no spitting, no leaking... no kidding; sulky, makers of decorative threads, stabilizers, and books. sulky... express yourself; fabri-quilt... the fabric of inspiration; omnigrid... providing quilters with specialty rulers and accessories for over twenty-five years; quilters club of america, offering patterns and videos to the passionate quilter. welcome to love of quilting. you're watching the 2100 series. this is part two of two episodes we're spending on a beautiful quilt by deb tucker called links. let's look at that quilt now. it's just stunning. the lemoyne star really takes center stage in this quilt by deb tucker. we spent the first episode looking at that kind of solo lemoyne star. this episode we're going to be focusing on that medallion block. it's got the lemoyne star in it as well. it's a little smaller and there are these other pieces that showcase that smaller star. also, a beautiful interlocking sashing that we're going to talk about today as well. it's a really neat effect that she achieved by some creative designing. it's absolutely gorgeous. this was quilted by mara novak. we want to say that. we're also going to talk about the setting pieces. i think the quilt has kind of a european, exotic look. if you've ever visited or seen pictures of tile floors it makes you think of that kind of inlay of beautiful ancient design. there is almost something moroccan to it with that interlocking chain. it's really cool. that's why we spend so much time -- this is the second block. there are 12 of the solo lemoyne stars and 6 of these blocks. so we would make this lemoyne star using the same methods of deb tucker's the rapid fire lemoyne star method. it's set on point in the quilt. we're going to turn it straight because that's the way we construct it. here's that block isolated out that lemoyne star. we'd use the same methods the same tool only with the strips would be narrower. the segments you would cut would be different. this is a quilt where you need instructions. i would say for those who are tackling this quilt, try those bigger stars first. make those first. it will be easier to work with those pieces, if it's the first time you've ever used that special tool. then you can tackle the smaller ones because working smaller often can be more challenging than working with bigger pieces. go to fonsandporter.com. go to the tv section and look for the 2100 series. we always put a downloadable pdf so that you can find out more about the tools and supplies. you don't have to be writing down -- it's more fun to watch us -- don't look away. that will help you find the -- you could probably even link to a video by deb tucker showing you also how she uses her method. we want to show you how to do things the easy way. it's great these days using the web in conjunction with the magazines you love and the tv shows you love. it all works together. those are tools that quilters love to use. there's so much knowledge out there. so what happens when you use this method you wind up with this block that is beautiful and perfect, but it's kind of raggedy. that's because her method involves trimming away that excess background so you have really -- the size is just perfect. we thought it would be nice to start the demo by demonstrating that trimming. so this block is going to finish 6 inches. it needs to be trimmed down to 6 1/2. i'll give you the ruled square and get out of your way because we're to position our ruled square so that half of that 6 1/2, 3 1/4 is at the halfway point on our ruler -- or our ruler is positioned there. so i'm going to -- from the center of my block i'm measuring 3 1/4. what's very helpful is this 45-degree line on my ruler helps me make sure i'm going straight through the center that i'm all lined up. this one used to -- i don't need to help. you've got it perfect. no, you do. we all need a little help. it's kind of like landing the space station. leading the lunar module. you're not really wasting much here. you might think putting that all together and then you have to trim it down. it's a lot easier than doing set-in diamonds. i'll tell you that. we can do them. sure! we just don't wanna. not really. so now you have 6 1/2 also out here for measuring, plus your 3 1/4 there's a bunch of checks and balances on this to make your block trimmed out just right. you really want to think about it because once you make this block -- it's really sad -- we've all made mistakes. to cut through it incorrectly you'd probably shed tears. you know about setting in seams and doing those -- on a winter's day sometime in my life, i know i'm going to give it a shot. just like applique. you want to do needle turn applique, one of the most labor-intensive techniques. i'm just so thrilled in your quilt life, you want to try these things. i've got a checklist and i'm moving through it. it's a beautiful block. it's a beautiful block indeed. once you have your block properly trimmed -- let's scoot this over. let's use the one out there since it's in position. are you going to need the rotary cutter? yes. i'll put it right over there. what we've got is some corner units that -- really the framing looks more intricate. it's really not that hard. it's not. that interlocking thing when you see the way it comes together you'll be shocked, shocked and amazed. these are little units that are just a square and three triangles. this is sort of like the goose chase series. we've got a lot of quilts that have goose chase or flying geese units. so often they make a star. you could make a star but not this time. that's what's so fun about patchwork. the way these are oriented too it shows off the star more. it boxes it. it draws your eye in. let's do the little corner units first. i'm going to cut a strip to make those light-colored -- those light triangles. if i can point out too, this is a half-square triangle and two other smaller half-square triangles. we want straight grain all on the outside. i folded my fabric in fourths, because i like to cut rather than with a 24-inch ruler -- that's a long cut and i'm more likely to move my ruler and i'll always have a lot of stuff in the way on my table. if i fold my fabric twice, and get it all nice and straight here, i can cut with this shorter ruler 14 inches, and it's just an easier motion. i would say most people don't have a whole lot of space. you don't have these huge cutting tables like you might have at your quilt shop your sewing studio -- this is about it. i've always got piles of fabrics in the way. i'm going to make this 2 3/8. i'm actually going to cut it a little wider which is a little wasteful. i don't do that. i know you don't. you use the lines on your mat more than i do. i'm glad we don't do everything the same. i always put my selvage at the top when cutting. i guess you did that because you flipped it. i always line up my selvage at the top of my -- i think every quilter does things a little differently. that is just perfectly fine. now i'm going to cut it 2 3/8 inch a stack of squares. can i take this away? you only need two. 2 3/8. the rest of that strip is definitely a good scrap to save. you can just have a whole stash of strips. now i'm going to be brave and bold here. do you keep your extra strips in a special spot? when i fold that piece of fabric back up i would fold that strip into it. that's the way i do it. how do you do it? they all go into the same big burlap sack. it's just a mess. i have three burlap sacks of strips and scraps. so when you use something like that, then you have to press it up again which is fine. i have more space. i have more space exactly. the way this works is we're going to sew -- you've got to pay attention to this fabric because it looks kind of the same on both sides. you want to just fire this through, honey? there you go. i've been doing a lot of the sewing of the series. i know. i've just been standing here by the pressing station. i'm holding the show together. i know! i'll just leave. no, that's all right. you've got to take that one out. we'd be firing the whole block's worth through here. so we're going to open this out, finger press it. this one goes on here. i almost put it on the wrong -- that's going to have to go like that. i'm going to turn it over. hand it to you. watch that this doesn't get flipped. every quilt has a few flipped -- twisted seams. twisted seams. i'm real picky about those twisted seams at 10:00 in the morning. 3:00 in the afternoon midnight, forget about it. i'm not so worried. i'm not so worried. the twisted seams happen to me when i'm joining rows and bigger chunks. so this opens out like this. i probably should be a good patchworker and get rid of some of this stuff here. so now the next thing is to join these. why don't i give it a touch with the iron. i also think you finger press more gratuitously than i do. you rely on it more than i do. there you go. so that will be one of our four corner units we need. the pedal is getting away from me. oooo, it's back. she's back. don't get a ticket. right, right. yeah. okay, all right. press this out. nice job. so we've got four of those all pressed at the corners. so now for our flying geese unit we're going to use the flippy corners method. i've got a ruler and a marker. i was thinking we're going to mark on the rust fabric. we're actually marking on this. but the blue i think we're going to use this. we usually use that mechanical pencil because it makes such a fine line. if you're using this kind of pencil, you really want to keep a sharp point on it. if you make a thick line that you're going to sew on which side of it do you sew on it becomes inaccurate. chalk brushes off quite easily. sometimes that's good if you don't want any -- i hope you can see this. we'll take a look. if not we'll get out a different pencil. i'm going to get a different pencil. can you see okay? i can see it okay. but maybe they can't. as we have -- this is kind of the tips in flying geese series because as we talked on a different quilt that involved these units, theoretically you're going to sew on this line corner to corner. then we're going to trim off this side 1/4 away from that stitching. if you stitch right on that line especially if you accidentally come a little bit this way, when we roll this over, if your line of thread is actually on this side, it's going to be off. it means when you open this out, it's going to look kind of like that and you're going to be unhappy. so a really great tip to make this method work is to sew just right alongside that. toward the side that -- you're going to trim off. we've been saying that a lot lately. flying geese show up a lot in patchwork. one thing i've done before i sew this is to change the setting on my sewing machine to sew a straight stitch right down the middle of my presser foot because i'm not sewing 1/4 inch to the side of that line. i'm sewing right -- so your needle is centered. thank you. i'm glad we've had an opportunity to emphasize this little tip. there's lots of tips on our website, fonsandporter.com. this one is kind of a nuance of this method. i think it's neat that it's come up in three different projects in the series because i don't think we've really talked about it in the past. it's good to talk about. my flying geese they do look better when i do this. so here's the test. you can see it's really subtle. i can see a little bit. we're going to fold it out. perfect. i'm going to finger press. what can i say, it's perfect. i can't help it. all your sewing turns out like that, right? of course. do you need to ask? don't embarrass me. please! i'm mary fons. since you've been here for this taping and i've been seeing some pictures of the quilts you're working on -- little black dress, i can't wait to see that in person. i'm glad you like them. but the truth is if i'm happy with my quilts, that's all that really matters. some people like quilts i make and some people might not. that's okay because i love them. you have to