Introducing The Quilted Twins' Summer Challenge: A Quilt of Valor
We ended up with about one full pallet, encircled with the black marker), which took one who stack, plus part of another, when getting them off the outside porch back in December! Thankfully, we had lots of family in town, so we got them all in rather quickly, for 10 pallets of fabric, that is!
One thing that’s true of me, is that I love a good challenge.
When we were in Daytona in February, we met up with the leader of a relatively local Quilt of Valor (QOV) group. We were just chatting, and found out that they were about 80 quilts behind in giving out to the veterans in their area. (For those who might be new to the whole idea and organization: Quilts of Valor heads up making and presenting quilts to our US veterans.)
We decided over that breakfast table that we should help them get the quilts that they need to get caught up!
And it just so happens that we got an ENTIRE PALLET of stunning Stonehenge Patriotic fabrics back in late December from Northcott. We were thinking we’d have it for a few years, but because it’s so stunning, I didn’t care how long it took to use it up!
But, then this opportunity came up.
So, we are hoping that you’ll join in with us to help the Lakeland chapter of QOV to get their 80 quilts that they could use to completely catch up.
This was a picture of the 5 recipients from the February presentation at the Daytona Quilt Show! It was incredible, but you can see here that there’s quite a lot of patriotic fabrics going on in each quilt. So, I’m sure you can do that, only with a panel in the middle or off to the side, or whever you want to put it!
How Does it Work?
Firstly, let’s lay out the guidelines.
Quilted Twins is going to be making up FULL yard bundles of fabric for you to make a patriotic quilt for someone you may or may not know.
Each bundle will contain three yards of Stonehenge (Northcott) fabrics and three yards of Rachael’s Picks blender fabrics that all coordinate with an enclosed patriotic panel.
Quilted Twins will be selling these to you at less than the cost of you purchasing the fabrics separately. The Stonehenge fabrics retail for $12.50 each yard in our store (other stores are higher), and the Rachael’s Picks are $5.99/yard. So, altogether, that makes $37.50 plus $17.99 plus a $10 to $13 patriotic panel. So, the regular price in our store is $65.49, minimum. Other stores would be at least $10 higher, if not $20 for these beauties.
We’re offering this beautiful bundle for just $52.
Please note: The bundles will be passed out RANDOMLY. There will be no choosing or returning bundles for a “different one.” Just swap it with a friend if you’re not happy with yours, or add in bonus fabrics! That’s the challenge—use what you get!
Each swag bag has different colors of items (appliques, fat quarters and geo chic bags, as well as 2.5” strip rolls), but they all have them!
BUT WAIT! If you order your bundle through the website by May 31, you get our amazing FREE SWAG BAG offer that I’ve been promoting for over a week now! (Free Swag bag with ANY ONLINE PURCHASE of $50 or more).
The challenge will begin as soon as you get the bundle of fabrics and continue through until Aug. 31.
If you bring us or mail us a finished quilt by September 8, using OUR bundle of fabrics, you’ll be eligible to get a gift from a pile of gifts that we’ve been collecting for a month now!
We’re still working on how these random items will be passed out to you, but we’ll be giving them all away in September, after we’re done collecting the quilts. Please do NOT make a quilt because you need to win “such and such”. Remember, we’re doing this project for the veterans, not for us to win a fabulous widget!
You will NOT get your quilt back, unless you coordinate with Tammy Arnold, the Lakeland coordinator, to give it to someone locally. This challenge is designed specifically to help the local QOV chapter to catch up.
Of course, we have no idea how many people will order the bundle or complete a quilt, but we do have two that Becky made already that will get us jump started! (Of course, she didn’t use my amazing bundle, but they are still gorgeous!)
The quilts need to be ideally 60” x 80” in size, minimum: 55" x 65"; maximum: 72" x 90". Becky and I worked backwards, figuring sizes and some basic patterns, to figure that 6 yards of fabric, plus the panel, should get you a 60” x 80” quilt without a need to purchase extra fabric, but, of course, it’s pattern and block size dependent!
These are the first bundles I put together!
The Specifics of the Quilt
For this challenge, you need to use the panel in some way, hopefully, this time, keeping it together, or if your package contains a block panel, incorporating the blocks into other blocks for an amazing patriotic look! You also need to use the bundle enough for us to recognize that this quilt was made from our bundle. You may add your own fabrics or additional fabrics as you please.
The quilt must include a top, batting and backing, and be either hand quilted or machine quilted. Tied quilts are not accepted for this challenge. This is a QOV requirement.
Margaret has had the privilege of selecting the patriotic panels we’ll be using. Should I say, that “you’ll be using?”
In general, avoid branch specific quilts, but whatever panel you get in your bundle will be what you get to use.
We did include a very few branch specific ones, as we know that with this many recipients, there surely are a wide variety of branches represented.
You may make a matching or coordinating pillowcase, though this is not at all required.
A Quilt of Valor does not have to be red, white and blue, but in general, the military veterans do love those colors!
We will be making the packages mainly those colors, because we want to coordinate with the panels and use our stonehenge patriotic fabrics that we have!
Once the quilt is finished, please wash it with a color catcher or two (or 5 or 6, like we use) to alleviate any issues with fabric dye bleeding and to give the quilt the soft, crinkly appearance that most of us love in our quilts!
Return the quilt to us with YOUR name on it, attached via some kind of paper with a safety pin. QOV makes a beautiful label for each quilt, so please do NOT attach any kind of label that you’ve made.
Patterns You Can Use
The QOV foundation has a website just loaded with pattern ideas. We know just how good you all are at this, and we would LOVE, love, LOVE to have some of the most amazingly gorgeous quilts that anyone has ever seen.
But, your quilt doesn’t have to be hard. Just make it with the fabrics we’ve enclosed. We know it’ll be beautiful!
Here is where you can see many QOV quilt patterns:
Of course, most do NOT have panels in the middle. Be sure to check out OUR free patterns page HERE for panel patterns! Below are shown some of the ones on that page - all are free downloads!
We will be keeping you updated as to how the challenge is going — if we’ve met our goal of 80 quilts and more! We don’t know all the challenges we’re going to face, so we can’t answer all your questions now.
But rest assured, this truly is QUILTS FOR A CAUSE! So, jump on board. Get your QOV Challenge Quilt Fabric bundle NOW. If you order two, we’ll be sure that they are different. We will have many different quilt bundles for you! That’s the challenge and the surprise!
We will be providing more details as we have them.
We do so very much appreciate your helping out this fabulous cause!
Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!
Feel free to browse the site.