This was the original message kicking off Penny's Postcard Posse on Memorial Day 2006. Since then, more than 16,928 fabric postcards have been sent to troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and wounded soliders in Germany.

The Posse rides again for this 4th of July - - - The message is still the same. And to think, it all started with a message from a cat.

A Rare Opportunity For You to Turn Bits and Pieces of Fabric into the Most Amazing Gift on Earth

Here's How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact on Hundreds, Maybe Thousands, of Lives 7,342 Miles Away

Dear Friend:

It’s Memorial Day.

As I sit here in my cozy house, with my cat curled up in my lap, the dog nearby all rolled up in “her” chair, and the birds chirping merrily, it’s difficult to imagine what’s going on in different parts of the world.

My daughter, Stephanie, finished her last day teaching pre-kindergarten in Houston, and completed her second year in Teach for America. She and her beau attended a graduation party last night for her TFA class. Lots of happy celebrating going on at that restaurant in Houston.

In a couple of weeks, she will begin a new adventure in the Teach for America office to support the staff and new teachers in the program, enjoying the freedom to change jobs and do something that she finds of value.

Son, Bubba, is in Florida – it’s probably nice and warm there. They had some kind of Pirate Party at his house a couple of nights ago. The most I know about it was the return message I got when I sent him an AOL Instant Message.

It was probably a total blowout, with tons of college kids who are interning at NASA; lots of laughing and joking, and a basically carefree evening. (I’m not supposed to know about the drinking, even though they are all over 21.) Today they are headed for Wet ‘n Wild. Regardless of the price of gas, they are free to jump in the car and enjoy a day of fun and frolic after a hard week of work.

In the newspaper this morning, there were the usual goings-on. The city attorney is getting bawled out by a judge because his attorney-folk haven’t responded adequately in a lawsuit over how much money the city should contribute to its pension plan. No real news there, just a continuing saga of folks enjoying their freedom to conduct business the way they see fit, and enjoy the consequences when an individual citizen sees it a different way.

Howard Stern won his lawsuit giving him tapes from his raunchy old shows so his new radio employer can “Play them Again, Sam.” I’m so happy. Yet he can do that here. And people listen to him, because advertisers spend millions to be on his show, and he is making a fortune delivering his show, fully benefiting from the freedom of speech granted in our constitution.

On the front page of the family section, some shrink has expressed concerned that little girls (aged 3-5) are dreaming of living in a fantasyland, growing up, marrying a prince and having a happy life. He thinks they should be focused on growing up, becoming independent and having some kind of career. At 3 years old? Dream on, ladies – enjoy the dream all your life. We need more creative people in the world.

And then, there are the sales. Every store in town and on the internet is having some kind of Memorial Day sale. 50% off this, 30% off that, don’t pay tax…..Every kind of offer you can imagine. Yes, freedom of commerce and competition where we, the consumers, benefit. And I am free to jump in my car, or walk to the mall and shop to my heart's content (or until my money runs out)!

It's Memorial Day

And behind it all is what the day is really about. Memorial Day – a day to remember and honor soldiers who fought in wars so that we could enjoy each and every one of those freedoms.

The first Memorial Day was celebrated on May 5, 1866 to honor soldiers killed in the Civil War. As with many celebrations, this became an annual event in Waterloo NY, and spread to other towns. General John A. Logan, first Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, established Decoration Day, and the date was moved to May 30 in 1868. For more than 100 years, cities and towns had Memorial Day celebrations without any official national recognition of the event. That’s pretty amazing!

It took until 1971 for a US President to declare Memorial Day a national holiday, celebrated on the last Monday in May.

It’s funny. I remember when that happened. My best friend in school, Terry, was born on May 30. We always joked about how the entire country celebrated her birthday by taking a day off. When the celebration was changed to the last Monday in May, I remember thinking how strange it was to just ‘change a date’ like that. Terry didn’t change her birthday. Ah, commerce, and the political power of a three day weekend.

In any case, here I am pondering again, and thinking about the meaning of Memorial Day, and how various people are celebrating, honoring fallen soldiers, or just spending their time.

Honoring War Heroes

Many years ago, when Bubba was a Cub Scout, he and his Scout buddies would dress in their full Cub Scout uniforms and spend hours planting flags on the graves of soldiers at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma. When the Scouts were finished, each and every headstone had a small US flag standing at attention, honoring their service. And the Scouts stood at attention for a short time and took it all in, honoring the soldiers’ service.