please yourself. absolutely. you should feel the same about quilts you make. make the quilt you want to make, not the quilt someone else wants you to make. now that we've had our philosophical discussion, i'm going to mark this one. i'm going to go ahead and use this graphite type. it's actually a ceramic pencil. if we have time to -- we pulled out the blue pencil because if we were to be marking on that rust fabric it's good to have enough marking tools so you have options. the white and the graphite didn't really show up. there's the blue. a blue mark is probably the best one maybe the yellow. yellow is okay. i think the blue is better. it's nice to have enough options. that's why you need lots of stuff. there you go. the chalk pencils i think are really ideal for marking quilting designs or things where exact accuracy is not crucial. i'm doing your bidding. that's great. everybody saw me cut that goose chase -- that waste off with scissors. this is a pretty big one. it might be okay -- it is okay to do it with your rotary cutter. i'd a bunch of them at a time. because this is a big unit, if you wanted to you could save all these, sew them with 1/4-inch seam, trim them down to some kind of great size, and use them on another quilt. on another episode in this series, we did just that. we work with some of these little things. there's some things you could do with those -- that means it's a nonwasteful method. that's our flying geese for today. it takes four of them for that block. then it's a matter of joining the rows. we've got one row already joined like this. so we join these. do you want to go ahead and sew this one together? sure. it's fun to make a block. sometimes we're so busy it seems like this is the only sewing -- that's not really true; i make about six quilts a year. i need to go back to my 1/4-inch seam. there was a wonderful tip or suggestion i heard from lynne hagmeier who was on an episode of quilt with the stars. she said she promises herself to make a quilt for herself for her birthday every year. she's from kansas troubles quilters. i thought that was a marvelous idea. it's just one more example of the quilting community sharing ideas -- great ideas -- sharing things with each other. that is a beautiful thing to promise yourself to make a quilt for yourself on your birthday every year. you know what i try to do? i try to start a quilt on new year's day. my mom, your grandma, always said what you do on new year's day you'll do all the year. so if you cook or if you fight or if you worry she was always promoting the idea of doing something you really enjoy on new year's day because that sort of sets the tone for your whole year. it's a little superstitious but -- is kind of a tradition. i like it. i actually do that too. so i always make sure to smile and laugh and sew and all those good things. that's that. now we have this. i think we have time to keep working our block a little bit. we're going to get to the setting triangles too. we need a couple of minutes for that too. wouldn't it be funny if we forgot about watching the time and just kept sewing. liz and i did that one time. really! yeah, we just ignored the whole clock. the time does fly that's for sure. one more. i think we can do it. don't put it on this way. put it on this way. you'll probably put it on the wrong way, and that's why the seam ripper is directly to my right. it should be directly to your right or left. we don't do much ripping on the show. we edit that out! we know how, believe me. we've had plenty of experience. i can't believe some of the things i do wrong sometimes. it's just unbelievable. if you sew so many seams, the law of averages dictates. so now this is a three-row construction, but it's not a nine patch. they're not even. it's not even. you'll choose to press your seams on the outside -- toward the goose. on the outside rows toward or away from the goose. then the inner panel, the inner row -- toward the goose again. if you go toward the goose each time -- right. okay. our seams would be abutted. i don't think we have time to do this, but we have time to show that these seams will lock because of pressing opposite directions. i'd probably put a pin here and here and shoot it through. here's our beautiful block. let's look at this one that's all nicely completed. it's set on point in the setting. let's take a look at the quilt because we want to point out, now that you've seen how to do the two blocks, as mary pointed out in the beginning those rust setting triangles around the outside really frame this. but there's that little square at the inside tip of each one of those setting triangles -- the side setting triangles. without that you wouldn't have that interlocking impression. it would be a little divot. the setting triangles wouldn't -- it wouldn't be finished. it would stop. it seems like the spoke; it's tailored almost. so it's pretty simple. here's her side setting triangles. these are quarter-square triangles because you want to cut them so that the straight of grain is on this long side so you don't have a ruffled quilt unless you're going for a ruffled quilt. i never am. not that kind of ruffle. it's a simple matter. she calls for a 2-inch square. believe me, if you're making this quilt, the pattern will tell you that. what we did was draw 1/4 inch using a white pencil so we can see the lines. i'm going to go over here and press this down. i'm actually pressing it with the lines on what would be the right side of the fabric because i can see them better. they're not going to show. of course it's a solid. it's the same. there's not a right or wrong side. so this goes here. there is kind of a difference sometimes. you think? i think so. it depends on the quality of the fabric, i think. now i have a pressed corner. i'm going to use one that cindy our sewing specialist, pressed, because it's so much better. she spent a little more time on it than i did. i'm going to just fix this in the corner put in a pin, and right here in front of everybody i'm going to put my thimble on my finger. i'm going to show you -- i actually really want -- so that this doesn't wobble i want two pins. so we're going to get close on the camera, and i'm going to show -- you could topstitch this if you wanted to, but i'm going to do hand applique. i would use black thread normally, because i don't want the stitching to show. you could topstitch it, but it just looks nicer if the stitching doesn't show. i hope with this yellow thread you can see what i'm doing is i bring my thread up from the back. i dive down right beside where that thread comes up, not in front and not in back because i don't want a whip stitch. i can take this pin out now. pull up. don't let it be loose. i would just continue stitching all the way around to the end. i might make a knot. it's going to be sewn in anyway, so it doesn't really matter. let's acknowledge our beautiful quilt by deb tucker -- and quilted by ms. novak. mara, isn't it? mara. we want to acknowledge those wonderful long armers that let us keep making tops. we hope you try a quilt with techniques you've never used. grab a pencil... tips and other useful information coming up next. the first tip is really really awesome, i think. joyce james from chico, california says when she makes a quilt for family or friends, she presents it in a pillowcase on which she's sewn a leftover block. a king-sized pillowcase is large enough, joyce says, to store linens and shams along with the quilt. fabulous idea. great idea. we have some very smart viewers out there. i've got to explain this. this is from lois lowry also from corona, california. i've been quilting for thirty years. i never thought of this. say you want to use this blue fabric for your binding and you don't have enough fabric you can cheat by lining it by sewing a muslin strip to your binding strip. in other words, for a 2 1/4 inch binding you're going to cut your fabric you like 1 1/2 inches. lining strips of muslin 1 1/4, join them with 1/4-inch seam allowance. then you've got your pretty side is your binding. this side is folded in. no one is ever going to see it. you can use things for binding you didn't think you had enough of. really smart. very cool. this next tip is a smoothing aid. the tip comes from barb pavlica of winfield, illinois. she uses a fondant smoother. -- this is a baker's tool -- to help her smooth out fabric on her design board. it's also handy when smoothing layers of a quilt sandwich before basting. it's a nice smoothing tool. our viewers are really, really clever... aren't they. they are. if you've got some cute trick up your sleeve you'd like to share with us you can send the tip and perhaps the prop if you have an extra lying around. send it via the post office to: tips - fons & porter p.o. box 171 winterset, ia 50273 if you'd like to e-mail your tip we can hunt down a prop if it's really a good tip. to do it that way send it to the tip section at fonsandporter.com. if we use one of your tips on a future show, you'll get a special gift from us, a one-year free subscription to love of quilting magazine. it was another great show, mom. i love the tip table and doing the show with you. we'll see you next time on love of quilting. bye-bye. >> additional quilting ideas from marianne and liz are available in fons & porter's love of quilting magazine. a one-year subscription contains 60 or more projects easy to follow step-by-step instructions and our tips, techniques, and shortcuts. in addition to the magazine you'll get two dvds containing all 13 shows from the 2100 series and two additional booklets with extra projects, tips and techniques. the cost is $29.97. to order call 866-729-9601 or visit our website, fonsandporter.com/tvspecial. you can visit our web site for free quilt tips... sew easy quilting lessons... and slide shows of spectacular quilts... download free quilt patterns... see supply lists for tv projects... join our quilting community and more. log on to fonsandporter.com. >> funding for fons & porter's love of quilting is provided by: >> for over forty years baby lock has been dedicated to the love of sewing by creating machines for quilting, sewing, embroidery, and serging. baby lock... for the love of sewing; koala studios delivers sewing furniture custom built in america; >> american professional quilting systems... apqs offers a full line of hand-guided quilting machines made in america's heartland for america's artisans; >> reliable corporation... makers of reliable irons. no spitting, no leaking... no kidding; sulky, makers of decorative threads, stabilizers, and books. sulky... express yourself; fabri-quilt... the fabric of inspiration; omnigrid... providing quilters with specialty rulers and accessories for over twenty-five years; quilters club of america, offering patterns and videos to the passionate quilter. stocks fell on worries that china might... announcer: the new pbs for ipad app. you'll never know what you'll find. [dog barks] announcer: available now in the app store. >> fundg for quilts of valor has been provided by: american professional quilting systems quilting machines; aurifil italian thread; baby lock sewing machines; bernina sewing machines; brother sewing machines; c & t publishing; creative grids rulers; farmers & merchants state bank winterset, iowa; friends of iowa public television; gammill quilting systems; handi quilter; keepsake quilting; koala studios; love of quilting magazine; that patchwork place; omnigrid quilting rulers; original sewing & quilt expo; quilters dream batting; quilter's newsletter magazine; reliable irons & boards; sulky threads; and warm & natural batting. >> hi, i'm marianne fons. i've been hosting love of quilting on public television for fifteen years and making quilts much longer. these days i'm stitching quilts of valor for combat veterans. i feel these quilts are the best quilts i've ever made because they comfort and honor my fellow americans. during