This is a comment that I blew when I approved the posting so I am posting it here:


well I will give you the WOW as well! I am impressed at all the quilts you made, and the whole event. Amazing work!!!

Posted by Alycia to Quilts of Valor - SoCal at March 19, 2008 8:56 AM

Somewhere far north of WOW where the angels live......

Saturday was truly phenomenal! I am not sure there are words to describe it. There was an army of angels who arrived, focused and got a tremendous amount of work done with incredible synchrony and most previously didn't know each other.

789 blocks in under 3 weeks! Strange timing and we had 7 of our core group that meets weekly to work on Quilts of Valor unable to attend due to prior commitments and untimely health issues and 4 or 5 volunteers chose to work on other projects. That left our overall productivity down by 11 or 12 people. We chose to go with 20 blocks per quilt. We sewed 500 blocks and got 25 quilt tops completed. It is a really good thing our productivity was down or we would have run out of blocks, which was my personal nightmare. Every thing happens the way that it is supposed to. As it turned out, we couldn’t finish what we had. It was perfect and awesome! Volunteers have stepped up to sew the rest of the blocks and return them within a week. Very cool! We should have an additional 14 quilt tops within the week for a total of 39 quilt tops. So very awesome. Good job everyone, very nice work, angels!

The most shocking thing of the whole day was the visual appeal of the blocks when randomly sewn together. I can say it was just stunning. When I made the call for 1600 blocks I had no idea if this would work out well or tragic. You know what my fear was. Fear unfounded. The quilt tops are FABULOUS! I could never have imagined anything this cool. Each quilt top is unique just like the military personnel they will go to. No two are alike. The blocks individually and collectively are absolutely stunning. I had no idea there were so many red, white and blue fabrics and combinations. It is so very cool to see the different fabrics from the different areas of the country.

We had a steady stream of supporters from current military personnel, to veterans, to veterans with restored military vehicles for display in the parking lot to curious quilters to moral supporters to 2 embroidery machines to do labels to those who didn’t sew but stepped up to pitch in. The whole thing was an awesome whirl of focused, dedicated energy of an army of angels in motion. Big “thanks” and humble “good job” to everyone who stepped up and did their part to make this a phenomenal success.

I have no worries about not having more blocks on our first “block party” and actually, I am a bit grateful. We didn’t actually get all of the ones we had completed and I am not concerned about that either. They will all be done shortly. I am thrilled with the results and think it was just the perfect amount. We kept 3 or 4 people busy, non-stop, all day doing the cutting and squaring up of the blocks. We learned something here and will do a lot more of that in advance for future events. I also set the deadline 2 days prior and another lesson learned here. Most of the blocks arrived within 36 hours of Saturday morning. We need more time in there to get the blocks squared so that our skilled seamstresses are not spending time cutting blocks all day. We will move the due date up to allow time for squaring up. Thank goodness we didn’t get 1600, we would have never gotten them all cut in one day! Every thing happens the way that it is supposed to. This was an incredible first run. I just can’t wait to do it again on Sunday, April 20, 2008 in Norwalk. See blog for event schedule and addresses, link below.

Being a part of this is a phenomenal experience. For those who couldn’t be present, we could feel your presence in all the blocks. Thank you for your support and participation. It was an honor to put your work to such good use. Thank you for your trust in us, we appreciate your efforts and will always do our best to make you proud and earn your respect and support. There was a feeling of pride, patriotism and love in that room that I simply cannot describe. It was amazing. We received blocks from Maine and Florida and many points between here and there.

I personally just couldn’t wait to see what one of the quilt tops looked like with borders so Sunday I took the first one off the stack (nope, I didn’t even try to pick one because I could not have as they are all really fabulous). I put the borders on and you can check it out on the blog. I think the borders are going to work but I am more interested in what the recipients think. I am looking for a WOW factor when they receive their Quilt of Valor and something that truly makes them feel honored. I got a “WOW, that is awesome, I like it” from the Marine next door. I put a survey on the blog, check it out and cast your vote on the borders. Only one vote each and only 6 days to do it so get on it if you are going to.

http://quiltsofvalor-socal.blogspot.com/

The photos of the day and all the quilt tops are located on flickr as promised for your viewing. Have a blast checking out all the blocks, the rest will be up as soon as the quilt tops are ready so if you don’t see YOUR block, don’t worry, it is coming very soon:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24071860@N03/sets/72157604139546470/

(I have the strangest feeling I am missing a quilt top photo or two. If you don’t see your quilt top up there please let me know.)

Be sure to pass this link to everyone you know to make them aware of the project. I would like as many military people as possible to know that we are here and we care and we are all stepping up. You never know who your friends know. It is a 6 degrees of separation kind of thing. The overwhelming photo is that of all the completed quilt tops on the table. They are 500 blocks literally from all over the country made by Americans to support our American Heroes. Seeing them was quite a moving experience as just as seeing the photo may be for you.

