Red white and blue quilt

I finished my first Army Baby Quilt. I think it turned out well and I'm really looking forward to submitting it so it can find a good home.

The center blocks are a traditional log cabin style. I had cut the fabric strips last year to make these into a square log cabin table topper for my sister-in-law's 40th birthday, but my husband insisted she wouldn't like or use it. I was glad to finally get the blocks together and add borders and sashing until I met the 40" by 40" requested size for the Army Baby Quilts project.

I was undecided about the binding and after cutting a different binding on the bias and sewing the long strip together, I changed my mind and opted for the red and polka dots. Mmmm... I love polka dot bindings!

I wasn't sure how to sign it. That's one of the things I waiver on with charity quilts, but I still think signing my work is important. I want the baby to know it was made for them with love. Sometimes the kindness of a stranger can carry you a long way. At least, in my life I've found that to be true.

Of course, no quilt goes untested in this house! I put the finished work down so the kids could see it and William crawled right on and started touching the textured quilting and stars. Savannah joined with a love for her brother and the book she couldn't put down. Then again, who could put Charlotte's Web down?

Army Baby Quilts

Just in case you're looking for a quick quilting project and a way to give back to some of America's families who are most in need of support, Roberta Cerniglia from NY state is collecting quilts to distribute to moms who have babies while their husbands are deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Quilts should be about 40" by 40" and in red, white and blue colors. More information can be found at Army Baby Quilts. 

I'm looking forward to contributing to this project. I like that the quilts are small for the babies, hence easy to make, and I love the idea of showing support for moms of our troops who have to go through one of the most important moments of their lives without their partner. I think this project is a great way to use quilting talents to support families who are most affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If you have the time this year, please join me.