this special program, you'll see three quilts of valor take shape right before your eyes. you'll learn how a simple idea led to awarding more than 50,000 quilts to combat veterans from all branches of our military. you'll also see for yourself what a red, white, or blue quilt made with love and respect can mean to someone who has stood in harm's way. let's first travel to anacortes, washington and meet catherine roberts whose son, matt was deployed in iraq in 2003 during the first wave of fighting in the war on terror. a nurse midwife by profession and a quilter by hobby, catherine's vision of a post-deployment soldier wrapped in a comforting quilt was the seed that grew into what is now the quilts of valor foundation. >> when my son was deployed, i was always ten seconds from pan because i never knew what was going to happen. at that time we had just gone to war. we were in afghanistan and iraq and the nation was: let's support our troops. it was all about sending things downrange or to the theater. my thoughts were i want to do something to help those who come back wounded. a quilt seemed the logical answer as to what could i do to help those who are serving in harm's way and that would bring you comfort in the wee hours of the morning when you are wrestling with those war demons, so that, to me made the most sense. also being in the medical field i know that suffering comes in many different ways. that quilt is something tangible. it says thank you... an unconditional thank you for your service and your sacrifice and your valor. somehow it just worked out that i got this organization started. what i wanted is i wanted a quilt made for those who are wounded that would represent, as i thought in those days like a purple heart award. and i wanted this quilt made so it was the best possible quilt that anyone could ever have, and that it would last through someone's lifetime and be able to be passed on to sons and daughters and relatives. so in 2003 there were maybe three quilts of valor. then through the power and the magic of the internet, more people got involved. so i can remember when we were getting close to a hundred quilts of valor, it was like -- you know, it was a stellar day: oh, my gosh, a hundred quilts of valor! so little by little it sort of grew exponentially to where now in 2011 we're close to 50,000 quilts of valor. >> from the beginning, quilters by the hundreds by the thousands stepped up to piece quilt tops. long-arm machine quilters all over the country volunteered their time and quilting skills. still, the demand for quilts to cover the wounded has remained high. in 2009 a new burst of energy and an opportunity for nonquilters to get involved was born. >> in 2009 we continued to have our booth at the international quilt festival in houston and the ball is rolling. we're still producing quilts and the challenge was how do we continue inspiring people getting new people to make these quilts. and this was very challenging because war weariness has settled upon our nation. in walks marianne fons. >> one of the first things i said to catherine roberts when i met her was "what can i do for your foundation?" >> we talked and what happened is that she had this brilliant concept. >> it occurred to me that what a wonderful thing it could be if avid quilters would help other people, nonquilters, make quilts. one quilter could help one person make one quilt a quilt of valor. and it was that idea that led to under our wings. >> what a wonderful way to get new people into making quilts and performing national service. >> under our wings became an official part of quilts of valor in 2010. avid quilter service coaches helping rookies make just one quilt a quilt of valor. that's exactly what we're doing today. let's meet our three volunteer coaches now. eleanor burns started a quilting revolution with her first quilt in a day book in 1978. after teaching and inspiring thousands of quilters for over thirty years, eleanor's mission is the same today as it always has been, promoting the art of quiltmaking to beginning quilters. eleanor, it's an honor and a pleasure to have you with us today. >> thank you. it's my pleasure to. i love to make quilts. >> today you're making a quilt in a day. >> absolutely. >> tell us a little bit about the quilt you have all ready for our special rookie today. >> the name of the pattern is the tossed nine patch. it's very easy to do and i know she can just pedal to the metal and get it done. so we start out with a nine patch. you know this one, marianne. white in the center, eight patriotic prints around the outside edge. we're going to zip this up and then we're going to get our rotary cutter, ruler, cut it up into pieces and get rid of it. and then we're gonna shake 'em up toss them up good, and we will have the tossed nine patch block. >> it's beautiful. i love it. alex anderson is well-known to quilters everywhere as host of hundreds of episodes of simply quilts on hdtv. she's written over two dozen quilting books and taught and lectured all over the world. she now cohosts the online quilt show with ricky timms and with ricky is greater director of the quilt life magazine. alex, i'm thrilled. i can hardly believe you're here. >> well, marianne, i am so honored you asked me. it's just wonderful to be a part of this whole project. >> i'm glad. >> so you want to know the best part for quilting for me is bringing in a new quilter. and i can tell you that my rookie will have guaranteed success when he -- oh, yes, i said he -- makes his first rail fence. super simple but with a little action it has smashing results. >> it's absolutely perfect. >> once quilters meet mark lipinski they never forget him. dubbed the bad boy of the quilt world mark entertains audiences around the country with his commentary on quilting in the age of friending blogging, and tweeting. currently he hosts the online quilt show quilt out loud on qnmtv.com. howdy, mark. >> hey, marianne! baby, do i have a quilt for you! i am doing two simple blocks. one is called the drunkards path. you don't have to be drunk in order to make it, although it helps. and the other one is called the evening star. what i'm going to put together today is a quilt called stars & stripes totally patriotic, totally easy and with really quick, easy ways to get these two blocks to work for you. even a rookie can do it, and i can't wait to get my hands on my rookie. >> it sounds fabulous. thank you, mark. now let's meet our rookies. olympic athlete dan gable has been called the greatest men's freestyle wrestler of all time. winning the gold medal at the 1972 munich olympics without surrendering a single point he went on to coach ten olympic medalists. at the university of iowa, dan coached his team to an unprecedented nine successive ncaa title wins. dan, it's an honor and a thrill to have you today. thank you for coming. thank you. usually you shake hands and then you wrestle, but we can act like it's after the match too. that makes me feel much better. your coach is alex and she's waiting for you there. >> i'm ready. dan, it's wonderful to meet you. thank you. i'm going to teach you how to pin and other things like that. well, i was the greatest pinner so maybe i'll teach you a few tricks. awesome! i can't wait to get started. >> singer and dancer mary lou metzger has been performing on television since the age of seven appearing for twelve years on the ever-popular lawrence welk show, where she danced with the maestro himself at the end of each program. she's known today nationwide as a great friend of public television. mary lou, it's a thrill to have you here. thank you for coming. oh, it's such an honor. thank you for asking. we're going to have a great time. your coach is mark. he's waiting for you at center stage. come on over! listen, mary lou i'm going to have you dancing all the way through this quilt. you know, in order to make you feel more comfortable, i decided -- oh, make me a quilter. we're making you feel comfortable; every day is champagne day when you're making a quilt. have a seat. let's get started. >> heather stephenson is an everyday hero. the mother of a teenager and a two year old she's married to an army guardsman who has completed three overseas deployments. heather knows firsthand what it is to have a loved one far from home and in harm's way. heather, we're thrilled to have you with us. thank you for coming. i'm very excited. eleanor is waiting for you right over there on the right-hand side of our stage. so welcome, heather. nice to meet you. i want to know, did you get a good nights sleep? no, not at all. how are we going to do a quilt in a day? i don't know. we can do it. we can. >> so we're all in place everyone is ready to go and we know our first step when making a quilt is to make sure our student can sew an accurate 1/4-inch seam. that's where we start. so everybody let's get going. mary lou you've got it easy because we have this little piece here. but listen, you have this 1/4-inch seam guide. if you don't have one on your machine you can put post-it notes like that at 1/4 inch. that's a great idea. i can sew buttons. i can sew snaps. sewing machines terrify me so i am a rookie in the truest sense of the word. i actually think based on your sewing, you want to go a little faster. okay, i'm trusting you. i'm more nervous about doing this than i have about any performance i've ever done in my life because i want to do it well and it's important. a perfect 1/4 inch all the way through. do you see that? i do. that's it! you've got a mastered. sewing machines come often with feet on them that are 1/4 inch. in this case, if you put down the presser foot by the lever behind and you butt this right in here that's your 1/4 inch. then as you feed it in with two hands it will guide it along. so who does the -- you... unless you ask me to. which hand? whatever works. i can't go under here. yeah, you can. it's your machine. love it. i don't know exactly what i'm doing. i'm hoping to learn fast. i know that it's for a good cause. i'm excited about it. go faster. see how easy that is. do you want to do another one before we get started. yeah. are you ready? i'm ready. on your mark get set, go! okay. man your machine! okay, these are 5-inch squares, and we're just going to put them right sides together. you know right sides together. can you sew straight? i don't know; i've never sewn before. this is going to be hard. >> i'm kind of nervous because we're supposed to make a quilt in a day and i always thought it would take months to make a quilt. so it will be an interesting day. my coach might get you know, a little -- i hope that they're patient with me. foot down. foot down. needle down. needle down. and pedal! that was scary, huh. it was very scary. okay, just go to the end. are you comfortable with that? i'm not comfortable because usually i practice something 10,000 times before i really get it down. well, you know what i say to that? i say you have a victory right here. it's only twice, though. that's okay. i see promise. i see promise. >> any fears or anxiety about making this quilt? yeah, a little bit. so here we go. now, i've taught you how to do 1/4 inch. is there anything you would like to teach me in wrestling? yeah, i would like to teach you a little tie up. >> but there's two types of nervous. it's called nervous high and i can perform under nervous high because that's where records are broken when your body can perform well. then there's nervous scared, and nervous scared is when like, you underachieve. i could look at this like i'm nervous scared because i'm not familiar with it, but i'm too confident. get both their arm get this arm tighter behind. no, no. right there. right there. now you've got me. you own me. that's good because -- get back down here. is this a race or what? >> well, you know, it's -- i'm springing this on you, dan, because -- yes -- is that gold or not? yes. because i'm only a gold guy. i'm going