One of my friends’ son was the first American soldier to die in Iraq. You may remember the British helicopter crash. He was the lone American on the helicopter. He was the last male in a long line of descendents of John Adams, the second president of the United States.

Our little town of La Mesa shared the devastation with his family. Knowing he was doing exactly what he wanted to do and was trained to do, and understanding the risk doesn’t lessen the impact of the death of a young man with such promise.

He was the first of 2,464 Americans to fall in Iraq to date. The families of all of these young soldiers and the communities they lived in will feel the loss forever. (Statistic from the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count, http://icasualties.org/oif/default.aspx)

Memorial Day is for them, and for the 1,539,042 US soldiers who have died in other wars. (Statistic from the History News Network - http://hnn.us/articles/1381.html)

As we all experience this weekend, fighting sunburn, lines at the malls, bored kids, crying babies, barking dogs, and everything else that is part of our everyday lives, it’s hard to remember that there are still troops in Iraq. And, wouldn’t they like to be here “struggling” with our every day experiences, instead of fighting sandburn and grenade blasts? I’m sure they would trade places in a heartbeat.

In just a few weeks, we will celebrate the 4th of July, and our Declaration of Independence. Maybe because I spent three years living in Massachusetts where they re-create Revolutionary War battles on the fields where they were actually fought, I think about the soldiers who liberated the United States. For me, the 4th of July is yet another holiday to remember the soldiers who gave their lives and the soldiers who currently serve in our military so I can enjoy my freedom and raise my kids in a country where they can pursue their dreams.

Today I decided to do Something

Earlier this morning, I replaced the O-rings, springs and rubber seats in my kitchen faucet. It was a successful endeavor - the water has stopped dripping annoyingly into the sink. Behind that simple task was the notion that I have a kitchen faucet with hot and cold running water and a hardware store close by. Not everybody has those comforts, most notably some of the troops in the middle east.

As I sat and listened to my lovebirds enjoying a conversation with the momma bird nesting in the staghorn fern just outside the window, I decided to do something to express my appreciation to our soldiers.

I considered several different things. I wanted to do something that was really bold and really big. Something that would tell a bunch of soldiers that people here stateside were thinking about them and wishing them a safe return to their families. Regardless of any thoughts about this war, this effort has to do with showing appreciation to the individual men and women who have chosen to serve their country and now find themselves in the Middle East - far away from their families, friends and the comforts of home.

This something needed to involve a lot of folks, doing something that was meaningful yet didn’t take months to prepare. After all, we’re just weeks away from the 4th of July, and there is transportation time between here and there.

When the Girl Scouts sent cookies to troops last year, it was apparent that it was the little things that remind them of home that really had the biggest impact on the guys and gals there.

We all know that everyone loves a quilt, and appreciates the love and warm thoughts that are stitched into the design. Quilts for the troops seemed pretty impractical. I can just imagine showing up at a military base with 1000 quilts and asking them to send them to the desert. It didn’t seem too likely that would be received well. Besides, it’s about to be summer there, and who would need a quilt? Plus who would want to pack a quilt? The troops would probably love the quilts, but it just didn’t seem like the right thing.

But what else do quilters do? Knitting? Crocheting? Maybe you, but not me. I just make quilts.

Well, how about a really tiny quilt? The size of a postcard?

Now, that seemed like it had some promise.

So, I quickly drew up a paper pieced fabric postcard designed like a US flag. This pattern includes the picture, full size patterns, templates, and foundation for paper piecing. Basically everything you need to make the front side of the fabric postcard.

In addition, I have included pictures of each step along the way of making this tiny quilt. I didn't have time to write a description of each step, but the pictures are there, and (like they say) A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. So, even if you have never made a paper pieced quilt before, you can make this one!

UPDATE! Several quilters have relatives in the military, and we were informed that they cannot receive anything patriotic, especially flags. Our Marines from Camp Pendleton will be able to receive the flags and patriotic themed cards.

So, for those who are looking for something different to make, I quickly created a pattern for a pinwheel. Wow! A pinwheel fabric postcard. That surely is something to rememeber summer as a kid - just watching a colorful pinwheel twist in the breeze.

Now you will get the US Flag pattern AND the Pinwheel pattern. PLUS, you get the Pinwheel postcard and the Pinwheel as a 6" block. These do not have pictures or instructions to go with them (sorry, no time). But I'm confident you will figure out how to make one of these fun little Pinwheels.

Adding the back is a piece of cake. Just cut a piece of fabric the size of the front and sew them together. Attach binding so it looks like a finished quilt, or sew around the outside of the fabric postcard (about ½” from the edge), and fringe it like a rag quilt. Then include a message on the back.

