Quilt of Valor Delivered Today

I went with another lady to deliver one of the CT Quilter’s Quilts of Valor today and met a most interesting man named Mike.  He had been a Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine as they say) and served in Vietnam.  Today he is retired and helps with feral cat rescue and raises amazing orchids.  What a green thumb!  He must have had at least ten varieties of orchids hanging from various trees in his front yard alone.  He had a small water feature and it was perfect weather today to sit out on a little patio and enjoy our conversation.

Kathy (L), Mike and Sylvia (R)

He was pretty modest about talking about himself (as are many veterans) but he told me a little about his work since he left the Marines and we swapped the usual tales about health (some of us are getting to be of that certain age, you know!) and the economy, etc.  Then he shared a story of his friend that had nominated him for a Quilt of Valor.  His friend had been wounded and blinded at Iwo Jima and had gone on to start and manage a flourishing wholesale florist business in California earning a small fortune.  Our Veterans can sure be rugged individuals – they just keep on truckin’!  His friend has also received a Quilt of Valor.

Check out the critter in Mike's tree at the left!!

We told Mike a little bit about our group and the pleasure we took in making  Quilts of Valor.  We talked about the Haley VA Center in Tampa (Mike had been there), and our group’s contributions to the Poly-Trauma Unit.   We definitely thanked Mike for his service, and tried to get across that he was to USE his quilt (he was going to keep it clean in its pillowcase …).  His wife couldn’t be there today due to her work shift, but I hope she gets it out tonight and they both sit on the couch and cover their feet with the quilt … I’m betting their dachshund will want to share, too!

Several of Mike’s orchids and one of his kitties:

Isn't this gorgeous?!

And Mike thinks his Green Thumb is not unusual!!

OK - this one thinks he's a tiny Black Panther

PS  Sylvia is the mother of a QOV Regional Coordinator from South Carolina.  Sylvia lives in Florida and arranged the meeting with Mike.  Thank you, Sylvia, for taking me with you.  I really enjoyed meeting Mike - what a pleasure.

 

Thanksgiving Message

We are ever thankful for those who served our country proudly …

We remember that our liberties sometimes come with great sacrifice.

Liberty Hall in Philadelphia

Special Edition!

We have a very special story for you today.

First, a little background:

©       One of our very own CT Quilters, Maria, is also a member of the Cashiers Quilt Guild in Cashiers, NC.

©       Maria is a flight attendant for Delta Airlines.  She regularly signs up for charters that bring our troops back from various locales, including Germany.

©       Maria’s Cashiers Guild has been making Quilts of Valor for 4 years and donating to our wounded service personnel at Ft Bragg, NC (home of the Airborne and Special Operations Forces), Bethesda, MD (the Maryland Medical Center) and most recently to Kaiserslautern, Germany (Landstuhl Regional Medical Center) – and therein lies our tale!

Maria was instrumental in arranging for 57 quilts to be packed and shipped via Delta Airlines (52 from the Cashiers Guild and 5 from the Franklin/Sylvia’s Smokey Mountain Guild) .  She had help with the initial packing from her fellow guild members, Liz, Linda and LeVonna.  And when they drove to Atlanta to deliver the boxes at air cargo, the general manager graciously waived all of Delta’s airline cargo fees (a big “Thank You!” to Delta Airlines!). 



Liz (L), Maria (R) and Linda holding up the quilt (you can see her feet!)

So now the boxes were off and Maria had to catch her own flight the next day to Dusseldorf, Germany, where she rented a car, picked up the boxes and made the trek to Kaiserslautern and Landstuhl.  Landstuhl Medical Center is where our wounded soldiers receive Trauma Level 1 Treatment and is the largest American hospital outside of the US.

This is where Maria met with a PR representative, an Army chaplain with the Pastoral Care Unit, a tech sergeant and a photographer, all who were excited to receive her delivery of wonderful, comforting Quilts of Valor.