to teach you how to do curves without using a pin. without the pin. without a pin. now, when i first learned how to do curves, i had to use five pins. i have a technique here that is so easy it's going to blow your socks off. you're going to be sewing these faster than joann castle can play a piano. so let's go! all righty! here we ago. i was thrilled to be asked to do this because i have a little bit of a history with veterans and my dad was in world war ii. he was in the battle of the bulge. he had 22 machine gun bullets in him. and my mom served in the red cross. then when i was in high school and graduating it was my friends that i'd grown up with that were part of the servicemen that were drafted into the vietnam war. one of my dear friends jimmy reinhardt that i had done shows with all through high school, was actually killed the same month that i moved to california to join the welk show. i had grown up doing veterans shows at hospitals for the veterans when i was a kid. is that not far enough there? there you go. take a couple of steps. okay, now start your pull you don't have to pull hard. i think go a little faster; you might be happier. do you think? pull it. don't stop it. you're just pulling the top. you're not worrying about the bottom. i'm better slower. okay. a little bit slower. so now we're going to just take this -- this was really just to check our stuff. so we're going to just get rid of it. okay. so now the next thing that we have to do is cut center squares for our blocks in whites. >> one of the things that as a military family member -- and my husband is a military member -- that we talk about a lot is the support from the community. that's one of the things that makes it special with him being in the guard, because the guard is really a team of the family of the soldier and the community. the quilts of valor also kind of represents that because its members of the community giving their support to the soldier. this is the blade. very sharp. every time -- this is your lesson. so you're going to open it. every time you're done you have to close it before you put it down or i'm going to charge you 20 bucks for every time you leave it open. that could get expensive. that could. >> it's really the foundation of our country is the selfless service. and at the military, you know, we always talk about how we serve and family serve too. this is a way for anybody in the community to also serve. just hold your hand -- keep your thumb out of the way. it wouldn't look good with only one thumb. you go like that, okay? okay. now you get to do ten. okay. yeah, hold it down. push hard. you've got to be careful. you did it! that was amazing. now do 15. oh, and i owe you $20! we can go out for dinner. okay, do 15 now. >> we'll check in with our teams in just a moment but first, a quilt guild in the small town of huntley, illinois went all out in support of quilts of valor and under our wings, creating a special weekend of valor. here's their story. >> today we're having our first quilt show for the quilts of valor. it kind of grew from an idea that was planted in november when we were asked if there was anything that we could do for this northern illinois quilt fest and we decided that we would turn it into a weekend of valor and have the whole thing be about quilts of valor and the under our wings program. >> coordinator sue bruss and janet meyer gained support and assistance of fellow guild members by appealing to their patriotism. >> we went to the first meeting and told them our idea. then we asked for every member that had any member of their family that had ever served in any war to please stand. and everyone in the room stood. so then i just said, can we have your support. and they agreed. >> sue and janet asked the guild members to make quilts of valor to display at the quilt show. >> we thought we'd get 30-35 quilts. we got 76... and they're making new ones. so they've been hugely supportive hugely behind it. >> soon the event included not just an exhibition of quilts of valor but also an under our wings workshop. >> most workshops for quilt shows are in a room -- a locked room somewhere else. we decided it would be much more effective if we had the workshop right out in the middle, where people were looking at the quilt show and they could actually watch people make the quilts. it was really important for us to get kids involved so that we would have really young kids doing the under our wings part. >> this is really fun. i like meeting my coach and just meeting other people who quilt too. she told me everything i need to do and made it easy for me. >> giving a quilt to a soldier is very important because it's an emotional thing to know that they're over there fighting for our freedom. >> it makes me feel happy because our, like, -- that i did something good for our country. >> we've got sponsors from everywhere. we've got a lot of sponsors. each sponsor gave us the money to buy a kit to sponsor a coach and a rookie. >> as planning continued more ideas were generated and the event became much more than a quilt show. >> we decided to have a salute to the veterans. there's a lot of local veterans from all different combats. that have never been really thanked. plus, there's a lot of kids in our area that have gone to iraq and afghanistan. so we put out a call for military people, for families to nominate them, for groups to nominate people that had not ever received a quilt of valor that would like to receive a quilt of valor. and we had 20 nominations, and i believe we have 15 of them coming today. right now those quilts are hanging in the show, but before the salute, they'll be taken down and they will be presented by the people that made the quilts. this has been the most amazing experience i've ever had. standing here and listening to people talk about their families, people that have received the quilts, people that know the people that are going to receive the quilt. we've been working on this for eight months and i can't believe it's almost over. but it's not going to be over because we're going to keep making quilts of valor. to me, national service means whatever you give. you make a quilt you knit a hat, you do whatever you do. that's national service. and i think for those of us that can't -- we can't give our lives. we give our hearts. >> such a poignant statement. we saw a lot of people giving their hearts during this wonderful new public television special the quilts of valor. i'm terri hale. we're glad you're with us. this is an opportunity for you to do some giving of your own. by calling the number you see on your screen, you can invest in the public television station that is bringing you this remarkable program and story about the quilts of valor. what we can do at the station is thank you with your own copy of the dvd of the quilts of valor program. the dvd will have extra material on it. this is available at the $90 level. in addition, we will send with the dvd, a pattern instruction booklet for three of the quilts featured in the program. here to tell us more about that is the host of the program, marianne fons, who is an iowa quilter. we are enjoying every minute of this program, but tell us about the patterns. >> the patterns for the quilts that you see the rookies making on the show are all in the booklet. the instructions, the yardages the how-to and everything. so if one of those quilts fires your imagination, it's there. also on the dvd, if you noticed the beautiful eagle quilt that's on the set and you see in the show the instructions for that are included on the dvd. >> so if you're a quilter and you're inspired now is the time to call the number on your screen invest in your public television station and have the opportunity to make those beautiful quilts. there is another person here i want to introduce. you saw her in the first segment, catherine roberts, who is the founder of the quilts of valor foundation. welcome to this public television station. you mentioned in the beginning of the segment that there's a bit of war wariness. what does it means for a tribute like this on public television to perhaps help lift that? >> i'm so excited that this is being aired because in the nation when we've been at war for so long, people want to move on to the next page and yet the veterans and the combat warriors need to be remembered so this is a wonderful way to reach out to people to allow them to participate in national service. >> marianne, what inspired you? you're one of the producers of this program. what inspired you to do this? >> that's a great question; i think meeting catherine a couple years ago at quilt festival. we just clicked and i decided that this was a foundation that i wanted to be involved in. i started making quilts of valor, and one thing led to another as it so often does. and working with public television as i do, this is the kind of -- we tell these stories. public television is the place to go for a story like this. it couldn't be more educational because we're making quilts and we're talking about our military service members, about our country, about our history. so it's the epitome of what is special about public television. >> you make public television special with your pledges of support at the number you see on your screen. let's find out more about the thank you gifts we'll send. >> i'm jennifer konfrst. i'm glad you're here enjoying this program on this station. i want to let you know about the thank you gifts we have, the ways we have of thanking you for investing in quality programming just like this that stays right here in your community. if you can call and pledge a dollar a day to this station we would be happy to send you a great combination gift that includes everything you need to enjoy and implement the quilts of valor ideals. so if you see that $365 level, you'll receive labels that you can sew on your quilts. one is for groups and one is for individual. you'll also receive a dvd of the program you've been enjoying and will continue to enjoy in a moment. you'll also get the pattern booklet with some of the patterns that the rookies used in the program. you'll also receive a split rail fence quilt kit. this includes fabric to complete a split rail fence quilt and pattern instructions. those come your way in addition. this combination gift really gives you a chance to watch the program, maybe bring a rookie under your wings and also make a split rail fence quilt for yourself. all of that is yours for a $365 investment in this station. you see on your screen those are the fabrics we have. they may vary a little bit but they will be beautiful and they will be patriotic and perfect for this quilt. so at the $365 level we'll send all of that as our way of thanking you for investing in this station. now, at the $250 level is where that split rail fence kit is. the fabric may vary, but it will be patriotic and it will be great. it will be really very vibrant and a lot like what you're seeing on your screen. the pattern instructions are also included, so this is a way for you to make your own quilt right away. you'll see your friends and neighbors are calling in and investing in this station. maybe they're pledging at the $250 level to get the quilt kit. it's possible they're pledging at the $90 level of investment so that they can receive and you can receive the program dvd with extra material including another pattern of that eagle quilt that marianne talked about and a pattern instruction booklet for three of the quilts featured in the program. those come your way for a $90 investment in this station when you call the number on your screen. for a $50 investment you will get a set of eight quilts of valor fabric labels. these are a wonderful way to commemorate the work that you've done. you'll receive four team labels. some people will piece it; some people will quilt it. you'll also receive four individual labels for the quilt that you make on