HONORING OUR SERVICE MEMBERS AND VETERANS!
By Rita Latour
November is the month that we celebrate and honor our veterans, so it is a perfect time to talk about the Quilts of Valor Foundation and the remarkable healing, and comfort provided through the gift of a quilt. This organization was established in 2003 by Catherine Roberts based on a real dream. Her son, Nat, was deployed in Iraq and here are Catherine’s words that led to the founding of Quilts of Valor.
“The dream was as vivid as real life. 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. The message of my dream was: Quilts = Healing.”
The quilts are quality quilts-not a charity quilt. Each quilt must be made of 100% cotton quilting fabric, quilted (not tied) and it must be awarded. It cannot be passed out. Recipients are nominated and approved. Each quilt says, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor in serving our nation.”
Please take a few minutes and go to the Quilts of Valor Foundation website, www.qovf.org, and see the opportunities available for quilters and non-quilters. The website has pages for donations (monetary, fabric & time), free patterns, nomination forms, membership opportunities both locally and on-line, and monthly newsletters.
Locally, I found 2 groups that support and provide QOV quilts. The first is Prairie Points Quilt Club-Illinois in Chillicothe, Illinois. You can join through a message on the QOVF website that will be sent to the Chillicothe group. Also, GEMS of the Prairie Quilters in Peoria, Illinois has a QOV group. You can access information for GEMS by going to the website gemsoftheprairie.com. Both sites have information on joining the group, donating fabric and materials, and making quilts.
There are specific requirements for a QOV quilt, and those requirements are listed on the Foundation’s website along with some patterns. The quilts do not have to be red, white and blue; however, these colors are traditionally the preferred colors by the veterans. I also found the following website with free QOV patterns: ilovequiltingforever.com. Once you are on the site, search Quilts of Valor Patterns. Also, there is a Facebook group, Quilting Tidbits, which supports QOV and has free patterns. There are also forums for members.
Finally, I found the following numbers (these numbers are through August 2025).
Quilts awarded in August 2025: 2,253
Year to date awarded: 20,586
Lifetime awarded: 421,941
These numbers are amazing, and by joining a group, making a quilt, or donating your gifts, we can honor and provide comfort to those service members and veterans who have been touched by war and sacrificed so that we can enjoy the freedoms we so cherish in our lives and our country.
Happy Quilting!
I’m a resident in Central Illinois and welcome your comments. Please let me know if there is a quilting topic you would like to talk about. Contact me at [email protected].