Chaplain (L), Maria (center) and PR Rep (R) with quilts and boxes

They were surprised that the quilts included pillowcase presentation cases, and they were thrilled at the beauty of the quilts.

Armed Forces personnel cared for in the Warrior Ward receive quilts through the Pastorial Closet that handles donations.

Maria with the Tech Sargent and quilts

Wounded warriors with Maria
(shading to protect their privacy)

Wounded warrior receiving his quilt from Maria
(shading to protect his privacy)

In Maria’s own words:

“It was a very rewarding and memorable experience for me to have been able to go to Germany and represent our Quilt Guild.  I am so pleased and proud that the company I work for was so gracious to support our cause and sponsor the shipment of the Quilts of Valor.”

On her return flight, Maria was accompanied by and attended to 300 Air Force troops, and more will be headed back home after the Holidays.

There was a very nice write-up of Maria’s very special trip by a columnist called “The Quilt Lady” (Bonnie Talley) in the Crossroads Chronicle on Wednedsay, Sep 26, 2012.  How wonderful that Maria and her guild were able to get the recognition that they deserve and to get the word out about the fantastic efforts of the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

Crossroads Chronicle

Kudos to you and the Cashiers Quilt Guild, Maria!

Quote of the Day:

From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent, and even here in our own hemisphere, our veterans have made the world a better place and America the great country we are today.
John Hoeven (US Senator – ND)

Recap of 11/09/12 Meeting

Once again, we had an active, bustling meeting.  Do you remember that Binding Blitz from last month?  Well, due to some extremely hard work by our leader, Pat, lots of quilts were quilted and ready to be bound.  So, this meeting’s focus was getting those bindings we made last month onto a whole bunch of quilts.  Pat brought in seven (count ‘em, seven …) quilts that she quilted up this past week!  What a woman!

First the bindings were machine sewn on:

Sewing borders after the machine binding was done!

And then the hand-sewing took place to finish the quilts off nicely:

 Pat also brought back three finished quilts, so she will soon be making another delivery to the Poly-Trauma Unit of the James A Haley VA Hospital in Tampa with 10 quilts and their pillowcase presentation packages.  We hope it will be a comfort to the service personnel to receive a Quilt of Valor if they have to be in the hospital over the holidays.  Here’s our group photo in front of the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop with lots of the quilts:

This month, we had a special guest join us all the way from South Carolina.  Anne helps with the Quilts of Valor Regional effort up there and while she was visiting in Tampa, she stopped by to see what the CT Quilters were up to.  She gave us lots of tips that will help our group grow and maybe even get funding.  We had a very nice visit.  Thanks for stopping in to see us, Anne!

Anne (L) with our leader, Pat (R),
with a finished quilt and pillowcase

And our own CT Quilter, Maria, was able to join us again this month along with her friend, Linda.  Maria and Linda are also members of the Cashiers Quilt Guild in North Carolina.  That group was instrumental in making, gathering and delivering quilts recently to Landstuhl, Germany.  Watch here for a blog post later about that very special project – it was quite a feat to get those quilts where they needed to go!

Linda (L) and Maria (R) sewing on bindings

And we were in dire need of more labels, when out of the blue, a friend of Linda’s arrived with a whole panel of labels to donate!  What a treasure – thank you so much!

And, of course, we can’t close this post without a mention of the food.  We had lots of tasty pastries to go with our sack lunches.  Thank you, Jadene and Pat for the goodies.

Some of our members had schedule conflicts this month and we want you to know that you were missed!  Next month’s meeting will be on Friday, December 14^th.  We will be having a potluck lunch ...  More on that later … Save the Date!

Veteran’s Day – November 11, 2012

The CT Quilters recognize our Veterans today

and add our sincere “Thank You” for your service.

What is the Difference Between

 Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day?

 “… Many people confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Both holidays were established to recognize and honor the men and women who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. But Memorial Day, which is observed on the last Monday in May, was originally set aside as a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.

