Like many communities across the US, mine has a group of dedicated quilters that give of their time and talents to make quilts for our service veterans. The Quilts of Valor effort is nation wide and flourishing by all accounts. Check out qovf.org for the full story. There are general guidelines for sizes and quality requirements, but in our group, the quilt maker makes the decisions concerning fabric selection and pattern. However, most of the group does stick to the red, white and blue theme. Sometimes a family of a veteran will request a specific color scheme, but that is the rare exception. The labor is all volunteer and in most cases the materials required are all donated. Our group also accepts donations of cash to purchase batting and fabrics for the quilts. I am one of the many volunteers involved and my job, along with others, is to do the hand stitching on the bindings. When I pick up the quilts they are already for me to sit down for the evening and stitch. Even a label is provided for me to stitch on the back. It takes many hands and dedicated people to pull this effort off every year but such a touching tribute to the veterans in our country. Each year, a beautiful display of many of our groups quilts are on display at our McLeod County Fair. It’s quite breathtaking to see an all-patriotic quilt display. My local quilt shop, Quilt Haven on Main is instrumental in helping our group coordinate the piecing of the Quilts of Valor by providing their sewing studio to the group on a monthly basis so the quilters can gather to sew together. It’s also where we all drop off and pick up quilts for all the various stages of getting the quilt completed. Since we are approaching Memorial Day at the end of the month, I thought I would share the quilts I am working on right now.
This is a sample of the lovely labels that are prepared for each quilt. Two sides are stitched on when the binding is attached leaving just the other to to be stitched on my hand. A special thanks to Nancy Greve and her entire group of volunteers who make these quilts and present them to the recipients each year.
