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Assistance and Advice to Lena KOA Host
Diane Long, the host of the campground in Lena, IL, emailed the Club with questions about running a camp activity that involved quilting. We directed her to two volunteers in our organization that construct quilts and donate them to wounded soldiers at VA hospitals. There are several such programs in the country. Here's Diane's story and photos. Congratulations on a successful camp activity! It looked like a lot of fun.
From Diane:
Here at the KOA we have a different theme for each camping weekend during the season and we have activities that correspond to that theme. This year we added a “Helping Others and Giving Back” weekend. I wanted to find a service project that adults could help with that would be fun. As a quilter, I naturally thought of something quilt related. I am not affiliated with a guild myself, so I reached out to find an appropriate project and found your guild on the web. I was somewhat familiar with Quilts of Valor as I had made blocks for one several years back. The fact that you were willing to take donations of any number of blocks made it a good fit for us. I was not sure how many we would be able to make, as this would be a campers volunteering their time. I was worried we might only get a couple done, but was happy to know they could find a home with your guild.
To get the project going, I went through my stash for red, white, and blue fabrics (then went to the fabric store to supplement). I also selected a simple design (pinwheel) so it would be accessible to people of all skill levels. I brought my cutting tools and a couple of sewing machines to our recreation hall and jumped in with both feet. I enlisted another camper who quilted and we worked with campers to help them cut and show them how to sew the basic block. They picked their own fabrics from our stash. It did not take them long to figure out you could make designs other than a pinwheel from two triangles sewn into a square.
Very few of our volunteers were sewers or quilters! Some of them had never sewn anything before in their lives! We had a wide age range, our youngest sewer was 9, our oldest….. well I am too much of a lady to ask! The blocks are not perfect, but I think will make a very nice quilt. I think we have enough to make an entire quilt.
Thanks for letting us work with your guild to help this awesome cause! I am attaching some pictures.
From Scrapbag Quilters Volunteer, Vicki Robbel:
Thank you for cc ing: me with the pictures. It looks like there are at least 22 squares. I can make two quilts from this. As I said before this will be the start of the quilts to be delivered next spring. I will deliver the 100 that I have now and will start back making and collecting quilts immediately. So pass the word on to anyone that you might know that would like to help the Wounded Warriors and Family Support Center at Brooks Army Medical Center on Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio TX.
I am no longer going through the Quilts of Valor program - they are great organization, but this is my own personal undertaking to support the wounded troops.
Again, thank you for your support and God bless you for remembering our young men and women who have served and sacrificed so that we can quilt.
Vixanna "Vicki" Robbel
Winnebago, IL 61088
Quilts of Valor and Quilts for Wounded Warriors
Help make a quilt for a wounded service person! These quilts are given at hospitals to members of our armed forces or their families and are taken home. Each quilt is accompanied by a pillowcase to hold the quilt during transit.
Make a block that is 12.5 inches square, using any respectful design or coloring of your choice. Include a message. Our volunteers will put the blocks together to make a quilt. Donations of quilting cottons, backing, batting and monetary donations are welcomed.
Questions may be directed to project leader, Della Hamberg. Contact her at: info@scrapbagquilters.org.