While those who died are also remembered on Veterans Day, which is observed on November 11, Veterans Day is intended to thank and honor all those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank living Veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty. …”

THE AB0VE WAS EXCERPTED FROM THE TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE PROVIDED BY THE VETERAN’S ADMINISTRATION AT WWW.VA.GOV

A Salute to the US Marine Corps

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - WWII

While the US Navy traces its heritage back to the date that George Washington was authorized by Congressional Resolution to command armed schooners to intercept British supply ships (Oct 13, 1775), the US Marine Corps dates its institutional roots to the Continental Marines.

A Resolution by the Second Continental Congress authorized the formation of two battalions of Marines and issued the first commission to Captain Samuel Nicholas on Nov 10, 1775.  These battalions were to serve as landing forces for the recently established US Navy.  After American independence was established, both the Navy and Marines were disbanded.

But in 1798, the US Navy was again authorized by the US Congress and President John Adams signed a bill establishing the US Marine Corps as a permanent military force under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy.

US Marines landing at Guadalcanal 1942 - WWII
photo credit to C. Warren Robertson

The familiar motto of the USMC is Semper Fidelis - Latin for “Always Faithful”.

We take a moment now to honor the commitment and courage of the valiant men and women who serve in the USMC on land and at sea.  To learn more, visit the website of the US Marine Corps Museum at http://www.usmcmuseum.com/index.asp

Meeting Reminder!

We will be meeting on Friday, Nov 9^th

from 10 – 2:00 at

Crafty Threads Quilt Shop …

Click on this link to learn more!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a note from our CT Quilters QOV Leader:

Hi,

We look forward to getting together again this coming Friday.

In addition to the list previously posted for what we expect our activities to be, I have completed four quilts on the longarm and hope to do two more before Friday, so we will have volunteers sew the binding on the front side of each with their sewing machines and then others will hand sew the binding to the backside of the quilts.

Our volunteers are great and we always welcome new members. Last month we welcomed a new volunteer who actually was in the same Quilt Guild as I am and some of the other CT Quilters. Small World.

I spoke to the Volunteer Coordinator at the VA and their Fall Festival was quite a success. Netting them a few thousand dollars which will be utilized this Holiday season for the gifts and necessities for those at the Hospital.

We continue to make kits and sew tops together, but we need your help. We are in dire need of fabrics. Red, White and Blue. We can use 1/2 yard (or larger) increments to cut fabrics for the kits. We also need fabric for the backings of the quilts. We need at least four yard pieces for the backings. All fabric needs to be 100% cotton. Thank you if you can help, just drop off at Crafty Threads.

Just to let you know no fabric goes to waste, if we can't use it we donate it to the ConKerr Cancer Pillowcase Group or to another group that makes quilts for kids - Project Linus.

This meeting we may have a special visit from a member of the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

Come and join us, bring your lunch or there are several restaurants close by.

Until Friday,
Pat - CT Quilter

Election Day 2012

 In the United States of American, everyone

recognizes the phrase “…Government by the People …”.

Many brave men and women have fought and many have died so that we may

maintain our freedoms including the privilege of voting.

No matter who you choose to elect, make sure you honor their sacrifice and Vote!

November Meeting Date - Friday, November 9th

November had a way of really sneaking up on us, didn't it?!  There’s only one more week until our next Quilts of Valor meeting.  Please plan to join us next Friday from 10 – 2:00 at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop (see the sidebar for the address). 

Our expected activities at this meeting:

Å        Sew rows of quilt tops from assembled kits

Å        2 quilt top kits are ready to lay out

Å        Sew borders on tops expected to be returned

Å        Cut some 4” borders

Å        Cut some light blocks for B Block kits

Å        Monitor the status of the kits, possibly cut more

Å        Assemble a few pillowcases

Å        Cut and prepare more backings

&       BRING A SACK LUNCH OR A SNACK!!

We hope to have everyone join us next week!  There’s something for everyone to do, even if you say you can’t sew a stitch … you can even choose to just be a cheerleader (didn’t you always want to do that?!).

