The mission of Quilts of Valour Canada Society is to present a quilt of comfort to a Canadian military member who has been injured or made ill as a result of military service. When you hear some of the stories of trauma and loss, it seems like such a small gesture, and yet every time a quilt is presented, it is received for what it represents: gratitude, recognition, and empathy. I want to share with you an email that came in:
Thank you (and the lovely ladies who made the quilt) for the beautiful presentation of the Quilt of Valour yesterday. What a touching ceremony made even more special by being able to share it with family and military friends (and neighbours 
). When Ray had his cardiac bypass surgery in November, we changed one of our upstairs bedrooms into a TV room (so Ray didn’t have to navigate the stairs so often). We equipped the room with two old lazy boy chairs and this room soon became (and continues to be) a haven for us to unwind at the end of the day and watch news or a good movie together. Ray’s favorite chair now has the quilt which will be used daily to keep him warm and surround him with wonderful memories.
May God bless you and all the members of Quilts of Valour! Your kindness really touched our hearts.
Linda and Ray
For me, quilting is my ‘happy place’. It is a time when I can be creative, relaxed and joyous. When I am quilting for QOVC, I feel that even more, and I make sure I quilt in lots of extra compassion.
On May 11, we had an in-person sew-day. it was a great opportunity to share all that creativity and joy with like-minded friends, including new friends. We worked together to create two new tops that will be passed along to quilters and binders to continue their journey. We took a pattern that called for stars and modified it with the very Canadian red maple leaf. I really like how it turned out! What do you think?
We also managed to present a quilt to Maj Jennifer Pouliot. Among other accomplishments over her 24-year career, Jen served as the Multi-national Brigade Provost Marshall and MP Company Commander in Bosnia.
So, are you looking forward to more sew-days?
I am happy to confirm that we have more sew-days coming up. The next one will be held on June 22 from 9:30 – 3:00 at CannaConnect (215 Menten Place). Brigid has a quilt pattern in mind to lead the stitching and she has asked that participants to a little bit of advance stitching just to speed up the process. When you send me an email to register, I will send you the photo of the colours/blocks (very simple!) that you can prepare in advance.
We will also have a sew-day on July 13, from 10:00 – 4:00. Nancy Terry of Sew Inspired has offered her shop (375 Daniel St, Arnprior) as a location and Paul Leger has offered to take the lead for the project. What a great way to escape the heat! (I know it sounds crazy to say that now, but by July, we will be seeking relief, you know we will!)
If you are interested in joining us at either sew-day, or both, please drop me an e-mail at Nancy.arbogast@quiltsofvalour.ca.
Were you able to get to the Common Threads Quilt Show on the Mothers’ Day Weekend? It was wonderful to see so many quilts and quilters. The more quilts we see, the more projects start creeping into our plans. Thank you to all of you who stopped by our booth to say hello.
I hope you will be planning to join us at our booth at the quilt show at the International Plowing Match in Kemptville, August 19/20. If you know that you will be free that weekend, I hope you will consider volunteering to help at our booth.
I hope the spring is bringing you lots of opportunities for joy — in the sewing room, and also in the garden, and parks and anywhere else you might be.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy
Longarmers for hire: (Quilts of Valour has no budget to pay for long-arm quilting. These quilters graciously volunteer their machines and hours to complete our quilts.)
Christine Langlois: GREELYQUILTER@GMAIL.COM
Ottawa Region: Quilts of Valour - Canada 