Veterans quilt to honor three generations
 

My DH is a history buff and has his dad's photo albums from WW II, plus his dad's uniform and memorabilia in a shadow box he framed. The flag that was presented at his dad's funeral sits in its own little addition on top of the frame. One Christmas not long ago our middle son enhanced all the photos in the albums, including the captions that were under them, pictures of the memorabilia, plus researched what the metals signified etc. etc. and made it into a bound leather album. When I saw Stephanie Hove's pattern: Because of the Brave, I knew it would make the perfect Christmas gift. By the way, it is his first quilt/wall hanging!

I chose to personalize the quilt and honor three generations of soldiers in our family: my husband (VietNam), his dad (WWII), my dad (WWII) and my grandfather (WWI). Each border is quilted in block letters the name of each soldier and their service dates. Because the thread is black on a black print, I decided to micro-stipple inside each letter to emboss it into the batting. Can you tell I am not confident enough to use a contrasting thread ? LOL

After I had the soldier applique applied to the quilt top, I decided to use double batting and try to quilt it with the details of a soldier, rather than do a meander throughout. I enlisted the help of that same middle son to try and add the details to the existing silhouette shape. Not an easy task as it turns out LOL but between him, his computer skills and my husband, they did a fabulous job.

With a little more work the label will include a picture of each in their uniforms with a small description of where they served (& in the case of my grandfather, where he was injured) All were Army veterans.

Here it is in all its glory. My DH has been patient for his Christmas gift (though it was presented to him on Christmas Day: quilted (minus the soldier), bound and with a hanging sleeve.

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By the way, we drew the details on the original applique pattern and then I traced it on Press and Seal with a Crayola Ultra-Clean Washable Marker. The pen didn't smear and the Press and Seal sticks to the fabric, though I pinned the edges down so my Tiara wouldn't catch the edges. I like Press and Seal better than paper because I can retrace my lines exactly, whereas the paper perforates and tears away somewhat after the first pass of the machine and I can't always "hit" my line. A frixion pen ERASER works great to remove paper OR Press and Seal from those small little areas. I had no problem at all removing it. I did use tracing paper for the outline of the block letters, but removed it before I micro-stippled from the back. Thank goodness I had chosen a littler colored backing, not black. Hope you enjoy!

Fabulous in every way!

What an wonderful tribute and an incredible heirloom you have created. Great job!

That is a magnificent tribute to all your family members who served. I love the soldier with the double batting. He seems to be walking right out of the quilt. And to have your family involved in its creation is really special. It is wonderful.

AWESOME! What a meaningful quilt and what a treasure. Fantastic job-well done.

great quilt and quilting

Nice! I saw this pattern at a quilt show and thought it was fabulous. What a great way to incorporate it for the family.

Absolutly beautiful.

Fabulous quilt and an extraordinary way to commemorate the contributions of the family! Thanking every one of them for their service.

wonderful quilt, for sure an heirloom.

What a fabulous way a to honor his service!

Fabulous quilt including your family heritage and with your son's help.

Fantastic!

What a wonderful tribute to all!!! Fantastic!!!

Ditto,Suzisew!

What a great quilt and wonderful memory piece of the generations that kept us free! Really love the details quilted on the soldier! Your choice of fabrics is even perfect. You did a fantastic job on this and I'll bet your husband loves it. My DH is a history buff also.

A wonderful memory quilt

beautiful quilt and quilting!!!

You did an amazing job on a beautiful & very special quilt.

That is one special quilt. Wow.

Amazing quilt.

Oh my goodness! I hope you realize just how magnificent this quilt is. It and it's meaning gives me chills. This is something that will be treasured in your family for generations to come. Bless you and your soldiers for their brave service. Without them, we wouldn't be the land of the free.

What can I say. One amazing and meaningful quilt. You and you family have served our country. Thanks them for their service. And thanks for sharing your awesome quilt with us.

beautiful. Stunning work!

Fantastic tribute!

What a beautiful way to honor your family of heros. It's a fantastic quilt.

Your story and quilt moved me to tears, what an amazing way to honor your husband, his father, and your father & grandfather. This is an instant heirloom for your family, and beautifully crafted.

Stunning.
Ditto to what everyone has said. How proud you must be of all of them. Please thank your husband for his service from me and my family. BrendaK

that is just so stunning! amazing quilting and love the applique quilting.

What an amazing quilt. It is just wonderful.

Great teamwork on this work of art (heart)! I love the quilting details on the soldier...even his fingers show. Thank you for the tips on using Press and Seal for the applique. Enjoy the quilt. :)

I hope you are able to hang that in a show someplace: viewers choice at least!!

Your heartfelt quilt is a treasure of a lifetime. Your effort is so beautifully well thought out and completed that it will always have a special place in your family. I am almost 80 years old and I also have soldiers in my family past and I remember these sad events. Because we remember and were a part of the 'war effort' we understand how precious freedom is and understand the quilt you have made. It is truly special.

Very Nice!

Beautiful quilt.

love it, what a great tribute to your family and what a wonderful project that involved your husband and son!

Stunning! I can't get over the detail in your quilting of the soldier! Beautiful.

What a nice thing to do.

Wow! That is an amazing quilt!