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Warwick Valley quilters use their craft to help others

| 30 May 2013 | 12:14
    Warwick Valley Quilters Guild's Quilt of Valor quilt is held by QOV chair Carol Johnson, right, of Stockholm, N.J., and Corinne Winters of Vernon, N.J., on the left.
    Warwick Valley Quilters Guild's Quilt of Valor quilt is held by QOV chair Carol Johnson, right, of Stockholm, N.J., and Corinne Winters of Vernon, N.J., on the left.
    The Hurricane Sandy quilt was made by Anne Sigler,Warwick Valley Quilters Guild vice president and a resident of Stockholm, N.J.
    The Hurricane Sandy quilt was made by Anne Sigler,Warwick Valley Quilters Guild vice president and a resident of Stockholm, N.J.

WARWICK — Members of the Warwick Valley Quilters Guild have been busy making quilts for both the victims of Hurricane Sandy and for military personnel via the Quilts of Valor organization.

Since August 2011, 45 quilts have been sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan; Landstahl, Germany; and MEDEVAC units in Afghanistan. They have also gone to rehab centers and to returning service men and women after tours of duty.

Most recently, several quilts have been sent to the State of Washington for the Quilts of Valor Returning Warrior Weekend Banquet of Honor for Naval Reservists who have gone to Afghanistan as “individual augmentees.”

That designation is given to individuals who are chosen to go without their reserve unit due to the specialty that they have and the need for that skill on the front lines.

‘Signature quilts’
Carol A. Johnson of Stockholm, N.J., is the chair of the Quilts of Valor committee for the Warwick Guild. Many of the quilts that have been sent overseas are “signature quilts.” A great many signatures were placed on quilt squares made by guild members and signed by attendees at the New Jersey State Fair held at the Sussex County Fairground last August.

The guild will again be manning the table for signature blocks at the fair in August to ensure that blocks will be available to create more quilts.

In addition to the Quilts of Valor, a number of guild members spent the winter months working on bed-size quilts for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Fifteen quilts were donated to Timeless Treasure fabric warehouse in Roselle, N.J., and will be distributed through established organizations who are doing relief work an affected area.

Quilt Guild member Mary Kirchoff of Sussex, N.J., chaired this endeavor.

Essential Information
The Warwick Valley Quilters Guild meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 10 a.m. at the Senior Building behind the Warwick town Hall on Kings Highway.

Visitors should speak with the membership chair Andrea Burton if they are interested in joining.

A great deal of information is also shown on the guild web site at www.wvqg.org.