A journal is not absolutely NECESSARY! It's nice, but not necessary. There are special labels for the quilts too. If you need one, drop me an email and I'll send it to you!

Lynn

I worked on a quilt with a woman soldier in mind and was getting ready to send it when I went to the official Quilts for Valor website and was disappointed to read that I should have kept a journal to send with it. I'd rather be annonomous, so now I'm unsure as to donating the quilt. Also, I'm not a professional, but have rented time on a long-arm several times, am taking a class next weekend and would like to do the quilting myself, if I do donate the quilt.

Anyone with more experience in this who can answer these concerns? Thanks! Nancy

Last night here in Sugar Land, Tx, we went to the Town Square where they usually have live entertainment as we had out of town guests.

THEY WERE HONORING WOUNDED VETS LAST NIGHT! Oh, my, there were many of our wounded young men there with missing limbs, artificial legs and arms, burn scars, and I just wanted to go up to each and every one of them and hug them and say "Thank You! For what you were willing to do and for keeping all of us safe!"

But I didn't because they were obviously enjoying the music and I didn't want to break their focus on the enjoyment!

I was just wondering, I wonder how many of them have quilts made especially for them by one of the groups working on these projects! All of them, I hope!

We each make blocks, several of the retired quilters make the tops and then the long-armers in the group quilt them.

Every single one has turned out beautifully. It really inspires you to make a string quilt, because that is essentially what these are. Everyone uses different kinds of fabric - calicos, geometrics, batiks, Kaffe Fasset (not too many of those -- too expensive!), solids, etc. And they all blend beautifully.

BethMI

Our local guild here in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada, has just finished putting one together. All blocks are the maple leaf and the quilt is red and white.
I believe that all Canadian guilds have been asked to participate.

I thought this was a good time to mention this national project since there was a reference in the recent show with Ricky and Alex to "Quilts for Soldiers."

The web site is

http://www.qovf.org/

and was begun with the sole purpose of making quilts for returning wounded physically or mentally from Iraq and Afghanistan service men and women! They have made and delivered thousands.... and there are chapters all over the country!

You can just make one and send it to them if there isn't a chapter near you!

We are doing it through our church needlework group and teaching some younger women to quilt in the process! Great fun and great fellowship --- all for a great cause!

Lynn, Sugar Land, TX