Thanks again everyone for the phenomenal support. Thanks to Barbara for getting our sponsors lined up for food, our venues, registration, getting the word out, counting the blocks and everything else. Thanks to our sponsors, Krispy Kreme, Panda Express and Trader Joe’s. Great fuel enjoyed by all the volunteers. Thanks to our corporate sponsors. We have received a total of 760 yards of red, white and blue fabric.

So many people did not learn about the event in enough time to participate and felt left out so we are keeping the same block for this month by popular request in Red, White and Blue. But to shake things up a bit we are using a theme of Purple Mountains Majesty so for a challenge toss a little purple in your block if you can step up to the challenge. (Actually, if you don’t have purple in your stash it is no big deal, RW&B alone is just fine but I need a little entertainment after 70 blocks in R,W &B!.) I will have a detailed document out in a few days about the block this month but for those of you who just can’t wait to get started…….get going on the Friendship Stars and toss in some purple because we need to double our blocks this month …..and since we jumped to 20 blocks per quilt I am raising the call to 2000 blocks! Let’s see if we can get it done! Raise the bar a bit! Always remember to HAVE FUN!

There is an email below that has been circulating regarding fabric color choices below. You will see for yourself what the recipients preference is so we will give them what they want and we will always stay with R,W & B but we will toss in other colors for variety and for a little challenge. The R,W&B is not up to me. The recipients are the ones who served so they are the ones that get to define preferred colors and it is clearly R,W&B. We will find inventive ways to keep it fresh so we don’t get bored and fall asleep at the machine.

This is not the project I would have ever chosen to work on or thought that I would have been involved in. This project chose me and I am eternally blessed and grateful to have the experience and the opportunity to focus the energy of so many incredible angels. I am doing my best to live up to the blessing. With an army of angels supporting this project it can only go up higher and way larger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get ready, this is only the beginning………it's going to be an incredible journey..........

Thanks for sharing the love, see you April 20^th SUNDAY in NORWALK,

From: Tim Sumner [mailto:tsumner@ ...]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 7:49 AM
> To: QOVFchat@yahoogroup s.com
> Subject: [QOVFchat] Re: www.equilter. com Eagles/Military fabrics
>
>
>
> Great site for QOV fabrics, and good comments from quilters. In the
> Aeromedical Staging Facility at Andrews AFB, we also use a wire
> basket cart on "Quilt Patrol" in the Maryland Room and to patient
> rooms. Because the recipients can see the quilts, it's easy to see
> what catches their eye. Red, White and Blue is overwhelmingly the
> most popular color theme, and I don't recall ever seeing such a
large
> block of red that could trigger a negative reaction. Camo gets a
> good response, probably because of the strong identification.
Pastel
> colors and flower patterns are a tougher sell, and frequently bring
a
> statement like, "My wife will like this."
>
> Novelty military themed fabrics are fun and the guys like them, but
> RW&B gets them the most. Farming themes aren't as popular as you
> might think - perhaps because some of our patients may have
enlisted
> to escape the farm. But, John Deere fabric is often a big hit.
> Hunting, fishing and sports themed fabrics get an enthusiastic
> response from some, but service related material seems to work
best.
> On that topic, Army fabric is best because most recipients are
> soldiers. Marines are about 15-20%, sailors (generally Corpsmen and
> SeaBees) perhaps 5%, and USAF & USCG less than that. We receive
> about 10% women, but many of them prefer the RW&B quilts just like
> the men.
>
> In passing, it's good to remember that we receive patients with
> serious illness and non-combat injuries as much as those who have
> been wounded. Many are angry and depressed that they have been
> separated from their units, and some feel that they have deserted
> their friends. I often sense that they need your quilts more that
> those who return with Purple Hearts. We tell them that while they
> have been serving "down range" you have been praying for them, are
> welcoming them back, and recognizing with the work of your hands
> their service on our behalf. It is a very personal thing that
> touches their hearts and assures them that we know and appreciate
> what they're doing for their Country.
>
> "KEEP ON QUILTING!"
>
>

Just Wow!

WoW, More WoW, Other WoW,

WoW
Posy and the gang have registered and are driving in from Idyllwild to be at the American Legion Hall on Sat. the 15th. And they are bringing more than 50 QoV Friendship Star Blocks of the Month with them. Others have registered and are driving in from Big Bear and Ontario! Very nice.

More WoW
Blocks are coming in from all over - San Fran and Bakersfield have joined in. Cool.

