Quilt 140 - Plaid Bars

2009

55 x 75"

While we were at Pacific Beach in April, I made this quilt for my friend Jason. I saw a similar quilt pattern in a catalog. They offered different colored quilts, each using variations on a single color, shades of green, shades of yellow, etc. I loved the monochromatic look, but since we had several bundles of these stripes and plaids, I decided to use a variety of colors. (I will make it in a monochromatic color scheme some day. Simple pattern but so cute!)

My bachelor buddy needed something masculine, but not boring. I was a little concerned about the red pieces but there were enough fabrics with hints of red that I think they blend well. It was backed with a plush material. I started laying out the pieces in order, but had to rearrange some when I ran out of certain pieces of fabric. Now I wish I would have had it a little more random, but some people like order!

Mom quilted it for me, keeping it very simple so as not to distract from the fabrics. I love that it looks like it could have been made from men's shirts. Another quilt I almost kept for myself!

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day, Everyone! On this day of remembrance, we think of all those who have died in our Nation's service, including Erwin Harder and Andrew Shields. We hope all of you will have time to spend with friends and family. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Quilt 139 - Patriotic Scraps to 12

2002
This is Armed Forces Appreciation Weekend. We post this Patriotic Quilt as a reminder to thank all of our Armed Forces Members for their service. This is a pattern I designed to use up fabric that is donated to the different charities that I am involved with. We use this pattern "From Scraps to 12" often in the making of quilts for the "American Hero Quilts" project. Please check out the website www.americanheroquilts.com and if you can, please help with this project. The quilts are greatly appreciated by the wounded service members who return from Iraq and Afghanistan through Madigan Hospital in Tacoma, WA. My azalea is blooming a bit late but it sure was worth the wait.

- Posted by Ione

American Hero quilts at Pacific Beach, Day 2

Ten worker bees turned into 12 today! We got more accomplished and even got some boxes organized! The top picture shows some of the projects we completed over our two days here at Pacific Beach. The group is looking forward to our next session in October. Email us if you want more information. Below is a quilt Karen started using a panel. Luckily we found some coordinating fabrics. After the addition of a blue border it will be ready for quilting. Check out Americanheroquilts.com for more information about the program.

American Hero Quilts at Pacific Beach

10 Worker Bees today at the American Hero Quilt community sew day at Pacific Beach. We also had about 15 visitors stop by to see what we were doing. This is a picture of the projects we worked on, 5 of which were started from scratch today. Looking forward to more productivity tomorrow.

Mom and I took a VERY short walk on the beach tonight. Was a little colder than yesterday, and with our sandals on it felt even colder! Now for some freshly baked cookies and a movie!

Quilt 138 - Quilting at the Beach!

Mom and I are at the ocean for community sew days making American Hero Quilts at the Pacific Beach Resort. We arrived this afternoon and have already taken a walk on the beach and started some projects. Above is a miniature version of the quilt I made for Andrea for Christmas. I had some scraps leftover, so I used them to do the same pattern (disappearing nine patch), only smaller.

Below are our shadows on the beach. What a beautiful day! The sew days are over at 4pm each day so we will have time for evening walks on the beach, weather permitting!

Quilt 137 - Patriotic Primitive Heart

2009

45x54"

This quilt was made for a friend who just returned from a year in Iraq. I needed a class sample for a class I gave at Tacoma Community College. It was a good opportunity to get two things accomplished at once. Jamey saw the Navy emblem fabric at the American Hero Quilt sew day, so I decided to use it on the label. The Primitive Heart quilt is a good pattern to teach "on point" setting technique and is always a good showcase for special fabrics.

- posted by Ione