It all went together quickly, and it seems like a great plan.

In Only 97 Minutes, You Can Quickly and Easily Create a Quilt Guaranteed to Generate a Smile 7,342 Miles Away

Yours can be part of a big flood of fabric postcards that will arrive at Camp Pendleton military base in San Diego in mid-June. These tiny quilts are easy to make, easy to deliver, and will be welcome mail from home. These will go from San Diego to our troops in the Middle East.

If you send enough of them, we will send half of them to Robbins Air Force Base in Georgia. Those will also go to troops in the Middle East and Africa.

Starting from scratch this morning (after I fixed my faucet), it took me exactly 97 minutes to complete this tiny fabric postcard. That includes:

• Pulling the fabric out of my collection of scraps
• Ironing it
• Cutting it
• Sewing the top
• Ironing interfaing onto the backing
• Sewing the binding on to finish the card

AND, that 97 minutes includes time for taking photographs of each step along the way. Did I mention that those photos are included in your FREE US Flag Paper Pieced pattern? You see, really anybody can make this tiny quilt, or a tiny fabric postcard of any design and send it to us for this project.

Certainly you have 97 minutes you can spare to make a greeting to send to a soldier who will spend at least 259,297 minutes in a foreign country protecting our ability to create quilts in our spare time. 

Just imagine the look on the soldiers’ faces when they see the amazing load of little quilts that they can carry around with them. A small reminder of home.

Maybe their grandmother made quilts or had a quilt collection.

Maybe they have a favorite quilt waiting on a bed for when they get home.

Maybe they read a book about a quilt when they were a kid and always wanted one of their own. One that was handmade by someone who cared about them and was praying for their safety. Some small reminder they can tuck in their pocket and think about home.

Maybe someone you know will receive one of these tiny quilts from home. 

Quilters have a history of sending quilts to soldiers, although mostly wounded soldiers who have been returned to hospitals ‘back home.’ Quilts were made for wounded soldiers in World War I and II, and currently, quilts are being made for wounded soldiers from Iraq. A group in Florida is making quilts for the families of soldiers who gave their lives in Iraq.

Now is our opportunity to send tiny quilts to active soldiers far away from home, and share with them a piece of our appreciation and thoughts from home. Maybe this tiny treasure will protect them, or give them the “lift” in spirits they need to make it through another day.

With your help, we should be able to get at least 250 of these tiny quilt greetings to go abroad. With all of your help, we should be able to get thousands of them.

Anyone can participate. This is not exclusive to www.how-to-quilt.com newsletter subscribers. Feel free to share this with all of your quilting friends and shops in your area. And you can make a fabric postcard of any design. Create your own, our pattern is just one suggestion.

Here is Your Invitation to Join Hundreds, Maybe Thousands of Quilters Make a Difference to Men and Women Half-way Around the World

At the click of your mouse, you get the pattern and instructions for FREE! Instructions include where to send the finished fabric postcard.

That’s it! Make as many as you like. Share the pattern and idea with your neighbors. Kids can participate, too. Non-quilters join in! Heck, maybe a non-quilter will discover the fun and joy of quilting!

Design your own fabric postcard. Be original. Be creative. The pattern provided is just an idea. Make yours unique if you would like.

By now you probably know that everything here at www.How-to-Quilt.com includes bonuses and special deals, and this is no different.

It's as Simple as That

There you have it, the whole package.

Since there is such a short time between now and the 4th of July, you’ll need to act fast. If these tiny treasures are going to get overseas, they need to be delivered to the military bases by June 1.And that’s only a few days for you to make a huge impact in the life of a soldier.

FREE Fabric Postcards at www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com	Pieced Heart Fabric Postcard from www.How-to-Quilt.com	Photo Fabric Postcard from www.How-to-Quilt.com

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.Fabric-Postcards.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com

P.S. Time is short. And I know that you all will either do this or you won't. It will probably take 1-2 hours from start to finish to complete one of these tiny treasures. Then just find an envelope and send it to us here at www.how-to-quilt.com. We'll take care of the rest. It will be delivered to our local military base at Camp Pendleton for delivery to troops in Iraq. Start here. Today.

P.P.S. The deadline to send us your fabric postcard is June 1. These need to get transported to the Middle East, and that's not exactly like shipping them Overnight FedEx.

P.P.P.S. This is open to anybody who wants to participate - quilters from the US or around the world, friends and family of quilters, non-quilters, whoever! The only restriction on the postcard is that it needs to be fabric (felt counts, too!).