Give Me Liberty

July has been a hot, busy month

and it was nice to work 

on a small quilt to

commemorate the  signing of 

Declaration of Independence 

of the United States, July 4, 1776.

"Give Me Liberty"

30" x 36"

This July mini started out as

vintage x-stitch piece picked up by a 

friend at a

"jaunting for junk" sale in Nebraska

a couple of years ago.

I'm thinking it was a piece completed 

during the bicentennial, July, 1976.

I'm sure many of us did something similar.

My friend, Liz, thought I would like to

create something with it because of my

family patriots who served during the Revolutionary War.

She was right.

It took a few months to come up with a plan

and then to do the math to make the pieces fit.

But it didn't take long for my head to hurt because

the numbers were not good quilt making numbers.

I decided to go ahead and make hst's and see

what happened.  The surprise was that by some

miracle it worked out.  It sure didn't on paper.

The next pieced border needed 

a couple of coping strips to make 

it fit. 

In this case, the measurements looked good on paper,

but when it came to adding the 

3" sawtooth star borders they was too short.

Adding some narrow background pieces on both ends

solved the problem. 

Who wouldn't  know that I didn't plan 

it that way.

So much for paper and pencil!

I had to look far and wide for

an outer border that wasn't too plain

or too busy.

 I finally found 

an older French General print that 

was the perfect one.

I pulled all the colors that were

in the original stitchery 

and use them to create the quilt.

Along with another French General piece and a very old

 Barbarar Brackman civil war fabric, 

complete with cannons and flags,

I put together a backing.

Most of the quilting was simple

but the outer borders called for something more elegant,

like feathers.

I really enjoy quilting

 organic freestyle feathers.

It gave the quilt the finishing touch.

It's a sweet quilt to be included in 

my July collection of

red, white and blue and is

a special way to remember

that so many have given their best just for me.

Be sure to check out the links of other fabulous

monthly minis

on Wendy's blog, The Constant Quilter.

Until Next Time-

Kyle