Other WoW
On the Kaye Wood website under Events, the second item is:
Quilts of Valor, Volunteer Sew In, March 15, 2008, Long Beach, CA, 9-5. More Info. Even More Info

More info is the announcement of the 1600 Blocks of the Month and American Legion "Sew-In" document. Even More Info is the pattern for the Blocks of the Month.

Special thanks to Kaye Wood and company at kayewood.com for helping to share the love. We will sew well and make you proud. And thanks to Barbara for sending it to them.

I think my head is going to explode.

This is incredible. This is going to be so much fun. And we are going to make so many Quilts of Valor. Just WoW!

I am not sure where I got the courage to say this without knowing exactly how many blocks are in route as I write this but I can be brave. We need suggestions for Blocks of the Month for next month. If you have a pattern and instructions for a favorite block send them to me at carol@qov-socal.org.

First QoV Friendship Star Blocks have arrived and sponsor are joining in to provide for volunteers!

First QoV Friendship Star Blocks have arrived!

They are gorgeous! If you want to see them you will either have to register and volunteer on March 15th or you will have to listen to Gary and Lisa on KEARTH 101 on Monday, March 17, 2008 to find out what the link is to the photos of the Quilt Tops.

We still need lots more QoV Friendship Star blocks as we are trying to get to 1600 so we can make 100 quilt tops in a single day!

Don't forget to register to attend the all day "sew-in" at the American Legion Post #496 on March 15th. Panda Express has stepped up to provide lunch to all the volunteers! Trader Joe's - Bixby Knolls is providing water and sodas for all the volunteers.

Thanks for the love and support, Panda Express. We like to support our sponsors so plan on taking your family or meeting a few friends for a meal at a Panda Express just to say thanks. Be sure to tell them "Thanks for the love from Quilts of Valor-socal!' There are 1081 restaurants in 37 states. You can find a Panda Express near you at www.pandaexpress.com and click on the restaurant locator. Order your favorite but for me, the Orange Chicken is hard to beat!

Make a special effort to go out of your way to drop by Trader Joe's - Bixby Knolls on Atlantic and tell them "Thanks for the love from Quilts of Valor-socal".

And while we are speaking about sponsors, don't forget to show some love at SewVac on Clark when you drop off those QoV Friendship Star blocks. We have been meeting there on Thursday afternoons from 1pm to 5 pm for about a year and a half. We want them to know how much we appreciate them collecting the blocks. Scott and the whole team have been great.

Thanks to all our sponsors March 15th is going to be a really great day! We could actually be making American history. I am not sure any group has ever made 100 quilt tops for our American heroes in a single day! What a great day in history.

Participation is rising.........

Wow, everyday we get emails and phone calls of people who want to join in and participate. It is so cool to see so many people supporting our American heroes. I just can't wait to take a picture of all the sewing machines buzzing and post the photo so all 1.5 million who have stepped up to serve can see the photo and know how very many people really do care about them. How many people care about them so much they are willing to step up just for them.

I think it is very important for each one of them to know how much we love and appreciate them. And for them to know that we don't need to know their name or their face to appreciate that they put their feet in those boots and stepped up for us. They bore the burden so that we would not have to, well, most us would not have to. Obviously, excluding those who served.

Tomorrow I will go to the weekly QoV-socal afternoon at Sew Vac from 1 - 5 pm and I will check to see how many Blocks of the Month have arrived. Tomorrow night I will post an update on the status of the Blocks of the Month.

Keep up the great work! Be sure to share it with your friends, especially those who think they don't have anything to give because they "don't quilt!" Assure them, neither do I.

This is going to be FABULOUS!!!!!! and this is just the beginning.

Share the love!

Confusion about "SHOW YOUR COLORS"

The color of the 1600 Block of the Month QoV Friendship Star blocks.

It seems that I have inadvertently caused a bit of confusion regarding the QoV Friendship Star pattern and instruction sheet. The sheet calls for a light colored background. The picture of the completed Friendship Star clearly does not have a light colored background. Additionally, on the instruction sheet it states a choice for a border of 2"red or navy strips to frame the block.

For our 1600 Blocks of the Month this month we are not really using the light background. The background can be any patriotic color. For this month we are using only the 2" red border. Our theme is "SHOW YOUR COLORS". Light, dark, bright, bold, soft, pastel, it is all up to you! It is your block and your choice.

I apologize for the confusion and hope that clears it up a bit.

The response has been strong and it is still early yet but it seems we are off to a good start. People have registered from Big Bear, San Diego and Thousand Oaks and are carpooling to attend! As amazing as it sounds we have people mailing in blocks from many states away! How cool is that to see that kind of support for our American Heroes! Wow, it is really exciting to see so many people getting involved.

It tells us we are on a journey and I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. It is going to be a great ride and a whole lot of fun!

