I found this cute little quilt shop in Jonesboro, Arkansas, called Jana’s Quilt Shop. I found this kit, which included the Solar Flare pattern and the fabrics for the top. The kit’s fabrics were all reds, blues, and grunge white (instead of the jewel purples, reds, and blues on the front of the pattern). So I decided to go ahead and make the quilt, and try to donate it to Quilts of Valor if it turned out well (qovf.org). These are quilts that are awarded to US servicemen and -women in appreciation and recognition of their service to our country.

I’ve never made a Quilt of Valor before, so I did my research and got started. The cut squares were seven inches, so the quilt went together surprisingly fast–I completed the top in less than 17 hours. I still need to figure out what fabric to use for the backing (I have some spare blocks left, so I’m hoping to incorporate those into the back). Then I’ll need to do the quilting, but I am very pleased with how the top looks.