Penny's Postcard Posse Greetings for the Troops

Current Roundup - Deployment from Miramar

Imagine Turning 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 -

Penny's Postcard Posse began in 2006 Rounding up fabric postcards to send to the troops in Iraq for the 4th of July.

After all, the 4th of July in Iraq is just another day unless it becomes something different by virtue of quilters' intervention!

That Posse Rounded up more than 139 tiny postcard greetings for the soldiers in Iraq. These fabric cards were sent through Camp Pendleton in San Diego, California, and pictures of them are posted on this site.

Thanksgiving Turkey postcards for the Troops was just as successful with 284 postcards collected.

For Christmas 2006, one class of children at Kempton Elementary school, all of the children at Casa De Oro Elementary School (both in Spring Valley, California) made fabric postcards to send to the troops. And families at Maryland Avenue Elementary School (in La Mesa, California) made cards at their Family Craft Night in December. Including fabric postcards from our quilters, I stopped counting at 639 postcards, and am certain that we sent more than 800 postcard greetings to the troops abroad.

Several Canadian quilters requested that postcards be sent to their troops who are stationed in Afghanistan. So, for Valentine's Day 2007, quilters sent in 217 postcards that were forwarded to Donna in our quilting community who lives in Alberta, Canada.

The Spring Postcard Posse Rounded up 242 postcards that were sent to wounded soldiers in the hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Fourth of July 2007 was amazing! With hundreds of quilters participating, the Posse Rounded up more than 2,173 postcards, and they are still coming in.

Halloween 2007 was just a fun surprise for the troops overseas, and quilters contributed more than 889 fabric postcards.

For the Miramar Deployment in January 2008, we collected 1734 postcards.

July 4th 2008 brought in 1223 fabric postcards.

To date, our Posse has sent more than 8,928 miniature quilts have been sent to soldiers abroad.

Miramar Marines Thank Penny's Postcard Posse

Penny with Postcards for Marines	Thanks from the Marines - Click on the image to read a letter from Terry G. Robling Major General, US Marine Corps Commanding General 3rd Marine aircraft Wing	from left to right Sgt. Maj. Louis M. Espinal Penny Halgren Capt. Ed Rush, Pilot

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Here's The Future.....

We at TheQuiltingCoach.com and How-to-Quilt have been honored to sponsor these Posse Roundups, and look forward to continuing Penny's Postcard Posse Roundup again in 2008. By way of planning ahead, here are the dates and deadlines for the 2008 Postcard Posse Roundups:

The guidelines are: any size, any shape, any color, any design. For each holiday, we will provide a packet of FREE quilt block patterns you can download and use. Or create your own design. "Welcome Home," "Thank You" and other general designs are also appreciated.

Most of the cards have been about 4" by 6." But, as you look at the pictures of other cards, you can tell, the range is wide. Check out the pictures and add a comment, if you'd like:

Here are some additional patterns to get you started - quick and basic. They are free, and feel free to share them with your friends. This is a pdf file, and should be easy to download, if you have a recent version of Adobe Reader. If not, get one here:

Get Adobe Reader here.

Free Pattern for this Electric Fan Fabric Postcard	Free Pattern for Wandering Star Fabric Postcard
Free Pattern for the US Flag Fabric Postcard	Free Pattern for Ohio Star Fabric Postcard
	Free Valentine's Day Fabric Postcard Patterns
	Bird of Paradise - Butterfly - Lily of the Field Quilt Blocks Free Spring Quilt Block Patterns

Free Pattern for the Pumpkin Fabric Postcard shown above	Free Pattern for the Candle Fabric Postcard shown above	Free Pattern for the Witch Fabric Postcard shown above ;

Please send your cards to us in San Diego:

How to Quilt
7925 Pasadena Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941

We'll do the rest - make sure they get to the base to be delivered to the troops, and post the pictures.

If you would like to pass this information along, please feel free to download a flyer that has all of the details of the Postcard Posse Project.

Also - if you are a teacher or first time quilter, here are instructions for sewing a simple fabric postcard.

Thanks for participating and Happy Quilting!