I was volunteered! Help!
 

My (ex)DIL decided to make cot quilts for her husbands troop over in Afghanistan. 15 in all. She has made 2 quilts in her life. She thought she could whip them out. (when I visited her in TN last April I made a quilt for her new baby (one of my granddaughters by choice) and yes, I did "whip it out" in two evenings. She got the wrong idea from that I think!

I told her I would help her out and do a couple of them for her. HA! She sent me a list of 9 of the boys' names and their favorite color.
I have finished two of the tops, hope to get them quilted and bound by next week, and maybe another top finished. But I work full time and it is rather difficult to balance work and quilting. She wants to send them overseas within two weeks.
I am hoping someone can help me out, either with some blocks or with maybe even a finished quilt.
The quilts need to be about 45 x 65, so nine inch blocks would be perfect.
I still need to make a couple green quilts, a couple black quilts and a couple green quilts and a red quilt. I will post pics of the tops I have done so far, once I find my camera.

Thank you for any help you can give. I will repay with RAKs, PIFs, and send you fat quarters for your help.

Wow, she really doesn't have a clue how much time is involved in making quilts does she? Even if you were not working full time and sewed all day long, it would be difficult to put together 9 quilts in 2 weeks.

Greens I can help you with, would scrappy 4 patches be ok? I'll have to check and make sure I have enough non-flowery type fabrics. PM me with address and details.

You are such a wonderful person to do this. I so wish I could help out! I have a deadline of two weeks for a project myself or I would love to help!! Please let me know if there is anything else you ever need help with.

How about unvolunteering yourself?

Thank you Charity-crafter. Yes, two weeks is a bit crazy! I think she will soon discover that herself. Experience will be the best teacher for her. I just hope she wants to continue quilting after this!

And Jamie, thank you for the thought and good luck with your project too! :)

Oh wow that is such a thoughtful thing to do, I am a military wife and I know how much the boys appreciate things like that, if only you were able to see the looks on their faces I bet it would make it all worth it...I would love to help out too but also have a couple projects I am behind on and have deadlines :( I wish you the best, keep your head up, those soldiers will love them soo much, you will have touched each ones heart and I bet they will keep it forever! <3

I still have some black, red and white left over from a quilt I just made - If I change out the white to a red and made simple nine patch would that do? PM me with your address and I'll get one started this afternoon.

Sorry, I can't help, but I would also post this in the donations section:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/free-offers-donations-f18/

This seems way overwhelming! But as a veteran and military spouse, I know it'll be appreciated!! The colors are tough for me-especially greens, but I am way closer than you so I could like get a couple done and mailed from here in that time frame. Plus since I'm at an APO address here, I can mail them for free to them! I could put off my current projects to get 1 or 2 done. Please let me know if I can help at all. Even if I only make 1, it's one less for you to be stressed over. Please forward names and addresses if you decide to let me help. God bless!! Just pop me a PM about this.
Tanya

If she thinks you are doing 9, that leaves 6 for her to do. Unless she has grabbed someone to do some of her 6, meeting the deadline will probably be more of a problem for her than it is for you.

Will she learn a lesson from this? I wonder.

You are blessed to have such generous members of the board helping you with your 9.

Dayle

i PMd you..... time is too short - i'll supply the fabric too to save time - let me know.

Nice of you to help and get others to help you. I would have had to back out. I love making quilts and make one after another but, I pace myself, only working a couple hours a night and weekends while doing my laundry and housework. I work full time also.
I'm sure they will be appreciated.

Oh no. It wouldn't be fair to have a couple of the boys get a quilt and a bunch of them not get one. I appreciate their sacrifice and their bravery and hope I can help brighten their days

Thank you thank you! I will happily repay you with much yardage!

Yes. This board is a blessing and I so thank every one who is helping. It will mean a lot to the boys. Thank goodness it is only 15 and not a couple hundred!

Hope she can get them to Afghanistan. Our church made scarfs for the troops but they were not able to send them because they couldn't be colors and the troops are issued scarfs.

I have one made up in blue and brown, however it does have some tiny flowers in it. If you want it let me know.

My guess would be she has passed the entire project off on others and won't learn a thing from this except others will cover her spur of the moment ideas.
And it is a wonderful project to be involved in with better planning. I think many have already paced themselves with their own projects with no time to spare.
I am also wondering about the mailing because our post office is already having a problem with mail not coming in from one place until 10 A.M. to be sorted and delivered and we are barely getting our mail before closing.
Please tell her you can only complete half and let her find another person or two. It should be a fun project with little stress for everyone.

I have sent you a PM. I will volunteer to help.

I think with all her volunteers to help it could be done is about a month, 2 weeks is going to be stressing the OP greatly. But I'm sewing my 4 patch scrappys this morning and hope to get them in the mail this afternoon or tomorrow morning.