Please come and get in on the fun … it’s very rewarding to know you’ve contributed to bringing comfort to veterans or active duty personnel touched by war.

Happy 125th Anniversary!

This beloved icon of American ideals and freedoms is 125 years old today.  She has been undergoing a much-needed $30 million interior renovation that will make her safer and accessible to even more people.  One of the decks at the top of the pedestal will now be wheelchair accessible in such a way that they can view her interior.  The stairs to her crown have been replaced so that her crown will again be open to the public.  Among other things, she has received improved fire alarms, exit routes and air-conditioning system.

This Grand Old Lady, who stands majestically on Liberty Island in New York Harbor,  was a gift from the people of France to the United States.  A plaque declares that this gift was to honor “ the Alliance of the two Nations in achieving the Independence of the United States of America and attests their abiding friendship.”

The sculpture of a woman in softly flowing robes represents Libertas (the Roman goddess of freedom) and she holds a torch aloft and clutches a tablet representing laws.  The tablet is inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence, July 4^th, 1776.  At her feet is a broken chain.

She was designed by Frederic Bartholdi and was dedicated on Oct 28^th in 1886.  She was constructed in France then brought to the US in crates for assembly on site.  Did you know that her arm bearing the torch and her head and crown were on display by themselves for several years?

Centennial Exposition

in Paris

They were finished before the rest of the structure and were displayed at expositions for publicity of the project.  The torch was at the Centennial Exposition in 1876 and in New York’s Madison Square Park from 1876 to 1882.  And her head was exhibited at the Paris World’s Fair in 1878.

When funding ran low and threatened the construction, Joseph Pulitzer, famous publisher of the World newspaper,  organized a fund drive and garnered over 120,000 donations – many for $1 or less.  This statute truly represents the People’s effort and a joint project of France and the United States.



Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World (1886)
 by Edward Moran. Oil on canvas.
 The J. Clarence Davies Collection, Museum of the City of New York.



 Happy Anniversary, Statue of Liberty!

A Salute to the US Navy and Naval Reserve

The US Navy has a 237 year heritage of defending freedom and protecting US interests around the globe.  In the United States, Navy Day was originally celebrated on October 27^th.

It was in the 1920s that the Navy League suggested that this date be selected to pay tribute to President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid supporter of the US Navy, as Oct 27^th was his birth date.  Later research found that the actual birth date of the Continental naval forces was October 13, 1775, when George Washington was authorized by a Congressional Resolution to command armed schooners to intercept British supply ships.

USS Constitution

In 1972, the Navy was authorized to recognize Oct 13^th as the official birth date of the US Navy.

The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.

We salute these brave men and women today.  To read more about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at http://www.history.navy.mil/.

An Historic Date

Today is the anniversary of an historic event in the history of the United States. 

photo credit: poodlesrock/corbis History.com

It was on Oct 17^th in 1777 that Revolutionary troops led by General Horatio Gates surrounded the army of British General John Burgoyne and caused his defeat and surrender at the Battle of Saratoga.

That short statement above doesn’t even begin to describe the hard fought battles, the hardships of winter, the demoralized and less-trained rebel forces vs. the powerful British army.  Yet the dedicated soon-to-be Americans persevered and won this battle that would be a turning point in the War for Independence.   The Revolutionary troops were reenergized and France was convinced to support their cause.

This traditional quilt block is based on that historic battle – it has a lot of pieces and is known by the Burgoyne Surrounded name.  A well-known quilt designer that often shares her patterns is Lyn Brown at Lyn Brown’s Quilting Blog, and in Sept 2012 she provided an excellent tutorial for making this block and the resulting quilt.

The resulting quilt would make an excellent Quilts of Valor.  Maybe you would want to consider making one?  Check out Lyn’s site at:  http://www.lynbrown.com/burgoyne-surrounded/

The ideals of those Revolutionary War soldiers remain the same for the Armed Forces personnel in the United States today – they continue to fight for our liberties and freedoms.  We make our Quilts of Valor to show our support and demonstrate in a tangible way that we care.  We of the CT-Quilters want our wounded personnel at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital to know that we are thinking of them and be comforted.

