In early 2017, our guild was challenged by guild member Ann Parsons Holte to make patriotic quilts for The Quilts of Valor®  Foundation.  Quilts of Valor® was created in 2003 by Delaware quilter Catherine Roberts while her son served in Iraq. Guild members were asked to make patriotic quilts (18 made in total) for Show and Tell for one of the guild meetings. What were we going to do with the quilts? One of our guild members volunteered to award the quilts to service members and veterans in the counties where our members reside. At the end of 2017, six quilts were awarded. 

 

Since 2017, over 800 quilts have been made and awarded by our group. We continue to turn what is in our hearts into action as volunteers. The mission of the national Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover service members and veterans with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. Our group is a branch of the national foundation. Donations through our PieceMakers Quilt Guild website are greatly appreciated and are used primarily to purchase fabrics and batting.

 

To nominate a service member or veteran, go to qovf.org.  

 

Since issuing that challenge, Ann has co-authored the first book written by the Quilts of Valor® Foundation. It is entitled Quilts of Valor®: A Fifty State Salute (Schiffer Publishing, 2018). Through a vigorous selection process each state was represented by a single quilt, with only 16 ultimately chosen to have the patterns written and included in the book. 

 

We are proud to say the quilt selected to represent Pennsylvania was made by Sarah Campbell and quilted by Nancy King of Last Stitch Quilting – members of our PieceMakers Quilt Guild.  The quilt is pictured on page 74 of the book.

​

The first book went over very well and, as a follow-up, Ann co-authored All Star Quilts of Valor (Schiffer Publishing, 2022) with Sue Reich, Mary W. Kerr, and Tony Jacobson.  This second book contains 25 quilt patterns from well-known quilters who donated their designs to be included in the book. Other contributors include Georgia Bonesteel, Kimberly Einmo, Marianne Fons, Andrew Lee, Mark Lipinski, Marti Michell, and Pat Sloan. The second book was received so well it is now in its second edition with 37 patterns.

 

Here’s a link to the national Quilts of Valor® Foundation:

 

Quilts of Valor Foundation | (qovf.org)

 

And a link to a special video journalist story about Quilts of Valor® and PieceMakers quilt guild: