Memories for Memorial Day

This past Monday was Memorial Day, a holiday designed for remembering our soldiers, especially the ones who are no longer with us.  This was the push I needed to finish this top.  I did the last of the sewing on Monday, thinking about the soldiers in my family. 

I started the quilt back in March with a pattern from a book I found on the free table at a quilt group meeting.  This is the simple block for this quilt.

Here's what happens when you set the blocks side by side.  Red, white, and blue stars, woven together like the fabric of our country.  The country my grandfather fought for in World War II.

Sections like the one shown above make up the inner border, and carry the design out beyond the blocks.  It was a challenge getting these going right, but I ripped til I got it.  (That's what we have to do, right?)

When this top is quilted, it will go to a Veteran's Home, to be used on the veteran's bed.  When he or she passes away, the family will get to keep the quilt.

My mother's father spent his last years in what used to be called the Indiana Old Soldiers' Home.  He died and was buried there.  I know from family letters that he was glad to be there, even before he became ill.  He was a soldier in World War II.
Mom remembers being at the movies on Sunday, December 7, 1941.  The movie was suddenly stopped, and a man came out to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor.  On their way home, my mother's parents talked about how my grandfather would eventually have to join the army.  He was 31 years old, with a wife and two children.  Nearly two years later, in 1943, my grandfather enlisted.

No less patriotic, my grandmother worked in a shipyard, where the landing craft used in the D-Day invasion was made.  My grandfather's sister looked after the children while she worked.  Mom remembers everyone working together, and celebrating joyously when the war was finally won.

I like to think of my quilt as a very small thank you to a veteran from a grateful country, for whatever service he or she gave, in honor of the soldiers in my family.

My dog Bella had to help me take this photo.  She's great for moral support, but can't sew a stitch.

In other news, I've been to two flea markets in the past two weeks, but didn't buy any fabric!  Here's what I bought instead.

Braided chair pads for my ladder back chairs.  They are kind of old and worn, but I love them.

And a rag rug for just inside the front door.
Hmm...all of these things are made from fabric scraps!  Could this be why I like them?
I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, and are enjoying the lovely summertime.
Cheers,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
Linking up with  Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Busy Hands Quilts.
Also linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts for her last link up of the summer.  We'll miss you, Amanda Jean, but we know you need time with your family.

Found On the Free Table

Does your quilt group have a free table?  You know, where group members put things they don't want anymore and other members can take them home for free?  Above are a few of my recent free table finds.

Relax and Quilt is an Oxmoor House book from 1998.  It came home with me after the January meeting.

Look what's on the inside cover!  It's a Friendship Ribbons quilt, made by Kitty Sorgen of Newbury Park, California.
We had just been talking at the meeting about making quilts for a local veteran's home.  This seemed like such a good pattern, with a little tweaking of the colors.

So this is what I made.  These are 15 of the Friendship Ribbon blocks on my design wall, which is really just a hunk of white flannel tacked to the wall.

There's a lot going on here.  The light triangles make the "ribbons", the dark triangles and squares make the stars, and the red or blue triangles in the corners made a secondary design.
I've seen something similar before, and thought the pattern was incredibly complicated.  And to be honest, some of the similar patterns I've seen on the internet made my head spin.
Not this one!  Check it out.

This is the block pattern. I am making A blocks (with red points and blue corners) and B blocks (with blue points and red corners) and alternating them in the quilt.  The construction is the same for both A and B blocks, only the colors are different.

This is a 9 in. finished block.
For each block,
cut 1 3.5 in. square for the center, in either red or blue.
make 4 half square triangles in blue/light and 4 in red/light.  These should finish at 3 in.
Arrange as above for block A.
This star is tricky!  I have to look at a finished block every time to make sure I'm placing the star points correctly.

There is also a pieced border that carries the design out to the edge of the quilt.  I'll post about it when I get there.

I'm so glad somebody donated this book.  There are actually TWO MORE quilts in it that I want to make!

Coming Attractions:

Here's a glimpse of what I'm quilting now.  My back has been hurting this week, so I haven't been doing any quilting, but I hope to get to it on the weekend.

This one is a surprise.  It's the same backing as my Split Nine Patch, but underneath is a baby quilt.  I hope to post it next week, with the pattern.
Take care this week!  I'm off to the theater to see my oldest grandson in a play.
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Busy Hands Quilts.