Celebrating the 4th of July in Washington DC and Edwards Air Force Base

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

-The Declaration of Independence 4 of July, 1776.

Happy Independence Day to our neighbours to the south and northwest! I lived in the States for three years just after my husband and I got married. Our stay there gave me a whole new appreciation for the country and its people. We have fond memories of celebrating Canada Day and July 4th with our new friends in Boston. In honour of its Independence Day, I thought I'd check out some blogs from the States. Now Quilting Bloggers lists 3077 blogs for the United States! 3077! Um, yeah, let's make it a little more manageable, shall we? Since I looked at the capital city of Canada for Canada Day, how about we look at the lovely District of Columbia (Washington DC)? I also want to look at the Armed Forces Americas blogs because I know what a wonderful job they are doing of protecting the U.S. and the freedom that we all hold dear. 

I was curious about the Armed Forces Americas listings and wondered where bloggers from the Armed Forces would be located. I had a hard time picturing somebody blogging about quilting from Kandahar or Iraq. It turns out that both bloggers listed on Quilting Bloggers are at Edwards Air Force Base in California and it looks like they know each other. Bethany, originally from New England, from Creative Outlet has done some beautiful kids clothes and an adorable pinwheel baby quilt. I love the wallhanging she did for her room -- even the back! Peach Stitches posted a beautiful Tiffany Diamonds quilt, a super cute Airplane quilt, and I love how the colours pop on her Counting by Fives quilt that she made for her sisters graduation.

Now, faster than even an air force jet, we'll head to Washington DC. I've visited DC a few times to see some friends and really liked it. One visit, we went to the National Museum of Women in the Arts -- definitely worth a visit! Quilts, paintings, handicrafts -- simply beautiful works of art everywhere you look.

My first blog stop was a Day in the Life of Bugsy. It looks like he's been into knitting lately, but scrolling back I found a great quilt he made for Baby H and a Batik quilt. Love those colours!

In honour of the Independence Day weekend, AnneEliza has posted a flag quilt on her blog. And for those looking for some patriotic quilting, AnneEliza is also following along with Barbara Brachman's Civil War Block a Week so there are 20 beautiful civil war blocks on her site.

I loved the bold colours and designs on Linda's Eat, Sleep, Quilt blog. I like how she regularly posts three things she's happy about. Her Motown Came to Town post is wonderful. Definitely something to check out!

Life, Love, and Doghair's quilting is fun and cheerful -- a vivid blue quilt for Craft Hope and a great airplane quilt. She's also is a very talented photographer - her photos are stunning, especially the ones she took at a Revolutionary War reenactment.

I got a good giggle when I went to SassyBlog -- with a title like that I should have known. For July 4th, the mother-daughter team has posted a Yankee Doggie Dandy leash. I also liked the elegant mug rug for Dad they posted for Father's Day, and the mom's take on Fat Quarters made me laugh. They have a great tip for sewing binding too! They also have a shop - SassyPacks.com. Shopping!

Did you know that DC has a Modern Quilt Guild? Natalie, from School of Crafts, posted some photos from one of their recent meetings where they featured hand sewn projects - very fun! She also posted some photos she took at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.

I was totally wowed at the The Parfait Café. Madame Parfait's Robert Kauffman Solids Charm Pack Challenge Quilt is simply gorgeous! Seriously, go and look at it. I'll wait. You're back? Stunning, isn't it? And she provides a great tutorial for Interlocking Seasons. I'll be trying that one for sure.

Now, you've got to love a blogger who describes herself as Sew Chick: An Art Quilt Adventurer and vows that she's "out to change the world one art quilt at a time. There's no right or wrong way to do it--just your way." Love it! Lawana Holland-Moore, aka Sew Chick Elle, has some interesting posts about the Journey of Hope exhibit. I hadn't heard about this exhibit or the challenges it's has been experiencing before, but will definitely be looking into it more. She also has a great post with photos of the Quilts for Obama exhibit. Such beautiful work! Her own piece in the exhibit is exquisite.

I also found a beautiful wedding quilt (actually from a NY site, but I'm tagging it here because I may not find it again otherwise). :)

That's it for today. Happy 4th of July, my American friends! Here's hoping that it's filled with peace, BBQs, fireworks and lots of red, white, and blue! I hope you enjoyed this trip to the U.S. capital via Edwards Air Force base. If you liked this trip, you can also see what other virtual quilting quilting trips I've taken recently.