Blogger's Quilt Festival - Spring

The uber talented Amy is hosting another amazing Bloggers Quilt Festival. 

This is where we can enter one of the quilts we've made into the online festival, be gobsmackingly inspired by all the other entries, and maybe even win one of the many giveaways on offer (although that spot has probably already been reserved for Hadley!!).

If you are stopping by via Amy's, then hello and welcome!

You may be surprised by my choice for this years BQF, because it isn't modern, or funky, or hip or happening!

But the American Civil War quilt I made for my Dad's 70th birthday in February this year, is a very special quilt.

I researched the blocks for this quilt from this book:

My Dad has a keen interest in military history, and the American civil war in particular.  

I finally tracked down some repro civil war fabrics here in UK (Homespun Loft) and then set to work up-sizing the blocks from 6" square in the book, to 12" square for my version of the quilt.

And of course, the back is even more special than the front:

All of these patches are personalised messages from Dad's immediate family - my mum, Dad's children and grandchildren and sons and daughters-in-law.

And as if this wasn't 'story' enough for this quilt, since its presentation in February, it has been on tour!

My mum has flourished in the role of Tour Manager & the quilt, accompanied by the book, have been touring around friends, family, neighbours & visitors from other countries these past few months!!  Several grown men and women have wept on seeing this quilt and on reading the corresponding civil war entries in the book!

But most important of all, is how much my dad loves it!  That has made the many weeks of researching, cutting, sewing and quilting all worth while!

I don't expect this quilt to be an outstanding winner in the festival, despite the many categories.  But it is already a winner in my eyes, simply because of the love that has gone into it from all of my family, and the heartfelt reaction is has received from my dad and many others.

You can check out the many other amazing quilts being entered here in the Flickr pool.