I’m excited to bring my love of foundation paper piecing to Quilts of Valor of Western Montana. On March 14, 2022, I’ll be doing a demonstration for this special group and they will be making a star quilt for gifting at a later date.
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. A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war. The Quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.” To use the term Quilt of Valor, Quilts of Valor or QOV, the quilt must be a specific size, must have a label with required information, it must be awarded (it is not a gift) and it must be recorded.
In 2021, I nominated my father, who served in the military for 20 years and specifically served in Vietnam 1967-1968. He was due to visit me in Montana in the early summer and I reached out to QOV member Deb Tomell to see if it was possible to present him with a quilt. Deb was amazing and jumped right on it despite the complications and obstacles COVID was presenting at the time. They made the presentation, which my dad didn’t have a clue was going to happen, at my home during his visit.
As a way of paying it forward, the demo I’ll be doing is just a small token of my appreciation for what these ladies and QOV did for my father that day. He cherishes this quilt and uses it daily he says.
This weekend I spent time making a sample of the quilt pattern we will be using for our demo next month. Each participant will receive a kit complete with fabrics and foundation papers for making the needed blocks to complete a 60″ x 66″ quilt in fabrics of their choosing. The sample turned out quite nice and I just used some left over patriotic batiks from a recent project.
If you would like more information about how to get involved with Quilts of Valor where you live, or if you are in Western Montana and specifically want to connect with QOV here, visit the QOV website HERE. You can also connect with Deb Tomell through the Missoula Quilters’ Guild HERE.
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