We at Sewing by Sarah are thrilled to become a Certified Quilt Business for Quilts of Valor. This organization supports our veterans with handmade quilts to show our appreciation for their service.
Please let me know if you are making a QOV at sarah@sewingbysarah.com and we can sponsor your project.
What is Quilts of Valor?
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. They have awarded over 230,000 quilts to veterans since their founding in 2003.
Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. According to Catherine:
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 wellbeing. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was:
Quilts = Healing
The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. One person would piece the top and the other would quilt it. I saw the name for this special quilt. It was a Quilt of Valor, a QOV.
What Quilts of Valor Are
From the beginning, Catherine Roberts had definite ideas about standards of excellence for Quilts of Valor:
I knew a Quilt of Valor had to be a quality-made quilt, not a “charity quilt.” A Quilt of Valor had to be quilted, not tied, which meant hand or machine quilting. Quilts of Valor would be “awarded,” not just passed out like magazines or videos. A Quilt of Valor would say unequivocally, “Thank you for your service, sacrifice, and valor” in serving our nation in combat.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
For more information about how to get involved by making a block, a full quilt top, binding or providing long arm quilting services, please visit their website:
https://www.qovf.org/quilters-questions/basic-requirements/
Our pattern designer Pretty Piney has designed Beth's Star that is a perfect QOV design. We will donate 10% of your purchase of this pattern to QOV.
Please let us know if you are making a QOV at sarah@sewingbysarah.com and we can sponsor your project.
Donna Richmond
June 01, 2023
After retiring from long arming for others for 20 years, about a year ago I was approached by the Quilts Of Valor of Eugene, Oregon. I was invited to join The Peaceful Posse Quilters, and am now a member and quilt exclusively for my group. It is so rewarding to watch the quilts go from pieces of fabric to quilts honoring the Veterans who served and fought for our freedom. I am making new friends and enjoy sewing with them. I am very honored to be in the QOV Long-army.