Stars & Banners Quilt: Crystal's Quilt

Almost exactly a year ago I started work on this pattern: Minick & Simpson's Stars and Banners

I didn't know it at the time, but this pattern was created for the Quilts of Valor group and is no longer in print or at least I can no longer find a place where you can buy it.

Ironically I intended this quilt to go to my brother Aaron, who some of you may recall serves on the Army Reserve and was deployed to Iraq for a full year.  When I found the pattern I never knew that it was made for Quilts of Valor but it's so very fitting for him and his family.

So it began as something I thought I could finish within a few months, nevermind that I was, at the time, almost 2 months pregnant.

By the time I took this picture it was March.

But I "pressed" on.

And eventually I had all the stars pieced and pressed and laid them out.

But after April things had to be put on hold.  We had a nursery to finish, two rooms to fabricate in the basement and my ever expanding belly was starting to hinder me both mentally and physically.  So the quilt was put on hold and packed away.

Fast forward to November.  With a new baby waiting off to the sides and sometimes sitting on my lap to sew I dug out the quilt and sewed on the the top bunting.

Amid the jumble of still packed boxes of fabric and general sewing chaos in my new sewing room I had a quilt.

And it was awesome.

 I pieced my backing and basted the whole thing all in one day. It was now December.

But a quilt isn't a quilt until it's well, quilted and bound.

And then I washed,dried, and gently folded it up.  It was ready to give.

I didn't get a chance to get a "cool, stylish" shot of the finished quilt before I gave it away.  It was, afterall, Christmas Eve when I finished it, but my youngest sister Sarah managed to take this snap at its unveiling.

I have a goal to make a quilt for every single person in my family.

It's ambitious, yes, but quilts are something you give to those you love the most.