Sponsoring a Quilt: We have opportunities for sponsorship for quilts. $50 per quilt will provide us with funding to pay for shipping and backing fabric. Labor and other materials are donated by quilters. This is currently our greatest need. Sponsors' names are listed on the labels of their quilts. Also, recipients of the quilts often write back, providing thank you notes and pictures of themselves with their quilts. It's a very rewarding way to help with our cause. We currently (as of 9-16-09) have 22 that have been awarded to veterans and 38 more that are in progress. Most of these 32 that are in progress are in need of sponsorship, as we have started to run low on backings and are out of funds to pay shipping. If you are interested in sponsorship of a Quilt of Valor, please let us know.
Block of the Month: Each month at our Blue Valley Quilters' Guild meeting, you can stop by the QOV table to pick up a 12 1/2 inch block pattern. We ask that you make one block to donate back to us to be used in a sampler quilt. Any color scheme will do, although patriotic blocks are popular and easy to mix and match with. We have a different pattern each month. There's no time requirement on how quickly the blocks must be returned.
Block Kits: Kits are generally available for checkout with fabric that has been pre-cut and a pattern to match. These blocks are used in sampler quilts along with blocks from the block of the month patterns.
Making Pillowcases: With each Quilt of Valor, we make and send a matching pillowcase. Kits to make pillowcases are available to be checked out at guild meetings.
Assembling Quilt Tops: Often, we use 12 blocks on point to make a quilt top (see picture below). Kits can be checked out to help with assembling quilt tops. Pictures are provided with each quilt and blocks are measured beforehand to make assembly troublefree.
This is a picture of a quilt that is ready for assembly.
Piecing Backings: Generally we buy 4 or 5 yards for backings. These need to be cut in half, sewn together, ironed and hung on hangers.
Binding Quilts: If you love to bind quilts, we would like to know about it.
Putting on Labels: We have a volunteer that makes machine embroidered labels for our QOVs. These labels need to be appliqued onto the backs of the quilts. This is one of the final steps and one of the most important.
Making Quilt Tops: You can make a Quilt of Valor yourself. We can help with any stage of the project, whether it is helping find funding for a backing, adding borders, finding a quilter, binding or shipping!
Quilts of Valor Bee: In the next couple of months, we will be forming a Quilts of Valor Bee that will meet monthly (probably on Saturday mornings) to work on quilts. We can work on projects that are already in progress (cutting, assembling, labeling, etc.) or we can plan new quilts to do together at our meetings. A Yellow Brick Road quilt is on our list of to do's... If everyone brought a patriotic fat quarter or two, we'd have enough to make a quilt. If you are interested in participating in this bee, please let us know.
Machine Quilting: We deeply appreciate our long arm machine quilters. Without their help, none of this would be possible. If you are willing to quilt one of our QOVs, please contact us. We almost always have a quilt or two that are ready to be quilted. We have recently had a donation of batting, so we can provide batting if needed to help defray costs for you.