This is another version of an antique Burgoyne Surrounded quilt - it was made in the early 1900s and is now displayed at the International Quilt Study Center in Nebraska:

Happy QOV Quilting today!

Recap of 10/12/12 Meeting

Ever been to a Binding Blitz?!  We have a fabulous meeting last Friday and I’ll show you the results of the binding blitz in a minute.

We are so pleased that we are continuing to add members to our group.  Linda found out about Quilts of Valor through a Fons & Porter show and looked up our Under Our Wings shop (Crafty Threads) through the Quilts of Valor main site.  She and her friend Donna joined us as new members only to discover that they had instant friends here since they had also recently joined their local quilt guild … small world, isn’t it?  Welcome, Friends!

These were the wonderful quilts and tops brought and/or donated in this month

Debbie found a great unfinished top in her stash and added borders to bring it up to QOV-size to donate:

Patricia brought in her Persimmon Quilts QOV Mystery #20 top to donate:

AND Patricia also brought in her Persimmon Quilts QOV Mystery #24 top to donate:

The Persimmon Quilts Mysteries are generously posted by Le Ann Weaver.  Click on the link to visit her website – thank you so much, Le Ann for offering up these designs for our use.

If you look at older posts on this blog, you will see other Persimmon designs (check here for yet another one, #4, from Pat and here for a #24 from Kathy) – they make wonderful Quilts of Valor – always the perfect size.

                         

Kathy’s donated top was adapted from a pattern by Tony Jacobson in the March/April 2012 issue of Fons and Porter’s magazine.  We wanted to use the pinwheels that are leftover from our snowball blocks, so we adapted the sizes of the stars to accommodate them – no fabric is ever wasted with our group!

Joanne & Dawn returned 4^th of July tops - they had finished sewing together the rows at home and Jadene finished sewing on labels and bindings for two tops:

Debbie donated some excellent fabric again this month and a lady named Chris dropped by and donated an entire bolt of red/white/blue fabric.

Pat (left) accepting the fabric from Chris (right)

Be assured that all fabric donations are put to good use and we profusely thank our generous fabric donors – you make our Quilts of Valor possible!

Our Country Quilt is now a finished top.  We had the panel donated and Janet and Patricia came up with the perfect design to showcase it:

Patricia (left) with Janet (right)

During the meeting, we also

·          Made up 4 pillowcase presentation kits

·          Sorted fabrics into categories for their most efficient use

·          Pieced several backings

·          Cut blocks and made up the Kits that can be signed out to take home

·          Sewed bindings

Did you see that last entry?  Did I just say “sewed bindings”?  Yep, that was the Binding Blitz!  Since we use the scrappy 4^th of July quilt by Bonnie Hunter (thank you again, Bonnie, for this excellent design that works well when multiple people are sewing blocks) as our “go to” quilt pattern, we have leftover fabric – and combined with some of the smaller donated pieces, we have plenty to make scrappy 2½ inch bindings.  Our members sewed and ironed miles and miles of bindings this month!

This box has multiple layers of the folded bindings – enough for over 25 quilts and some are still at the ironing stage, so you can see that the ladies were VERY productive!

extras to be ironed

 And last, but in no way least, we had a tasty lunch provided by Pat – soup, salad, crusty bread and crudités with dip … NOW aren’t you sorry you couldn’t be at this meeting?!!  Thank you so much, Pat.

Gotta stop taking pics when people are eating!

Sorry, didn’t want to make you feel badly about missing lunch - but mark your calendars now for next month – Friday, November 9^th is the date.

Be sure to join us next time for the fun or pick up one of our “take home” kits at the Crafty Threads Quilt Shop to sew up and return it at your convenience to the Shop.  We missed some of our regular members and hope to have everyone join us next month - we want to help cover ALL of our combat Veterans!