This project was designed by Running_Girl. Info can be found at:
Stars, Bars and Seals
Instructions
I made blocks for each of the U. S. Military branches. Each block is a 8 inch square of fabric containing the seal of each branch surrounded by a 2 inch border of material with flags on it. The top and bottom of the quilt contains fabric considered patriotic and the middle of the quilt is a piece of fabric with bunting and crossed US Flags. The binding is blue fabric with stars and one strip of red fabric with stars. The below is an explanation of the quilt.
What started as an idea for a growth chart for LJ's kindergarten class morphed a patriotic wall hanging for Mrs. Van der Hulst’s class at Westview Primary School. After discussions with Mrs. Van der Hulst about what kind of wall hanging could be used for her class, she said she would really like something patriotic since her son U. S. Army Captain Phillip Wingo was just returning from a tour in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne. Many thanks to Captain Wingo (and all our Service members) for their sacrifice to keep us free.
The quilt has the following symbolic characteristics.
Date Started: September 11, 2012 Date Completed: October 21, 2012 The quilt was competed entirely in Goose Creek, SC. The design of the quilt was done by Jessica Reno with assistance from Jon Reno, Carel Peacock, Judith "Mom" Parker and Bambi miller. The sewing of the quilt was done by Jessica and Jon “LJ” Reno. Each of the United States Armed Forces is represented two times by a block containing their service seal surrounded by American Flags and Stars. The services are placed in precedence order with the Army first followed by the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. The reason each service is represented twice is symbolic of the designers belief that we, as Americans should think of and pray for our Servicemen and Servicewomen twice as often as we do already (even more). The quilt piecing was all done with black thread symbolizing all the POW/MIA Service members and in prayer that someday they will all be accounted for and returned home. Since the piecing thread is on the ‘inside’ of the quilt, this signifies these brave men should always remain close to our hearts. For the quilting, clear thread was used in order to maintain the beauty of the quilt and not interrupt the flow of the flags, seals and theme of the quilt but also represents the crystal clear water that runs out of the mountains on both sides of our great land. There are 50 horizontal lines quilted approximately one inch apart representing the 50 states of our great nation. The backing is done with blue fabric with stars. The red fabric with stars in one stripe across the back represents the sacrifice our brave service men and women have given throughout the history of our country to keep our nation free. Surrounding the 50 lines on the top and bottom, there are words stitched into the quilting. They are as follows: USA, God Bless America, 1776, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Philadelphia, 82nd Airborne, Army Captain Wingo, July 4, 1776, and We Love our Country. There are wounds on the quilt which have been repaired with the clear thread and these represent the wounds our injured soldiers have sustained and the clear thread is our prayer their wounds would heal. Although these are technically wounds from the quilter, I chose to keep them in the quilt as a representation that we have wounded service members and we need to continuously think of them and pray for their healing. The binding is done with the same blue fabric as the back of the quilt to bring the two together seamlessly. At the center of the quilt are two crossed American Flags. The Stars and Bars should be at the center of our thoughts and we should always remember there are brave men and women who will defend those flags against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Note: There are 13 symbolic items for this quilt, one for each of the original colonies.
I made blocks for each of the U. S. Military branches. Each block is a 8 inch square of fabric containing the seal of each branch surrounded by a 2 inch border of material with flags on it. The top and bottom of the quilt contains fabric considered patriotic and the middle of the quilt is a piece of fabric with bunting and crossed US Flags. The binding is blue fabric with stars and one strip of ... Read full instructions »Difficulty:
My son's kindergarten teacher has a son who just returned from Afghanistan and she is fiercely patriotic (like me) so I made this for her as a growth chart and patriotic wall hanging for her class.
What are you most proud of?
The symbolism in the quilt.
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
That is a most moving project and I salute you, not only on a beautiful piece of quilting work, but on the wonderful patriotic motivation behind it. From Patricia in England.
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