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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Help Bring back the "Memorial" in Memorial Day


Has the The "Memorial" in Memorial Day been forgotten?  Does Memorial Day mean the start of summer to you, or is it a time for you and your family to remember men and woman that gave their lives in military service?  Want to help bring back the "Memorial" in Memorial Day in the US?  While I'd love to hear your recommendations, here are a few ideas I want to share with you today:

  • Buy some flags or flowers to place on graves of our fallen heroes.

  • Send cards to soldiers and veterans.
  • Pick up some flags at Michaels, JoAnns, or any other store and give to friends, family and neighbors to display at their home.  You may also want to check out the sale at Michaels this week as they have flags on sale.


  • Visit a VA hospital: drop off magazines and books.   Volunteer!
  • Contact a local retirement home to see if you can host an activity in honor of Memorial Day.  Possibily provide snacks & beverages, along with a few decorations too!
  • Make a quilt block, quilt top or finished quilt for Quilts of Valor.

Quilters are a giving group and many make quilts for a variety of charity groups, including local QOV chapters.  All of these programs do amazing good and touch the lives of many that need good quilty hugs.  There isn't one such group that is better than another, but when I hosted the QOV Challenge last year I looked for a chapter that could work with me, as well as showed evidence of being able to provide quilts to wounded soldiers and veterans in a variety of areas.  Dick & Tink Linhart's QOV group, located in Southeastern, Wisconsin was chosen as the QOV Chapter to receive the blocks, tops and finished quilts from my challenge and they did an amazing job.     I'm honored to be able to share some of the photos from these quilts, as well as insights on where some of these finished quilts were donated.

I'm also delighted that Marjorie Busby (Marjorie's Quilting Bee) is hosting the  GO! for a Start QOV Challenge.  She has issued a Call for  Patriotic blocks, tops and/or finished quilts and Dick & Tink's QOV Chapter will finish quilts and coordinate getting quilts delivered to wounded soldiers and Veterans all over the United States.
GO! for a Star QOV Challenge


Visit this link on Marjorie's Bee for more information on this challenge and how you can enter to win prizes sponsored by AccuQuilt and Aurifil.  SewCalGal hopes you everyone will make a Patriotic quilt block this week and enter it in this challenge. 



Veterans of the 442nd RCT were honored in Chicago last month ad Dick & Tink Linhart presented a beautiful quilt to one of these veterans, made from a variety of donated blocks.  Quilt blocks do not take long to make and you can easily fit them in an envelope to be mailed. 


The above quilt was made by Marjorie Busby and was given  to a USMC 1st Btn 3rd Reg Marine in California.


A young soldier at Bethesda Naval Medical Center was give a QOV quilt made by Sharon Parcell.


Cheryl Miller's quilt was recently presented to one of the formerly homeless female Veterans in Milwaukee.

Again, the above are just a few examples of the many beautiful quilts that Dick & Tink's QOV Chapter have delivered to wounded soldiers and veterans all over the United States.  But, they need the help of more quilters to donate blocks, tops and finished quilts.   They need YOUR help!

Ok, time to let me know what you are going to do to help bring back the "Memorial" in Memorial Day?  Of course, I hope you will take a simple step, to get ready for Memorial Day, by making a patriotic block and entering it in Marjorie's GO! for a Star QOV Challenge!

10 comments:

Sinta Renee said...

I am all about honoring our soldiers! I have two quilts going to two very special wounded men at the VA. I put up my flags over the weekend and have my buntings to go up next! Thanks for bringing it to our attention!

Joanna said...

Wonderful post. You are right in that we need to be reminded about the meaning of Memorial Day. Thank you.

Cheryl Lynch Quilts said...

Great post and reminder. Time to make a patriotic quilt. Our guild has started giving them to the local VA hospital, keeping it local.

Newbie Jen said...

I agree that we all need to remember the Memorial in Memorial Day. I think the best thing to do is TEACH our children what it means. My eldest is in kindergarten and I am disappointed that she is one of the few that has a clue what the holiday is about.

Mary said...

I agree we need to remember. Around here it is all about graduations. Every school in four counties has theirs that weekend.

Melissa said...

Thank you so much for writing this post. My husband left 2.5 weeks ago for Afghanistan and there are days when it seems that so many people don't appreciate what he does for his country. This post and the comments on my own post today just reaffirm what a special and amazing community this is. For Memorial Day my daughter and I will honoring our veteran and service member.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I'm in a very active QOV chapter in the Chicago suburbs. We help with the Returning Wounded Warriors projects thru Great Lakes Naval Base. We provide them with about 75+ quilts every three months. Hubby usually marches in the local parade on Memorial day, and youngest son joins him with the local barbershop group. This is the first year in many that he won't be marching, since we will have family in for youngest's graduation.

Snoodles said...

Wonderful post - thank you! I didn't realize Marjorie's effort was still going on....headed over there now. :)

teachpany said...

I just got a new pattern, and I plan to make a top this week to send. I'll post pics soon!

Dirt Road Quilter said...

I'll be baking cookies to add to a couple of boxes slated for Afghanistan. One for our Marine boy and one for his buddy who hasn't received any mail. This makes me so sad. I will also be working on a QOV quilt. Thank you for your post. I don't begrudge people kicking off their summer, but it seems as if the really reason for Memorial Day is overlooked.