Quilts of Valor Blog Hop – coming soon

Early this year I reached out to Island Batik about running a blog hop for the benefit of Quilts of Valor with the ambassadors. I was hoping they would say yes and invite me to participate. Kim is an excellent manager, and said yes, and then put me in charge. Well played, Kim, well played.

I have enlisted the help of 13 of my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors to create quilts for the benefit of their local Quilts of Valor groups. I can’t wait to share them all with you.

Quilts of Valor is a program that I enjoy working with. I am a member of my local chapter. Several times per year I quilt a top for my group. The quilts are given to veterans of the US Armed Forces who have been touched by war. I’ve had the opportunity to attend a couple of presentation ceremonies, and they are very touching. It is nice to be able to shake the hand of a veteran and thank them for their service.

This was a presentation ceremony my group held recently. There were a series of events at a local elementary school. Children attended a presentation on Quilts of Valor last year, and were allowed to sign signature blocks. This year they watched as members of their community were presented with the completed quilts, which included their blocks. I was lucky enough to be able to quilt these pieces. Our group works really hard, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.

You can read more about Quilts of Valor on their website, and find out how you can participate, too. My favorite part of my local group is that we are a real team. I can give whatever I have, and someone else will help make a finished project. Whether I have appropriate fabric, a set of blocks, or the time to quilt a top, whatever I give helps.

Island Batik was kind enough to send us a very generous package of fabrics from the new Freedom collection. I was pretty excited when the box arrived, so I recorded an unboxing video. Enjoy! (Sorry for the odd video orientation. I really was very excited.)

I’m so grateful for the support from my Island Batik community for this project. Our blog hop is scheduled to run July 1 – July 5. I can’t wait to share what I make!

Participants
July 1
Becca Fenstermaker — Pretty Piney
Denise Looney — For the Love of Geese
Gail Sheppard — Quilting Gail
July 2
Pamela Boatright — Pamela Quilts
Anne Wiens — Sweetgrass Designs
July 3
Bea Lee —Bea Quilter
Carla Henton — Creatin’ In the Sticks
July 4
Emily Leachman — The Darling Dogwood
Joan Kawano — MooseStash Quilting
Jen Strauser – Dizzy Quilter
July 5
Steph Jacobson — Steph Jacobsen Designs
Leah Malasky — Quilted Delights
Anja Clyke — Anja Quilts
Maryellen McAuliffe — Mary Mack Made Mine