I am just dying to see all the Blocks of the Month. I just can't wait to see all the combinations. It is going to be a visual overload I am sure but I just can't wait. For those of you mailing in blocks there will be pictures, many, many pictures. More pictures than you really want to look at. We promise pictures. It is in writing and you can hold us to it. (You know my companions are going to say "us, who is this us Kimosabi?")

The press release goes out tomorrow now that we are past the "big red carpet" night in glamor town so you might see or hear about the big 1600 Quilt Blocks of the Month on the radio, tv, newspaper or magazines. If you hear it or see it anywhere be sure to give Barbara or me a shout out so we can keep track of which ones are supporting us and spreading the good word. Barbara or Carol@qov-socal.org.

I have been a little concerned about how we were going to get all 100 of these quilt tops we are making on March 15th quilted in a timely fashion. Lucky enough, June Moore, the longarm coordinator for QoV sent out an email yesterday asking "where are all the quilt tops." Apparently they had a lot of dissappointed longarmers and could have quilted another 100 quilt tops in January and February. What great timing! Here we come with about 100 quilt tops.

Everything happens for a reason and it happens when it is supposed to. Now I can stop worrying about that! It is even possible we may be able to get them all quilted with in a month! Excellent.

Well, that is assuming I can find a corporate sponsor to pay for the fabric for backs, binding, labels and presentation cases. Not yet, but I am working on it. If anyone knows of a corporation or a charitable fund that might want to sponsor these, by all means, don't hold back. Let me know. I have a couple of conversations set up but nothing definite yet. And, of course, there is that beloved shipping bill of about $30 per quilt for the longarmers we have to ship to. For corporate sponsors the shipping bill will be about $3000 if they want to volunteer to pick up the shipping bill.

i keep hearing those famous words in my head "if we build it, they will come."

We shall see soon enough.

Ciao for now.

1600 QUILT BLOCKS BY MARCH 13th

1600 QUILT BLOCKS BY MARCH 13th

Quilts of Valor-Socal is making Quilts of Valor for those wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We are hoping to collect 1600 QoV Friendship Star quilt blocks by March 13th and meet at the American Legion Post on March 15th to sew them into quilt tops to be quilted at a future date. We have room for 100 volunteers on March 15th. This month, Feb08, we are using the QoV Friendship Star in any patriotic colors you chose with a 2" red border. The fabric does not need to be a patriotic pattern, only patriotic color. Red fabric with white polka dots or printed flowers is fine in red, white and blue. Next month our theme will be Purple Montains Majesty.

QoV Friendship Star blocks can be dropped off or mailed to Sew Vac, 1762 Clark Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90815

ANYONE CAN PARTICIPATE. Everyone has something to give.

While quilting may be a bit complex, making a single quilt block is incredibly super simple easy. If you can put a child's jigsaw puzzle (like ages 3 - 5, not those 1000 piece puzzle things) together you can make a quilt block. You do not need to be a quilter or even highly skilled at operating a sewing machine. If you can sew a straight seam from 2" to 12" you can do this. The hardest part is not sewing the triangles in backwards so if you do, think of me and have a little giggle. I sewed the same triangle in backwards twice!

I am not a quilter. You can trust me on that. Making a quilt sounds like a big project I just don't have time for. I also don't know how to make a quilt. When I first saw Quilts of Valor a long time ago I thought it was a great idea for smart people who had a lot of time and knew how to make a quilt. I didn't have a clue how to make a quilt.

I walked away thinking that it was a nice project and thinking I didn't have anything to give or contribute. Such confidence! I was absolutely certain I didn't have a single thing to contribute.

I was quite stunned to learn just exactly how easy it is to cut out a few pieces of fabric and sew them together and call it a "quilt block". The coolest part was ---------there is no quilting involved in that. I can do one "quilt block" in an evening and not make a huge mess or drag out everything in the closet. Make a quilt block and send it in. Volunteers meet and sew 16 quilt blocks into a quilt top. Through the magic of volunteerism it goes to a quilter and that is when the actual quilting is done. Not even in my presence. Simple. Painless for me.

The quilters of America have stepped up more than 15,000 times to make and deliver Quilts of Valor to wounded service personnel all over this country and several other countries at military hospitals around the world. Sadly, there are more than 67,000 wounded and more than 50,000 Quilts of Valor are needed to cover all the wounded. To date more than 1.5 million have served.

So when I first got involved I thought the Quilts of Valor were just like a nice, warm quilt or blankie like the ones I want when I am sick or injured. It doesn't take long to be involved in this find out these Quilts of Valor are way bigger than that. They are mind-numbingly bigger than that to the American heroes who receive them.

In the future I will share with you some of the the things that just blew me away and left me too shocked for words.

Contact Barbara Winkler at barbara@qov-socal.org to reserve your place at the March 15th "sew-in". (You might want to hurry, space is filling up quickly.)