your own to award as a quilt of valor. these are very personal items and these labels will give you a good opportunity to proudly proclaim that you have made a quilt of valor and that you're very excited to give this to someone so deserving of comfort and warmth and so deserving of the love and attention you're going to put in to the quilts you create. when you call the number on your screen you're telling this public television station to keep bringing you great history, great public affairs and great how-to programs just like this. it's all in this program. when you call, you're telling us to keep up the good work. we're going to head back over to terri, marianne, and catherine. >> of course, we want to appeal to the quilters. this is the opportunity at this public television station for you to have your voice heard and reinforce very directly to this public television station how grateful you are that there is a place in the schedule devoted just to you. you know that this is the only place that does that. you make it possible with the dollars that you invest by calling the number that you see on your screen. i am personally not a quilter. my grandmother was. i am joined by two very well-known quilters catherine roberts and marianne fons. i know that you would like the quilters to fill the phones at their station. >> and they always do. they always do. the quilters are great public television watchers and supporters because we talk to them every week. we teach them quilting. we have a wonderful fan base and they never let us down. >> catherine you are a quilter. i understand you started when your son was employed. >> i quilted before then but when my son deployed i said this is a way to not go crazy and quilting has a way of calming people. so i think it's great that quilters will be able to rally around this and to make a quilt of valor. >> the first time you did that was what year? when did this start? >> november 2003. >> since then it's really catapulted across the country. >> we've awarded over 60,000 quilts of valor. >> that's phenomenal. how often do you personally help deliver quilts? do you go along sometimes? >> yes, i do. i go and award the quilts. i think if the quilters can make the quilt and award it that's where they can see the value of this. >> if you call right now and make a pledge of support you can have patterns for the quilts you're seeing in this special. wouldn't it be significant if one of the quilts you delivered was one of those patterns. we want to thank everyone who has called. now we're going to go back and we're going to see first hand - this is reality television on your public television station - how these rookies are actually sewing these quilts. enjoy the program. thank you for your support. >> our rookies have now all mastered their 1/4-inch seam and patchwork piecing is well underway. let's go check their progress. i might be letting up; i don't know. i don't think so. let me sit down and sew for a second. just make sure there's not a technical problem. i don't want to lose because of technical problems. coach alex, she's doing a good job with me, because i'm actually making a quilt. i'm going a pretty good job, because she's showing me some fine things. the machine has been kind of sporadic a bit. i'm sure it's because of me. she's not blaming me. she's saying there's something wrong with the machine. i know there's nothing wrong with the machine. it's me. oh, you hate this when it happens. the thread is not threaded. when you're chaining along and the thread came unthreaded -- let me fix that. the machine was being smarter than us. so we've got to start over. no, not start over. >> she keeps building me up. i think a good coach does that. if all she was doing was telling me my negatives, i don't think i would be that motivated to do the next one. right now, bring it on. it's like going back to the starting line. it's like taking an intermission. isn't that what you do an intermission? only when i pin the guy. then i'm done. i'm done. i'm done for the night. perfect! good job! so we've got a little extra, you and me together. >> my coach is eleanor. i didn't know anything about quilting before, but i have learned a lot already. you can make it different. it can be all different. you can go through the stack put more red ones in, more blue whatever you like, because we're going to chop it all up. >> she seems to know a thing or two about quilting. we need another red one or a multicolored. that's a great one. i love it. do i have to get all these threads out of the way? i'm not that anal. i let it go and then i cut them later. >> my coach is mark lipinski and he is just a dear amazing, funny human being that really has given me so much confidence about doing this. he said, "yes, you can do that. of course you can do that." i was really nervous about this, i have to say. i'm having a ball. this is so much fun. it's a little off, but it's close enough. don't forget you have 1/4-inch seam. we'll iron it out. that will iron? here's what you do. once you get the seams you take it and make a couple cuts right up to the -- so it gives on the circle part? right. so when you're ironing it, it will iron flat. that's it. so keep making i suppose. keep making. >> the most important thing i've learned is that you can always -- if you make a mistake, you can start over and that it's to enjoy it, enjoy the fun of doing it. for a project like this, it's hard not to always keep in mind who it's for. that makes it very precious. >> i'm just stopping by to check on you kids. yeah, i'm having a little trouble with keeping it lined up good. you'll get it though. it works. i kind of scratch it. i'm not trying to take over your student, but i kind of scratch it. let's put your block out here, your sample block, and talk about this block that dan is making. we've got great simple stuff here the nine patch the rail fence. these are patterns we start beginners on. what we're doing is having dan sew these two strips together, actually both sides. then we're going to join it in the middle with the blue. then it will be a block. you will have made a block. a complete block. i'm looking forward to that. you go, dan! can we call it a block and tackle? no, that's from a whole different thing. he said they block in wrestling. yeah, we do. can you teach me a block? yeah. >> she's communicating really well with me. even if i feel like i might have messed up, i don't feel like i messed up. it's more like this is normal. you're really good. make sure you get the elbow right in there, so you get the whole distance so you can really tie up there. that's a block. like that? see, i can't go anywhere. i don't go anywhere. i don't go anywhere. i think for that you get another medal. >> she's telling me i'm a good student. she's bribing me with medals even though i don't know what color they are, but i told her i only go for gold. they're okay. i'm a little color blind. in the quilting world, silver is the best. just go with that one. it's a different field. so now you put this right here. okay. i don't know; what do you think? mark is talking awfully loud. do you think he's going to beat us? i don't know. i don't know what i'm thinking. i think we already got -- we're behind already. how are you two getting along? look. the drunkards path has begun. it's already begun. she's doing great. i'm teaching her how to do a drunkards path using no pins. it's a really easy way once you get it. it's just a matter -- look, perfect! it's a curved seam. it's a curved seam. marianne, i was telling mary lou i was quilting for ten years before i did my first curve, because i was so afraid of it. people are afraid of it and it's not hard. it's so not hard and it makes your quilt so much more interesting. it gives it a lot of movement; that's what we're looking for. there's just two pieces of fabric. here's the truth of the matter and a big secret for you, the goal is to make a quilt that looks complicated, so all your friends say what a genius you are and have it be the easiest quilt you ever made. i'm faking people out all the time. i feel so capable. don't forget your teacher didn't do a curve for ten years and this is your first project. i'm excited. >> dan is a wrestler. heather, just from having had a husband who has been away for three tours of duty and raising her kids we're all competitive by nature but we're all pals too. now we want to add the third row, so i'm just going to -- shall i hand it to you? that will make it easy because mark is already beating us. he's already got a drunkards path block done. and don't think it's not going to continue. we're going to have to hurry up. we're not going to win the prize. >> the healthy competition that is going on between the different quilting camps is very interesting. i think that the other two camps are cheating. >> heather lies. she's a good gal but she lies. >> you don't cheat when you're good. >> not an ounce of cheating... not that we wouldn't. hi, ladies. hello. everything looks great here and your sewing center is so tidy. it's because we've been throwing our fabric on the floor. it's all over. that's what floor space is for. what did you give us that cute paper bag for? we don't want that. we like the floor. i see what you've done. this is clever. i hadn't noticed it before but this is a stack of sticky notes like everybody has, and it makes a guide. that is helping -- it's very helpful. -- because you really can't miss. i just kept on moving my needle over to the right until it was just perfect, and we measured. we need to have exactly 4 1/2 inches on this square. she's got it! do you like your fabrics that eleanor chose for you? they're beautiful. they're beautiful. she picked out some really wild ones, multicolored ones, and i like them. i think this is cut wrong. let me show you something about accuracy. when you're quilting everything is cut accurately, and i'll show you some cutting down the road. even if it's off like that in this case that will cause you problems down the road. you're fine. everything i'm putting down is fine. i'm looking here and going something is wrong here, and i've got to determine which one is wrong and get rid of it. i see. i did the vertical rows. oops, heather did the vertical rows. yes, she did. at this point they're all connected. i like to have a little fun with my pieces and move them around. the connecting or the vertical rows, is as good as pins. it's just like putting pins in there. you don't have to use pins. now i'm going to take it to the iron, and on these outside rows, i'm going to go in. on this middle i'm going to go out. then on this one again i'm going in. it's going to lock your seams. i'm going to lock my seam. keep on sewing. keep on sewing. i'll be back. a little bit of steam. look, we're halfway finished. halfway finished! we wish! mark is cheating. eleanor, the key is to make sure you add some blocks that don't need any piecing. that's the trick. that's cheating. i don't know, a cheater might prosper under this situation. we're not cheating. she's just a good dancer. in the world of hobby quilters it's all about printed fabric. in 2010 nine of the quilt industry's top fabric manufacturers rose to the challenge of creating special groups of patriotic fabric proudly bearing the quilts of valor name. when the collections were launched at international quilt market in houston spokespersons from each company commented on their commitment to the quilts of valor cause. >> the american valor fabrics project is really unique in that it's been well over a decade since our industry has been able to come together and support one cause in an organized way. >> i think all the companies should be commended for taking part in this project; it's a great project. it's interesting that each one has its own look the look the company is known for. >> everyone has brought a different perspective on red, white, and blue. how boring is that! everyone is