I hadn't thought about her DIL having to do the other 6, if she's a new quilter she may not be doing intricate blocks, maybe just big squares.

Do you plan to quilt or tie these?

I wish I could help but I am so busy working. You will be in my thoughts and prayers.

I think its wonderful of everyone here to pitch in and help. I wish I could as well. But being a new quilter it would take me longer than 2 weeks to finish one. And unfortunately I have very little stash. But its growing. I am so thankful for all that our troops do for us, and this is such a little thing in giving back to them. Hopefully next time I will be able to help out.

Wow! My first thought when I read your post was to stick to your offer to make 2 quilts and teach your DIL an important lesson. Then my compassion kicked in, considering my son is serving in the Army too. Ssssoooo - - - I could make a green quilt (and a blue one too, if you need a blue one) - probably YBR pattern.

I really like Quilt-T's offer with an APO address.

I understand RAK, but what is PIF???

Let me know if you still need my help.

Jane

Do you need just the tops or completely finished?? Didn't think to ask in my other post.

Jane

I have a patriotic jelly roll that I've been wondering what to do with. If you think it would work, I'd be glad to do one and use that. As the mom of 2 military guys, I know how much they appreciate things like this. I could do a 9 patch and use solid red for other patches, maybe. Just let me know and I'll get right on it!

Just sent you a pm about a red/black with some white twister that will be 48"x60". I can throw it on the frame and get it quilted for you.

Jan in MI

Sorry, I have deadlines for the TV programs. When we look beyound the deadlines, timeframes, work, lessons to be learned, and think of what the quilts will mean to our servicemen (and women), it makes it all worth while. I can't help sewing and quilting but I will keep all of you in my prayers that they come together quickly.

wish I could help, but I am pretty slow at this. Also in the midst of making fleece blankets for kids on our Anget Tree at Xmas. I am azed when I see people write about makinb a quilt in a few days. Takes me at least a month. sigh. You folks are great to help with this project.

Hi, am new to the board. I think I can help you out with 2 green.

So far
 

Here are the two tops I have finished so far. The red bargello I was already doing for someone else, but that plan changed, so here I had a ready made perfectly sized top!
Then I decided to try the 10-minute block. umm.. It takes much more than ten minutes! But in any case, I sized it down to 15 inch blocks, took my gray stash and added some teal for color. I need to finish sewing the top together and I will longarm this next week.
I think I will do one or two more tops this weekend then spend a few hours(days?) at the longarmer!

I cant thank you all enough for the wonderful offers of help and prayers for our troops. This is truly a great group!

i wouldnt have done it i would have told her i work full time and its alot of pressure on me i woul;d maybe donated fabric to her

Thank you all for your offers of help. I think I have responded to all of you and I am so relieved to say that I think we have it covered!
Please post pictures and share as you finish. I truly hope her husband can get a picture as each soldier gets his quilt!

Although she has little understanding of the time involved, to say no would have disappointed the soldiers that didn't get one. That I could not do. And praise the Lord, I am getting the help I need here from many wonderful thoughtful women. Many hands make a big job go fast!

Why does it have to be in two weeks? Is that a "self-made" deadline or "did something else" dictate the deadline? What will happen if they don't get done in two weeks' time?

A cot quilt that is only 65" long isn't meant to really sleep under, right? I mean, not by itself...that's pretty short, right?

Red/black Twister quilt
 

This is the top that was waiting to find a home--sure am pleased it will go Military.

The deadline is in hopes it will reach them by Christmas. And very soon, the mail will be cut off for a month or so, as it is too snowy, too cold, too winter, for the mail to be reliable over there. Although the quilts are smaller, they are that size so they fit the cots with out dragging over the edge in an unmilitary manner. They will help keep them warm, it will soon be freezing over there, if it isnt already. They do have Army issued blankets to sleep under but every layer helps in the bitter cold. But the main idea is to add color and brightness to a dreary sameness, to the dirty tan everything that is Afghanistan, to show the soldiers someone here at the states appreciates them for their bravery and for their sacrifice, to recognize them for defending our country. It hopefully will make them feel proud and loved and appreciated, and may the brightness of the quilts in their barracks add some color and joy to their lives.

Oh that is wonderful! Sgt Moore will love it I am sure. :)
Thank you again.

how about a quillow there quick and easy to make have u thought of that pretty new with quilting but this is as a thought let me know if these will work

Well, aren't you guys just the best??? As a mom of a soldier who has been deployed to Iraq twice, I am overwhelmed by your willingness to help a fellow quilter with this wonderful project for our troops!!! I got all teary just reading this thread..... thank you all so much!!

I have a full plate myself but I can't turn down an opportunity to help. Let me see what colors I find in my stash and I will let you know by morning.

God bless for your efforts.

Denise