that needed more blocks added and borders put on so I volunteered to do that.  Today, I stopped in at the monthly sew-in and dropped off the tops.  Another gal asked if we could take a pic because she was interested in the borders I had made.

The blocks surrounding the center panel were made by a group of women at a previous block party.  It was challenging to get all the blocks sewn together because of the size differences, but it all came together in the end.

My mom served in WWII and my brother in Vietnam so this project is dear to my heart.

I've been playing around with a couple designs ideas in EQ as well as collecting red, white, and blue fabrics so I can make a few tops in the near future.  

I would encourage all quilters to get involved in Quilts of Valor or some other charitable group like this and share your time and talents to help others.  The personal satisfaction and rewards are immeasurable.

Happy Quilting,
  ~Diane