going to do red, white, and blue. it's actually very interesting how it's all turned out. andover is a new york-based company and we lived through 9-11. this is a wonderful chance for us to honor the veterans who have supported our country. >> i hope the quilting community itself supports it as much as we're supporting it, so it becomes a very large project and brings everybody together and provides what you want: one quilt for everybody who is overseas and supporting the united states. >> i read somewhere the average soldier is thirty years and younger. there's so many people in our industry the age range of our customers: that's their sons, their grandsons, their granddaughters that are out there. i think it's a great cause. >> this is a friendly industry and we're all friendly competitors. here we are, all of these quilting companies, that are now joining together in a way to help the greater community say something special and do something special for not just quilters but our proud troops and our proud veterans. >> we are really proud of it. we are proud that we could participate. i think we put a good collection forward, and it should do really well. >> it's not just making a quilt. it's such a personal -- there's something about it that they've never done it before. now there's a reason. it's not just i'll make a quilt. there's a real reason they can relate to. >> as americans we are all obligated to take care of our troops. they do give of their bodies and minds and lives for us. the least we can do is try to make them happy to be home and comfort them in any way we can. i'm going to do some quality control here. that's what you're here for. that's right. you're the coach and you know what's right and wrong. i don't think there's any question i'll finish that quilt. i may be here quite late but it's going to get done. >> we're going so fast; it doesn't make sense. i want to look over there and see what he's doing. it's trick mirrors. he's doing trick mirrors over there. sometimes quality takes a little time. that's right. i heard that. we don't like them. i heard that, heather. in toward the middle and this one down underneath. >> as we work with the patches i am seeing how this will evolve into a quilt. i just keep sewing and sewing and then we keep cutting. i'm starting to see the progression of how it's going to turn into a quilt. you're ready. i did it! i did it! but we're not quite done yet. but we're good. ta-da!! look, ma, i'm sewing. your mother is going to be so proud. she is. she told me not to come home unless i knew how to quilt. wow. aren't those marching orders. that's a strong mother. >> it's simpler than i thought. i was expecting to be so over my head. if i can do this anyone can do this. wow! what do you think? she's doing pretty well. dan may have a few medals around his neck, but let's see. you might want to throw that block on your design wall. are we like -- oh, yeah! mary lou metzger ladies and gentlemen! yes, we've got it! no peer pressure. just so you know this is for the troops. it's for the troops. i don't want to be left out over here. this is looking great. this is beautiful. by putting plain fabric in there -- it's not plain. it's a print that does the work. this is like fireworks. if it were plain navy blue it would just hang there. this has got texture and action and movement. it feels like the 4th of july. that's exactly the way it should. is this getting easier for you as you do it? it is. yeah. surprisingly easy. what do we do after we get the nine patch made? well, we have to cut it up into fours. we could do that because we have to do it because we've got to get stuff on our design wall. yes, because we have to beat them. they don't have any stuff on their wall yet. let's do this. i didn't do a good job there. one, two, three, four, five, six... yay! i screwed up there. should i do it? okay. you just hold -- hi, ladies. you are just in time. this is so -- i know a little bit about this. we're going to show you. you have your nine patch. the distance from here to here is supposed to be -- 4 1/2. good, good. what we want to is cut this up in half. half of this is -- 2 1/4. we're really tutoring here. so i put some tape at -- so you can find your line. so i can find my middle. there are so many lines. yes, exactly. you cut it in half. had you ever seen one of these but for? no, and her eyes were really big. now we're just going to spin. look at that! it's like a scrabble board. we repeat it. now we get to line it up again. some people have to walk around the table but not eleanor. it's efficiency. i've been doing this long enough to know what i want. we fine people if they don't close the cutter. i already owe her $20. look at that. now we have four patches out of the one. that's so neat. nine patch. are we doing okay so far? just look! look at that. we're doing great. i'm in shock. just keep going. i'm in denial. i feel so gifted. just watch your 1/4-inch. >> our teams are making great progress. quilts of valor are presented many ways. recently a unique presentation took place when a busload of quilters from minnesota traveled 1,300 miles to personally deliver 1,000 quilts to wounded soldiers. >> we were invited by fort sam houston, and we were also invited to fort hood. we had several months. when i was asked how many quilts i thought we could bring i kind of blurted out the number 1,000. i don't know how much of a realistic goal that was at the time but as i've always said you put midwest women and give them a goal tell them there's work to be done and they get it done. we did 1,026 quilts. >> it does make a big difference when you personally talk to these people and give them the quilt. we always ask them if they'd like a hug and most of them want a hug. >> i noticed this young gal coming out of the room where the quilts were distributed and she had a quilt that i made. she says, "oh, i love it. it's so soft. i want to give it to my baby when the baby is born." i said "oh, you're having a baby. i love to maybe be quilts,". because i really do. i said, "i'll make you a baby quilt if you can give me your name and address." so she did. >> one, two, three. that's it. >> thank you, miss mona. >> i'd come back in a minute. it made me want to tell many other people about this journey and want them to help too. >> i think this is a real passionate thing for us to do. i'm sure our community is going to go forth again and support another fund-raiser. we will be probably going to colorado in 2012. >> the reward for me was much more than the reward i gave as the quilt. they took a quilt away but i'll take a memory away that is priceless. >> i don't think there's a dry eye in the house. i'm terri hale. we're are your public television network. we are inviting you to show your support for this public television station for telling a story that needed to be told. the quilts of valor are a tangible, loving thank you to those who served and been in harm's way. only public television would tell you the story and bring it to you in the way that we're doing right now the fun and humor of the rookies as they are competing to make their quilts and then the very poignant heartwarming and touching moment as the soldiers receive them. it is a program i'm guessing you'd like to see time and again as a quilter and as a patriot citizen. you can make that happen by pledging to this public television station at the $90 level. we will send you not only the dvd of what you're watching that has extra material, but we will also send you the pattern instruction booklet for the three quilts that are featured in the program. host marianne fons is here to tell us more about the patterns. those are well worth the pledge. >> they are great patterns. i think they are patterns that are super easy for a rookie. so any rookie who wants to make a quilt get the dvd, get the patterns, and find a quilter to help you. the mark lipinski - mary lou metzger quilt is a little more challenging but you stepped up to it. there are three dynamic patterns and they are not hard. i think we've proved that with this program. >> you've proved that any rookie can do it. we have one of those rookies with us right now. mary lou metzger is here. you had never sewn a stitch on a machine before. >> i was so afraid -- i was so intimidated by a sewing machine. i fell in love with the idea that you can do public service in this way that it actually is -- you don't have to spend two years of your life 3,000 miles away in another part of the world. the people that we're doing this for deserve so much. so much love and affection and gratitude goes into each of these. i know watching television it's so easy to get depressed and unhappy with the way the world is. i think instead what we need are answers and positive approaches. >> and this is one. >> it is. it's an investment of yourself. i think this is entertaining for someone even if you're not a sewer or a quilter. but believe me if i can do this, anyone can do this. >> you're giving us nonquilters hope. i like what you said because in a way, your gift to this public television station is your form of public service because you are making these kinds of outstanding programs possible, not only for those who have the resource to invest but, as we know during these times, not everyone does. it's an important gift that you can make right now by calling the number you see on your screen. let's find out more about the ways we can say thank you. >> this story sticks with you. this is one of those stories that sticks with you all year long. for a dollar a day imagine thinking about this program every day remembering feelings you have when watching this program, think about the people who received these quilts, how they're enjoying them every single day. now consider giving a dollar a day to this public television station and we'll send you thank you gifts to recognize how very generous you've been and how you think of us and enjoy us on a daily basis. at the $365 pledge level we will send you everything you see on your screen. you'll get the program that we're enjoying, quilts of valor. you'll also receive the pattern booklet that marianne talked about a little while ago. you'll receive fabric and all the things you need to make a split rail fence quilt. this is a great kit. it comes your way with instructions and all the fabric you see there on your screen. it might look different when you receive it but it will be patriotic. then you'll also receive quilts of valor fabric labels. in the last segment we saw the quilters signing and handing over the quilts with the labels and filling those out. you will get labels with this $365 level so that you can do that. you can personalize the quilt, the gift that you are giving and you'll be able to know that your name and your hard work is warming and comforting someone that you might not know just like public television comforts and inspires people that you don't even know. you're making it possible for all of this to happen. call the number on your screen and invest at that $365 level. we'll send you all of those thank you gifts. at the $250 level, we also have great things to send you. the split rail fence quilt kit will come your way with fabric. it might vary a little bit but it will be patriotic red, white, and blue. you'll also receive the pattern instructions at that $250 level of investment in the station that brings you great documentaries and great how-to programs which are combined in quilts of valor. at the $90 level of investment we'd be happy to send you as terri mentioned a moment ago, the program dvd. there is extra material on here including some how-to and some information on the eagle quilt and you will also receive the pattern instruction booklet which is how to make the three quilts that are featured in this program. so for a $90 investment in this station we'll send you those things as our way of thanking you for helping us tell more stories just