Happy Holidays to all Service Personnel, Active Duty and Veterans.  Thank you for your Service! May Peace be with you.

K.D. Lang - "Hallelujah"

When the whole country seems to turn dark and cloudy, through the mist a soldier holds up our Flag and our souls.

And we also say Thank you to a civilian, not a soldier, but a true leader.

We will miss you deeply Mr. President Obama, Thank you For Your Service

Below is a photo of the next three Quilts For Veterans Tarp Totes (c) that I am working on.  I have changed my plan from a quilt for each Veteran to a Tarp Tote for each Veteran.  I have the three below set up for finishing, and each one will be given to hopefully, a specific Veteran.  Each Tarp Tote has a "theme" - the first will be geared for a Teacher that is a Vet, the second toward a Construction Worker who is a Vet, and I believe the third will be going to a Native American Vet.  Each Tarp Tote will include at least the following: A shawl, a quilt, facecloths, potholders, a copy of the poem "The Night Before Christmas" in book form, a key so Santa can find the Vet always, a pillowcase, a $10.00 bill for emergencies, a small ham, a copy of The Constitution, and a small sewing kit. I hope to also include a hand-inked American Flag on paper or board.

The fourth Tarp Tote I have started is a theme of the Turtle in the Garden, and hopefully will go to a farmer or horticulturist that is a Veteran.  The quilts in each are what display the particular theme of the set.  My Tarp Totes were developed after learning that anyone who goes to our local homeless shelter can only take a medium-sized bag.  So, now, my Quilts For Veterans are a medium-sized bag filled with Thank you gifts, with the personal wish the Veteran never becomes homeless.  

Each Tarp Tote set does take some time to complete, but I work on items as I can: for example, all the potholders are made for four bags, the quilts are cut out for three bags, the facecloths are made for three bags, etc.  Adding in a hand-inked American Flag allows me to share my 39 years as a Fine Artist.

I will be adding updates as I complete each set.

Distributed to date:
Quilt 2 - Traditional Red White and Blue Quilt
Quilt 3 - Traditional Red White and Blue Quilt
(cost was 85.00 per quilt)
Scheduled to be distributed:
Tarp Tote 1 (Quilt 4) - "Teacher" Veteran (expected cost $ 189.00)
Tarp Tote 2 (Quilt 5) - "Construction Worker" Veteran (expected cost $ 189.00)
Tarp Tote 3 (Quilt 1) - "Native American" Veteran (expected cost $ 189.00)
Tarp Tote 4 (Quilt 6) - "Farmer" or "Horticulturist" Veteran (expected cost $ 189.00)