The morning of Nov. 3, 2018, arrived with the welcomed warmth of a sunny day after many days of dreary rain—a good omen. Inside the Scott County Cooperative Extension office in Georgetown, the atmosphere of the large conference room was even cheerier, filled to near capacity with smiling faces, laughter, hugs and pats on the back of family, friends and caregivers. Significantly present at the gathering were dedicated quilters.
All were there for a Quilts of Valor ceremony to honor 13 veterans for their service to the United States. The event was sponsored by the Elkhorn Creek Quilts of Valor, part of the nationwide Quilts of Valor Foundation. Most of the QOV quilters there also are members of the local Elkhorn Creek Guild of quilters, but to sew a quilt for QOV, a quilter is not required to be a member of a guild.
The Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003, sparked by a nocturnal dream of Seaford, Delaware, resident Catherine Roberts. She said it was “so vivid as to be more like to that of a vision!” Roberts’ son, Nat, was serving in the Army at the time and was deployed to Iraq.
She described her dream:
“I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over … The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change.”
Originating at Roberts’ home, QOV began humbly with local quilters volunteering their time, materials and expertise to create a quality quilt Roberts called a Quilt of Valor. The idea of honoring a veteran with a handmade quilt soon became a movement that spread by word of mouth and the internet across the nation.
The first Quilt of Valor was awarded in November 2003 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to a young soldier from Minnesota who had lost a leg in combat in Iraq.
The QOV mission statement reads: “The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.”
There is a spirituality at work here that results in a visible and tangible way for dedicated quilters to volunteer their time and creative talents in a cooperative team effort to recognize our servicemen and women and to express to them that we remember them and thank them for their sacrifice and service.
The QOV process begins with a request for a quilt for a veteran who served during conflict. The request form can be found on the Quilts of Valor Foundation website, qovf.org. The national foundation selects a service person as a recipient, and then assigns the veteran to an official QOV group, based on the veteran’s location.
Then, the local quilt-making team gets to work. This team includes a quilt-topper—the primary quilter who selects the design and pieces together the top of the quilt from various fabrics. Another quilter operates a long-arm quilting machine, which attaches the quilt top and bottom with batting—or stuffing—in between the two layers. The quilting process features stitching in various patterns. Finally, a binder finishes the quilt by trimming the batting and sewing on the fabric that covers the edges of the quilt.
From proudly watching and listening to my quilter wife at work, I realize that this is a complex, time-consuming process, frequently involving several quilters interacting with each other in effectively a “quilting bee” that usually requires months to complete. But the making of a quilt is rewarding, both during the “creative juices flowing” process and the end result.
It was with pride that I sat in the audience that November day as my wife served alongside the other quilters of the Elkhorn Creek Quilts of Valor group. She had nominated—and presented her jointly created quilt, titled “Road to Freedom”—to our backyard neighbor, Adam Warren, who served for 33 years in the Marine Corps.
Adam and I had first met by waving from the seats of our tractors while mowing our adjoining “back 40” acres. One day, we spontaneously stopped mowing and climbed down for some conversation. Conversations with Adam continued, often lasting as long as an hour, and we became good friends.
Around the time I spoke with my wife about Adam’s military service, she had become interested in the Quilts of Valor program. We conferred with Adam about our desire to create a QOV for him, the rest, and as they say, is a stitch in time.
Quilts Across Kentucky
Quilts of Valor – Central Kentucky
Nicholasville
nancy.cann@QOVF.org
Patriotic Patchworkers
Nicholasville
lhollemb1102@gmail.com
Valor Quilters Kentucky
Louisville
skameagher@gmail.com
Golden Quilts of Valor Group
Trenton
nancysnest2016@yahoo.com
Stitches of Honor – Kentucky
Alexandria
dtaylor92652@gmail.com
Elkhorn Creek QOV
Georgetown
earlene.arnett@gmail.com
Southwest Quilts of Valor
Louisville
itsme0520@yahoo.com
Pins & Needles KY
Rineyville
marcella_goodin_473@hotmail.com
Carter County Quilts for Veterans
Grayson
(606) 315-3200