After moving to Pamplin, Va., in 2013, ALA member Donna McCain began quilting to keep herself busy in retirement. Around the same time, she joined ALA Unit 104 in Appomattox and quickly became an active member.
McCain started creating Quilts of Valor in 2014 and has made and presented 87 quilts since that time. According to the Quilts of Valor Foundation, a Quilt of Valor (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a servicemember 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, have a label with required information, awarded (it is not a gift), and recorded.
Donna McCain presents a Quilt of Valor to retired Gunnery Sgt. Anthony J. Allen, United States Marine Corps, on Veterans Day 2023.
Unit 104 President Linda Mays said McCain started out by giving quilted blankets to World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam War veterans who were active in American Legion Post 104. Then as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans became active in the post, she produced quilts for those veterans as well.
“The unit recognizes her efforts and has set aside money in our budget every year to help offset her expenses,” shared Mays. “We appreciate all Donna does for our veterans with her beautiful Quilts of Valor.”
Mays reported that in addition to McCain’s Quilts of Valor, she quilts with a group of women at a local church and creates quilts for a variety of needs. She creates quilts for guest speakers at The American Legion Family post on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and Lynchburg Unit 16 receives a quilt from her every year for its special observance of women veterans.
“For the past three years, she has made Christmas-themed quilts for the Auxiliary to raffle,” said Mays. “The funds from these raffles are used for the unit poppy fund and have enabled the unit to assist many veterans.”
About Quilts of Valor Foundation
Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream — literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq. According to Roberts:
“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 Quilt of Valor, a QOV.”
Requirements for a Quilt of Valor
• The recommended size of a Quilt of Valor is 60 inches by 80 inches; it must be a minimum of 55 inches x 65 inches and maximum of 72 inches x 90 inches.
• The quilt consists of a top, batting, and backing. It must be machine or hand quilted. A tied quilt is not acceptable for a Quilt of Valor.
• Backings provided to The LongArmy volunteer must be 8 inches wider in width and 8 inches longer in length. The Quilts of Valor Foundation LongArmy is a team of volunteers who donate their talents to QOV groups and individual members without access to longarming quilting services. Longarm quilting is the process by which a longarm sewing machine is used to sew together a quilt top, quilt batting, and quilt backing into a finished quilt.
• QOVF members in good standing may request quilting of their tops by a LongArmy volunteer, free of charge.
• Use quality, low loft batting such as cotton, cotton blends, polyester, or polyester blends. Quilting should be appropriate for the quilt and not overly dense, which can reduce the loft of the quilt.
• Double fold, also known as French fold, binding is recommended for durability. Hand stitch or neatly machine stitch binding.
• A Quilt of Valor must be labeled as such, and include the name of the veteran or servicemember.
For more information on the Quilts of Valor Foundation, visit
www.qovf.org.
