Stars and Stripes

What does Red, White and Blue mean to you?  That was the question that was given to us as we were starting to design our challenge quilts for the February 2016 quilt show.

(Zoom in for detail)

When I started my challenge quilt many months ago, it was just a quilt block I had wanted to make and figured I'd add some "Red - White and Blue".  But as I was kicking it around with my Sister, all the sudden I came up with a bunch of things that this quilt represents for me.

Red, white and blue, first and foremost mean United States of America to me.  It means that I was born in the best country in the world.  This country is symbolized by our flag with stars and stripes, which is the outer borders of my quilt.  God Bless American written in those stripes is to remind us that this country was founded on the principles of God.

The center of the quilt means so many things to me. When I was first getting into quilting I was invited to join a group that got together once a month to make a primitive quilt.  I didn't like primitive, but said I'd come check it out.  They were making a quilt called "Sweet Land of Liberty" by Cheri Saffiote Payne.  Well I gave it a try and soon loved it.  It's applique - just different.   We used cotton, homespun's and wool.  Wool - yummy colors of hand dyed wool.  It took me almost 3 years to finish that quilt but I did and it was great.  Here it is.

As  I was making  the  Sweet Land quilt I kept saying how I didn't like crows. My Mom had always told me they were dirty birds and I just didn't like them.  So to get by putting them in the quilt, I would call them black birds.  But I had a friend Sharon, in the group that loved crows.  She wanted crows on everything she did.  And over time with her enthusiasm I learned to like crows too.  

So when I look at the center block of my challenge quilt, I see both my Mom and my friend Sharon with my crow.  The watermelon reminds me of a summers day picnic. And of course the USA Flag. 

And it's done in wool applique - which I love.  I really can't work with wool without thinking of my friend Jolyn who got me started in wool to begin with. And it reminds me of all my sweet friends that I would sew with several times a month working with wool.  

What does Red, White and Blue mean to me.  It means USA and despite current events is still the greatest country on earth. 

Have a Blessed Day

Lynn