Vertical Quilting Curve

No matter what side of the political issue you are on regarding U.S. military policy there is one issue that most citizens can agree on. Our men and women in uniform deserve our respect and support as they have to do one of the hardest tasks we can ask of anyone. Sometimes the ways we can show it is a way that people, particularly women, have done through many wars and conflicts. By using the talents of a needle we show that they are thought of and loved for their sacrifices.

One sacrifice that many soldiers deal with is being injured whether physically or mentally during duty. One organization that uses quilting to help is Quilts of Valor. They are an organization that makes quilts to send to those injured soldiers to help comfort them in their time of need.

I just read about this program for the first time today in a newspaper article about a quilting group in northwest Arkansas, the Calico Cutups, who started by making 300 blocks to send to a Kansas group to finish for Quilts of Valor but the Kansas group couldn’t keep up. So, the Arkansas group started to make their own finished quilts.

The quilt block shown here with my story was made in Arkansas by a secret pal I had when I was a member of the Arkansas Quilt Guild so I am going to send it back to Arkansas to the group to put in one of the soldier quilts. I hope that you will find a way to help. If you don’t quilt or don’t have the time right now they are also in the need of funds to pay for extra fabric and postage to send the quilts. You can find out more here.

quilting, quilts, Quilts of Valor, Arkansas

Yesterday, my family and I spent the day down at Navy Pier in Chicago. One of our first stops thanks to my daughter was the Children’s Museum. While standing in line for admission I noticed a group of quilts on the opposite wall. They were made by Chicagland kids from schools, scout groups and community center groups.

They are a part of a larger exhibit called…En Route to Baghdad. It is a part of the Genesis at the Crossroads’ Children’s Humanitarian Peace Quilt program. The quilt squares were done by children from the ages of 8-17 and then were sewn together by local quilt artist. The exhibit will travel to different children’s and peace museums around the country and it will end in Baghdad.

Here are 2 of the quilts I saw. They were behind protective glass so I took the photos from an angle to avoid any reflection from my flash. I must say they were all very creative and exciting to look at while thought provoking.

quilting, kids quilt, quilt show, quilts, peace, community service

Welcome to my new series: Quilting for a Cause. This series is going to explore how quilters open their hearts and talents to support a cause. It will also serve as a challenge for everyone out there to take up your needle and thread and help your community out.

I viewed the “Alzheimer’s: Forgetting Piece by Piece” exhibit in November 2006 at the Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition. The exhibit is part of the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative that Ami Simms started and she was there to speak about it. This is a cause that is very personal to her because her mother has Alzheimer’s. It is an emotional exhibit not to be taken lightly but Ami’s lecture is full of hope and energy. She is hoping to raise $500,000. As of her last posting on her web site the exhibit and the accompanying auction “Priority: Alzheimer’s Quilts” project the initiative has raised almost $70,000.

Here’s the challenge and how you can help. You can make a small quilt to put in an auction. The quilts are small - they can be no larger than 9″ x 12″. For complete details on the rules and where to send please visit the website. You can also view the current quilts up for auction and their current bids. If you have a blog and make quilts for this cause and post them on your site I will place a link here.

If you know or have a cause supported by quilters please feel free to contact me. I don’t how often I will post this series. Right now I’m thinking of posting the cause one month and then doing a post the next month with something I’m working on for the cause.

quilting, Alzheimer’s, donations, quilt auction, Ami Simms, Alheimer’s Quilt Initiative, quilt exhibit