2x Original WW2 patch quilts almost complete after 8 years in the making
 

Greetings,

I am getting excited as I am about to start the binding and sleeves on both of these king size quilts this weekend. This has been an 8 year process due to the expense of acquiring the original world war patches and sometimes even harder--finding them. It was supposed to be a double size quilt but ended up becoming two king size quilts! My goal is to get them on tour across the country and eventually end up hanging in a museum.

Due to the weight of each, I was advised to sew around each of the patches so that it would not sag. Finishing the second one tomorrow (sewing around the patches). There are over 300 different patches on each quilt!!

These are not the latest photos, but it is hard to take them on the ground since they are so large. I'll post better ones next week when the binding and sleeves are complete.



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Should I make sleeves for the top and bottom? The quilts weigh 14 lbs each. I sewed around each of the patches to keep them from sagging so possibly one at top would work? Advice needed for this please.

Any advice of quilting shows that take quilts on tour across the country? I wanted to get them completed several years ago but I had to spend 12 months in Afghanistan so that slowed me up. WW2 vets are passing away in high numbers and I would love to be able to have those veterans who remain to be able to see this. The patches are in order to by Army, corps, divisions, commands, etc.

-Steve

My favorite are the home front patches. I just picked up a Women's Ambulance Defense Corps patch this past week. There were patches for children for when they collected scrap metal.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Steve, for your service!

It was my pleasure Ruth. I did my 3 years as an intelligence officer and will start graduate school at the University of San Diego this September. The quilts will be making a showing around the city =) Balboa and hopefully on the USS Midway. So you may see them around town!

Wow wonderful quilts!

My FIL is 96. We just spent a week with him listening to his stories of WWII in Chile and Italy. He is an amazing man. His sons favorite story is of asking their father why he never got angry and he said because he saw so much bad and sorrow in The war. Nothing compares that is worth getting angry over.

Have you checked with Veteran's Affairs? They might be able to give you some insight on how to proceed. I was a member of the army for 21 years and almost every larger city I traveled through had some type of a Memorial Building. Some of the displays were really great and I would think something like this would go over well at these Memorial Buildings.

Thank You!!!!! This is beautiful in so many ways, and what a wonderful work you have done.

What a wonderful way to commemorate our heroes. I would think it may be disrespectful to hang it up side down..... like our flag

These are stunning and a great way to commemorate our service members. My hubby was in the Navy for 20 years before his passing. Maybe you could contact the Naval air museum in Pensacola FL. We were stationed there many years and it is a great place. I know they display models and things others have made, they may be very happy to display your quilt for a time. They get thousands of visitors every year so a lot of people would see it, especially in Oct. when the Blues do their home air show. Just a suggestion. Good luck.