Return with Honor

When our son-in-law left for a tour in Afghanistan a year ago, I asked him if he would like a quilt to celebrate his return.  He grinned at me, knowing it wouldn't be the first he'd received, but possibly one that had the most feeling behind it.  

He was right. 

Part of that feeling was my desire to make it using materials he would like.  Being in the army and being male, I chose flannels for the top that would suit his gender and in colors that would closely match an infantryman in the desert - except for the green, I suppose.  

How much green can you find in a desert? Truth be told, the green flannel was chosen to match the backing:  a vintage WWII Army Issue wool blanket. Right:  the top is ready for the quilting process, placed on top of the army blanket with very little leeway.  

Here the U.S. insignia on the army blanket can be seen on the quilt backing.  I made sure it was placed in the center!

The pattern I chose for this very manly quilt was "Kasuri Gesiki", a Japanese log cabin design (do they have log cabins in Japan?!), which made its debut with Robert Kaufman fabrics, looking very (what else?) Japanese.  My choice of fabrics didn't translate to that culture, I hope!!  Using the pattern, the block size came out to 5" x 5", but with the bulkiness of flannel, I adapted all measurements to produce 10" x 10" blocks.  

To quilt it, I stitched-in-the-ditch and stitched one circle in each block.  

My Gammill did great working with a heavy Army blanket as backing - a first!  I did use wool batting - not needed since it's certainly heavy enough - but I wanted extra warmth.

When Conor returned December, 2012 I was thrilled to gift him this special quilt - all wrapped up in feelings of joy, pride, relief and excitement - packed with emotions like  no other quilt I've given to anyone before!  And the best part?  Well, I hope he remembers that love when he wraps up in it, each and every time.

And that's why I quilt.