Free Republic

Any other Freepers still enjoy watching the movie 'The Quite Man' on St. Patrick's Day as I do?

What an Inspiration!THE AMAZING QUILTER Diane Rose lost her sight in 1984. At first she was depressed. But then she says God showed her where her talents are. For years she has been making fabulous quilts. And she makes them entirely by touch. Don't miss this uplifting story. Here is her website in case you want to buy one:

I have to get my favorite quilt cleaned and I don't want it to go to the dry cleaners. They never really get things clean. Can I put it in the washing machine?

WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2008 – A red, white and blue patchwork quilt commemorating the 113 U.S. military women who’ve died during the global war on terrorism was unveiled for public view at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial today. (Left to right) Donna J. Birtwistle, Mavis Olsen, Marlene Wallace and Penny Eakin stand before their patchwork quilt at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, Sept. 17, 2008. The quilt honors military women who’ve died during the global war on terrorism. Defense Dept. photo by Gerry J. Gilmore  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The hand-sewn...

Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day. So the aspiring artist and inspired activist came up with an idea — to cover the gas station with a colossal handmade blanket in a way that would bring greater attention to the world's dependency on oil. ''I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics. I don't want it to be just a political statement. And I don't want it to just be a sculpture,'' said the 27-year-old...

FORT HUACHUCA — Quilts are pieces of cloth sewn together that in many cases tell history. But not all are designed to remember happy times. For Rosa Freund, the quilt she recently completed looks back on when she and others lived through the tyranny of Nazism. A Holocaust survivor who started her life in concentration camps when she was 17 years old, Freund gathered patches from friends and then created a quilt to be a silent witness of those terrible days more than six decades ago when she was taken from her home on the outskirts of Budapest, Hungary. One...

The war in Iraq is racing ahead of Jan Lang's good intentions. In 2003, around the time President Bush declared major combat operations to be over, Mrs. Lang and a group of military mothers pledged to provide a handmade, personalized quilt for the next of kin of every U.S. serviceman and woman killed in Iraq. It seemed like a manageable task when the death toll stood around 250. --Snip-- But she vows to keep quilting, inspired by those moments when a quilt reaches its intended recipient just when it's needed the most. Betsy Beard of Chapel Hill, N.C., got hers...

Remembrance quilt The many faces of those who perished on 9/11 touch many hearts Wisconsin work on display here By Erin Sullivan July 22, 2005 Lois Jarvis was sitting in her basement studio on Sept. 11, 2001, sewing sweet, smiling faces for greeting cards. She's a deadline person and waited until the last minute to do the cards, which were being picked up the next day. She couldn't stop, so she kept working, crying and sewing as she watched the news of the terrorist attacks unfold. As the World Trade Center towers fell, and thousands of people died, Jarvis...

Here's the info: Marine Comfort Quilt Group is a not for profit ministry whose objective is to provide a memorial quilt of comfort to the next of kin of our fallen military. Our quilts are made from thirty quilt squares, each containing an inspirational message from it's donor or another serviceman. Our quilts are stitches of love from those who want so badly to bring comfort, but don't know how to help. Our Marine Comfort Quilt Group has now decided to take on a greater project. With the War on Iraq, we have lost many Marines. Our initial project was...

Linda Vester just referenced a quilt made by a soldier in Iraq (started in April 2004) and it's being auctioned on Ebay, closing in 21 hours. ALL proceeds go to scholarship fund for children and grandchildren of fallen soldiers. I found it on Ebay and thought that I'd pass along the link in case anyone wishes to bid on it. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2278625815&fromMakeTrack=true

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 October 17 Astronomy Quilt of the Week Credit & Copyright: Judy W. Ross,  Point Roberts, WA Explanation: Demonstrating her mastery of a traditional astronomical imaging technique quilter and astronomy enthusiast Judy Ross has produced this spectacular compostion of "Astronomy Quilt Piece of the Week". Her year-long effort resulted in an arrangement for a six by seven foot quilt consisting of 52 individual pieces (11 inches by 8...