like this. for a $50 investment in the station right now when you call the number on your screen, pledge $50 we'll send you eight labels. these are the quilts of valor fabric labels and there are four team labels so that you can make one with friends: some of you can quilt it some of you can piece it and you can have your names on there. four of those labels and four of the individual labels. so if you're brave enough to do one all yourself, you can put your information right there on that label. you're giving the gift of time and the gift of a warm quilt that will warm somebody's heart. your name will be on there and they'll forever remember that you invested in them with your time and your treasure. when you invest in this station you're reminding all of the people in this area just how much this station means and how much public television makes a difference in your life and the lives of others. you can make a difference by calling the number on your screen right now. terri? >> this program is about being inspired being inspired to national service, being inspired maybe to make a quilt, and being inspired to make a pledge of financial support to the public television network that inspires you every day through outstanding programs. it's your dollars that make them possible. even people who aren't inspired to make a quilt this really does give you a sense of you'd like to do something more for your community; doesn't it? >> i agree. and inspiration really is a great word to use in terms of public television because i think not just this program but so many programs we see on public television inspire us to reach higher, to think more, to do more, and to look around you at all the fascinating things in our world, whether it's sewing, whether it's nature. the support of public television, it's a wonderful and unique opportunity that i think we as americans have a voice in what we watch. >> absolutely. those voices right now tell this public television station that you want to see more programs like quilts of valor, that you want to continue to be inspired. i know, mary lou that you talked about how inspiring it was just to be a part of this. >> it was so inspiring to me because i had heard the phrase quilts of valor but had no idea what it actually was and the involvement that it took to be part of it. the thing i love about public television having done this special is that it speaks to the best in all of us, that every one of us has a gift to offer and a gift that no one else can give, that we are unique and that there's a place for everyone's gift. i think to hear that over and over again, -- you can't hear it often enough -- it is inspiring. that's one of the great gifts of public television. >> when we make a quilt -- i know when i've given my quilts of valor personally, one of the soldiers i gave the quilt to said, "well, you spent a lot of time on that. that's great... you must have spent a lot of time." as quilters we spend our time, but there's also a time to spend your money and this is one of those times to show your support with financial -- i am a great giver to public television myself because i love watching commercial-free television. yes, we have these times of year when we ask for support, but it's so wonderful to watch programming that's not interrupted with a barrage of volume changes and so forth. >> and that handles a program like this so respectfully. those little confessional interviews, those were done in great fun and in great respect. we know sometimes at other television places that doesn't happen, but you're investing in a television place that is always about being respectful and inspiring and a place that you can trust that kind of positive program. >> that is the bottom line. we really can't do this without the public. it's the public in public television. it's you that make this possible and programs like this shows that inspire your children, that let you travel all over the world. this is what this station has to offer, and if it's important to you it's really important that you pick up your phone and make that call right now. >> maybe you have a quilter in your life. this makes me think of my grandmother. she gave a quilt to every child, every grandchild and every great-grandchild. she always said this was made with love this is a gift of love. that's what the quilts of valor certainly are. this is a program that certainly has been handcrafted with love by this public television station just for you. we hope you will support that effort with your phone call. we want to thank all those who have. now let's go back to more of the making of some quilts of valor. >> funding for quilts of valor has been provided by: american professional quilting systems quilting machines; aurifil italian thread; baby lock sewing machines; bernina sewing machines; brother sewing machines; c & t publishing; creative grids rulers; farmers & merchants state bank winterset, iowa; friends of iowa public television; gammill quilting systems; handi quilter; keepsake quilting; koala studios; love of quilting magazine; that patchwork place; omnigrid quilting rulers; original sewing & quilt expo; quilters dream batting; quilter's newsletter magazine; reliable irons & boards; sulky threads; and warm & natural batting. >> block construction continues, and soon rookies will join their quilt blocks into rows. let's see how they're doing. marianne, we have them all cut in quarters, but now we have to toss the nine patch. my rookie is heather. it's pretty amazing; almost everything i've told her she has remembered every single time. some for heather. there's yours. here's mine. now we've got to roll down the top, and we are going to shake them up. teaching my students is the most thrilling thing for me when you start showing them something and they have no idea what they're going to do, and they go ah-ha. it's the ah-ha moment that you're just so excited that they grasp it, they understand, and they can do it. one light up in the left corner and this one how about in the right. now you get to put in two that are light in the middle. all right, let's see. how about this one? this is good. maybe not but -- yep, that's good. is that okay? is that good? we need one more. don't look. don't look. all right, we've got it. this is getting magic. i can't shake this hard enough! how is this one? look at that! is that okay? great, fabulous. now, give us about five minutes and we'll get them all sewn together. peel me a grape, would ya! >> mary lou metzger is my rookie. i've been teaching quilting to beginners for years and years. mary lou was determined. it was on her bucket list to make a quilt so she was a natural. it's just a straight seam. interestingly enough my mother couldn't sew a button. you're kidding. no. i'm completely self-taught. i didn't have any role models. well, eleanor burns. not a bad role model. no not at all. now that we've got all the rows sewn, it's time to pin. my favorite. is it? yeah, mine too. some people don't like it, and they think it's bad. pinning is where it's at. pinning is good in wrestling so pinning is good -- excellent. excellent in this. you win when you pin. yep. we call it sometimes body pressing in wrestling. we're going to body press these seams together. my rookie is dan gable and i'm so excited that he's mine because he's so focused. i suppose that is what makes him top of his game. in a perfect world you want to have a line go right down here. you want the seam you sewed earlier to line up. i use really expensive pins and i have pressed the seams in opposite directions. when you're done body pressing you kiss them together. do you guys do that in wrestling? we usually don't kiss. okay, just wondering. the sewing has been a lot of fun. he's very inquisitive. when i do something wrong or something gets amiss which happens in quilting, he wants to know why. here we go. i have a trained professional here. i hope you all know, trained professional right here. let me teach you some quilting vocabulary. are you ready? the language of quilting? okay, so there's stash. stash is all the stuff you have to buy and you'll never use. so you'll have a stash of fabric. everywhere you go, you'll start buying fabric. it will collect under your bed, in your closets. it will be in all your cupboards. it will be in boxes in the garage. that's considered your stash. how funny. now, there's hoarding. that's different. is it? yeah, hoarding is like -- it's close to stash. it's very close to stash but it's not quilt related. what's another good -- sex, sex is one. that is s-e-x: stash enhancement experience. that's when you go out to buy more stash. then we have -- what's another good one? ufos. ufos unfinished objects. you're not really a quilter until you have 30 dozen ufos. and we have pigs. and you have what? pigs. what's pigs? projects in grocery sacks. that's another good one. you see, we have our own little language. now, you know, there's another art form; that is how to sneak your stash into your house without anybody knowing. i've heard all kinds of stories. haven't you guys, about people? i don't believe in that religion. i say you buy it, you own it and be proud of it. i agree. thank you. i do agree. i do. however, it's not that somebody tells me i can't bring it home. it's just i'm almost embarrassed by my own fabric gluttony. i hide it from myself. i think if i don't show anybody then i really didn't buy another $300 worth of fabric. but i have to have it. i have to have it. i have to tell you something. mary lou, the truth is i am like lucky i found fabric before drugs or i would be in some gutter somewhere. i'm telling you, that's how bad it is. i have a jones for cotton. wow, i turn my back and look what happens. i know. they never saw us coming. i've been standing off set and it looks fantastic. you never even looked at it? i've been looking as it's built over here and it's beautiful. should we tell the other group now? i have my hat ready. what do you have up your sleeve? you have to go like this. put you right here. all right, pretend you never saw this. are you ready to show something, miss burns? yes. ta-da!!! awesome! are we good or what! you mean you're done? no. are they done? no. wait a minute, those aren't sewn together. no, we're ahead. don't worry about it. look at dan. dan is getting all competitive over there. he's sweating bullets. i thought i really got a silver medal. dan, don't let her spook you. just keep the eye on the prize, brother. marianne, can we make a rule change right now? i'm not sure. do we have to sew borders on? yes, we're going to finish it. >> quilts of valor volunteers make and give quilts compassionately from their hearts with no thought of thanks or reply. sometimes, however a recipient takes the time to say what receiving a quilt of valor means. >> both my knees were shot out. my tibia was broken. i have four bullets in my upper arm and i got shot toward the back of my head. when i look at my quilt, it reminds me of a lot of things that i had done. it reminds me of a lot of things that people have done. i do get a sense of pride when i look at it. >> its was a pretty intense combat situation in the woods. i was on the outside of a tank shooting machine gun and i got hit by an rpg and instantly lost my left leg and my right hand. i also got shrapnel in both eyes. the quilt sometimes, when i walk by the guest room or i'm in the guest room, it winks at me and i'll go over and just lay down on it. it just feels good. it's an example of someone's gratitude for what i've been through in the service. >> i can't help but see the quilt and automatically kind of think of afghanistan. i am extremely proud of what i did overseas. i appreciate this quilt probably more than i appreciate any medal that could have been pinned on my chest because this was given to me by a civilian for my service. >> i held back the tears when i did receive it. in fact, i did shed some tears. it