CONTACT

Darleena Jones
(321) 626-1506
email

Virginia Medeiros
(321) 544-2289
email

LIST OF DONORS

SITES TO SEE

OUR GOAL

Honor, support and comfort the families of Florida's military who have given their lives in the current conflicts.

We do this by enlisting donations of handmade quilt blocks, tops and finished quilts from residents of Florida for formal presentation to each family of a fallen hero.

· Pictures of Quilts Presented
· Memorial Day Presentation 28 May 2006

HOME OF THE BRAVE PROJECT

The Home of the Brave project is made up of quilters from across the United States who make single blocks, quilt tops or finished quilts and send them to state coordinators. The coordinators then enlist the help of fellow quilters to join the blocks or finish the quilts. In the center of some of the blocks are messages from the quilters who made them. On the back of each quilt the soldier's name is added alongside a label representing the reproduction of a Civil War Era US Sanitary Commission quilt.

BLOCK INSTRUCTIONS

Picture #1

The block should square up to measure 12½" after they are assembled and trimmed. Following these instructions will help you reach that goal.

Items needed: Fabrics, thread, rotary cutter, mat, ruler longer than 12", and a fine line permanent marker for your signature. (Signature is optional) I also use a 12½" Sq ruler for ease of squaring up but it is not required.

The Florida Chapter of Home of the Brave Quilts Project uses civil war reproduction type prints. This could include good calicos or plaids. We try not to include prints that are predominantly bright red or black .

DIRECTIONS

1) Cut a 10½" square from your first fabric. Cut your square into four equal triangles by cutting across the square, diagonally from corner to corner, in both directions.

Picture #2

2) Cut your second fabric into (4) 2 5/8" x 8½" strips (this may look odd because the strip length is longer than the side of the triangle but this helps when trimming later).

3) Cut one 2 5/8" x 2 5/8" Sq. from muslin or a natural (cream) solid fabric.

Your pieces should now look like picture #2:

ASSEMBLY

1) Sew one triangle, right sides together (RST), to a strip, lining up one edge. This is where the strip will be longer on one end.

2) Sew a second triangle (RST) to the other side of this same strip. Repeat steps 1 & 2 to make another identical unit.

3) Press seam allowances towards the strip. Press up and down rather than side to side to prevent stretching of any edges.

Picture #3

4) Sew a strip to each side of the muslin square (RST) creating a long strip. Press seams toward the strips. Now you will have 3 units that look like picture #3.

5) With RST, pin the long center strip to one of the triangle units, butting the seams together. Pin securely so that the matching points don't shift as you are stitching. Stitch. Add the second triangle unit to the other side (RST), pin & stitch. Press seam allowances towards the triangle units.

6) Squaring up: I use the 12½" square ruler to square up. I line up the diagonal line with the center of the long strip, checking that all sides are equal before trimming. If you are donating the blocks and not assembling the quilt yourself, this step is optional, but please check the measurement to make sure that it will square up to 12½".

YOUR BLOCK IS ALMOST FINISHED

To add your name and hometown in the signature square, iron a piece of freezer paper on the back of the muslin square to stabilize it. This will prevent stretching as you write on it.

I use a fine tip Micron Pigma Pen #05, to sign my name. If you have not written on cloth before, experiment before writing on your block. Some permanent markers will run across the fabric as you write with them.. don't use that marker. You can find good Pigma pens at your local quilt shop, craft store or large department store that has a craft area.

 
Finished Blocks