Step 2. Referring to Diagram II-A, sew beige mottle and assorted red and blue 3 7/8" half-square triangles together. Make 14 sets of 4 matching pieced squares. Sew 2 rows of 2 pieced squares each (see Diagram II-B). Stitch rows together to make Pinwheel Block. Make 14 total. Diagram II-A Diagram II-B Quilt Top Assembly and Adding the Letters Note: Refer to Assembly Diagram for following steps. Step 3. Stitch 2 1/4" x WOF dark blue print strips to sides of Flag Block; trim even with top and bottom. Sew remaining dark blue strips to top/bottom; trim even with sides. Step 4. Arrange and sew 2 strips using 7 Pinwheel Blocks each. Stitch to sides of quilt center. Sew ivory/brown print 6 1/2" x 45" strips to top/bottom; trim even with sides. Assembly Diagram Step 5. Trace letter templates on paper side of paper-backed fusible web. Cut apart, leaving small margin beyond drawn lines. Following manufacturer's instructions, fuse to wrong side of blue mottled stripe; cut apart on drawn lines. Step 6. Finger-press quilt top in half lengthwise; use fold as placement guide. Referring to photo, position letters. Following manufacturer's instructions, fuse in place. Appliqué edges by machine or by hand using buttonhole stitch (Diagram III) and matching thread. Diagram III Quilting and Finishing Step 7. Layer and baste quilt top for quilting method of your choice (see Basic Quiltmaking Instructions).The featured quilt was machine quilted with wavy lines on the flag stripes (matching thread color) and large stars and a meander on the blue area. A curled leaf motif and double outline stars are stitched randomly on the Pinwheel Blocks. A meander fills the area around the lettering. With variegated red/blue thread, bursts of fireworks were added at the sides of the lettering. Step 8. To make prairie points, fold red/ blue stripe 6" square in half diagonally (see Diagram IV-A). Fold in half again (Diagram IV-B); make 9. With raw edges aligned, arrange and overlap prairie points along lower edge of quilt (Diagram IV-C). Baste in place using scant 1/4" seam allowance. Diagram IV-A Diagram IV-B Diagram IV-C Step 9. Position raw edge of binding even with prairie point and quilt raw edges. Stitch through all layers to add binding around quilt (see Basic Quiltmaking Instructions and Diagram V-A). Roll quilt binding to back side and stitch in place. To force prairie points to always point down, sew across, as shown in Diagram V-B, through bound quilt. Diagram V-A Diagram V-B A Soldier's Craft Return to Golden Quilts Index