felt very good that vietnam veterans were finally recognized as a serviceman in the fight in the war we had. i consider the people that created the quilt part of my family now. they made this quilt for us, the veterans. the way i see it is they're my sisters in arms. >> it was an honor. it was something i didn't expect. as matter of fact, with some of the guys that i know that went through worse things than i did i felt they deserved it. the people that deserve the quilts are not here anymore or they never came home. i think it's actually a sign of comfort. if we didn't get appreciated when we came home, this is appreciation. i can't say how special it is. it's the only thing that's been given to me since i've been home. >> there was a reassuring quality to having something made for me that touched me very deeply. >> i enjoy showing it to them, and they're going to look at it whether they like it or not. that's where it is. everybody can see it and i'm real proud of it. in the first place i've never had anything like this. i take a lot of pride in it. i feel bad about the other guys. they didn't get one. that's all i can say. five, four, three... two... i don't have to do that one, do i? one!!! woooo! okay, let's hold it up. rookie of the year! do we think it's going to stay together? i really wasn't sure how we were going to make this in a day, but after being here and watching and being a part of it i get it a little more. i made some mistakes. i'm a beginner in that. stop talking. keep sewing! dan, you did it. i had a lot of help. congratulations. thank you, i had a lot of help. i think this is good. i feel good about it. i think there's a lot of people out there that would love to have it. you are my rookie of the year. wow. dan, i know you will treasure this. it's heavy isn't it? yeah. alex, read what it says. it says dan gable my quilting rookie of the year 2011. >> it looks like america to me. it almost looks like a flag in some way going different ways. i almost look at it, and i feel like the red, white, blue, and that's the united states of america. i felt pretty good about that. this quilt of valor is ready to go out to a volunteer long-armer to be quilted. it's beautiful. thank you. congratulations. a lot of work. you are a quilter for life. today you learned a two on one russian tie. teach me something else. you learned a collar tie. okay. i think after all this you deserve a bear hug. thank you. usually i throw people down to the mat. don't do that. you can throw me. i'm about ready to. i'm about ready to. thank you. do it for lawrence welk! yes, yes, yes, yes! okay, here we go. i'm ready. we're ready. we're on our last one. last one. go, mary lou. go! it's coming. it's coming! i just want you to point out to america that mary lou and i are the cissy and bobby of quilting. let's go. yay, we're done. we're done, we're done! let's show it really good. >> my quilt is very, very pretty. i was very surprised at how easy it was to make a quilt and at how it turned out in the end. we've spent time together, but think where this is going and how much someone is going to appreciate it. it's fantastic. great job. thank you. it was fun. >> it was kind of an emotional experience. if you have a loved one that's in the military, even if they're home those emotions you have when they're gone come back so easily. it just takes one story, and then you're back to that point where you could just cry on a dime. 4 inches 3, 2 inches. finished! we're finished! quilts of valor! quilts of valor! you made a quilter of me. i did. >> oh, i love my quilt. i love my quilt. i thought mark did a beautiful job choosing fabrics and the whole design of the quilt. i'm very proud of it in sort of not an i did that, but that i'm capable of doing something that's that beautiful. isn't that fantastic? stars and stripes, baby. mary lou metzger ladies and gentlemen! there's so much of us that went into it. i remember when my husband and i got married, what we gave ourselves for a wedding present was a handmade quilt that we bought in the amish country in pennsylvania. i remember i loved it because i felt so much love and attention and care went into it. to be able to offer that to another person means a lot. >> i'm so proud of our coaches of our special rookies, of all the beautiful patchwork you've sewn today. i know the soldiers, the service people that receive these quilts are going to be comforted by the love and the time we've put into them. thank you all for being with us today. national service is not the household term it once was in a wartime america. but anyone can honor a combat veteran with a healing quilt of valor. if you're a quilter already, pull some fabric from your stash and get started. if you're not a quilter, find one to take you under their wings and help you honor an american touched by war. >> the best part of the process has been for me to be able to give something back to a soldier who has given so much for our country. >> i'm proud to serve my country. to be quite honest this is another way of serving. >> the last nine years i've been a medic in the military. this is definitely something they are honored to receive. it's an honor to do this for them. >> they are still somebody's son or daughter. there's something about wrapping a little child in a blanket. you do that when they're babies. there's not really that much difference wrapping a child in a blanket when they're older. >> national service can be as complicated as giving your life to your country or as simple as making a quilt of valor. >> stay with us, presentations to veterans by our rookies coming up next. >> it is an extraordinary expression of gratitude for extraordinary service. maybe with the help of this public television station for bringing you this inspiring program we can get that 60,000 closer to the 3, 4 million veterans that are out there. i'm terri hale. we're glad you're with us. we hope that if you value this kind of programming that you'll call right now and make a pledge of financial support. if it's at the $90 level and you are inspired to make a quilt of valor yourself, we can make that possible. we'll send you the dvd of this inspiring, heartwarming program. we'll also send you the patterns for the three quilts featured in the program, a booklet that will come your way. marianne fons, who is the host of the program any rookie can do it, right? they may need a coach. the patterns will help. >> as everybody can see, watching this program, as heather can attest, quilters are really nice people. i think any quilter you ask to help you with any kind of quilting question, we're always ready to help. find a quilter. you make a friend. >> heather stephenson is with us. we saw her make -- was that your first quilt? >> that was my very first quilt. >> it looked like you had a lot of fun. >> i did have a lot of fun. i was very nervous about the idea of being on tv, but i was doing it because of our wounded warriors and also because it was public television so it was a safe place for me to be able to help our soldiers. >> that's so true. it is a nurturing place. >> you can trust that everything was going to be handled in a respectful way. that's really the quality that you support when you call and make that important pledge here at your public television network. we're talking about public service. we're talking about national service. you do an important public service right now by making that investment here. let's find out more ways we can say thank you when you call. >> it's a pretty safe bet that while someone was watching this program today he or she was inspired to take up quilting and make a quilt of valor, or someone was inspired to inspire someone else to make a quilt of valor. this program has inspired people to take action for national service. this program has inspired people to continue to give back to your community and to our soldiers and our veterans. we're asking you right now to give to this station and let us know that this kind of inspiration is exactly why you watch public television and this kind of inspiration is exactly what you want to continue. so call the number on your screen and tell the station keep up the good work, continue to inspire all of us. i might recommend you call and pledge at the very generous level of a dollar a day $365 to this station. we will send you a great combination gift. everything you see on your screen: the program of quilts of valor you've enjoyed and are enjoying; you also will be able to receive the pattern instruction booklet. that includes the patterns for the three quilts that are featured in quilts of valor. you've seen them all finished. you've seen them under construction. you can make your own out of those patterns. you'll also receive a split rail fence quilt kit. this gives you the fabric a lot like what you're seeing on your screen there. you'll also receive the instructions for that split rail fence quilt. that is in this packet at the dollar-a-day level. finally, you will receive quilts of valor fabric labels. these are a way to put your stamp on them -- put your stamp on the quilts that you make. you'll receive eight of those, four team and four individual, as part of our way of thanking you for giving a dollar a day to this station. a dollar a day for quality television like nowhere else. that's what we're asking you to invest right now. if that level is a little out of your reach we invite you to call and pledge at that $250 level. this is a great way for you to make your own quilt. you can give it as a quilt of valor. you'll receive the split rail fence kit. again, patriotic fabrics will come your way. you'll also get the pattern instructions for this beautiful quilt and you can make it on your own. i would be very intimidated to get a packet of fabric and instructions and be told to make a quilt. so as marianne says, go out and find a quilter and be inspired to make your own. if you're a quilter, take someone under your wing and make a quilt of valor to give to someone else. at the $250 level, you will have what you need to make that quilt a reality. at the $90 level terri mentioned a moment ago, you will receive this program, quilts of valor. it is such a moving program. it's a great mix of documentary, heartfelt stories, and fun. we've seen all the rookies having a great time with their coaches in the program. it's a really nice balance of heartfelt and serious and also a lot of fun all for a good cause. the cause right now is public television. you can have the program on dvd. you can get the quilts that are featured in the program as part of a pattern instruction booklet. those will come your way when you pledge $90 to this station when you call the number on your screen. at the $50 level of investment you can have eight labels. these are quilts of valor fabric labels. these are official. they say: this is a quilt of valor quilted to honor and comfort those touched by war. there are four individual ones. when you put the whole thing together you can put your name, their name. it has washing instructions on it. it truly is a nice badge of honor to go with that quilt. we also have four team ones so that if somebody pieces it somebody quilts it somebody binds it you'll be able to put everyone's name on there and truly recognize everyone who is part of making this very special, very comforting gift a quilt of valor for a very deserving wounded warrior. when you call and pledge your support to this station you're doing more than getting some thank you gifts. you're telling us you believe in this kind of programming. you're telling us that these are the stories that need to be told and these are the stories that are not told anywhere else. how about stories that bring out the best in us rather than the worst in us. how about stories that tell us how we can help each other rather than how we can plot against each other. public television is different because we tell these kinds of stories.