Free Republic

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Twenty quilts stitched together with clothes abandoned on Arizona’s migrant trails will soon be displayed together for the first time at the Arizona History Museum in Tucson. The 13-month exhibition, called “Los Desconocidos: The Migrant Quilt Project,” opened recently at the museum west of the University of Arizona campus. The intricate quilts are the work of more than 50 artists recruited by border relief volunteer Jody Ipsen and project curator Peggy Hazard to honor those who have died while crossing the desert in search of a better life. Each quilt memorializes the migrants whose bodies were...

Girl Scout Employee Quits, Not Allowed to Wear Pro-Life Shirt Phoenix, AZ -- The Girl Scouts, which have already come under fire for numerous links to the Planned Parenthood abortion business and having pro-abortion speakers at their recent national conference, are under fire again. http://www.lifenews.com/2012/01/09/girl-scout-employee-quits-not-allowed-to-wear-pro-life-shirt/

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq — When someone thinks of the desert, images are invoked of unbearable heat and an extremely dry climate where no one would volunteer to live. What is commonly overlooked, is how cold it becomes during the winter months or how a soldier manages to handle the extreme temperature changes. The U.S. Army ensures soldiers have the best equipment possible to handle any environment or situation. But an Extreme Cold Weather GENEX III Sleep System just does not have the feel of home, when deployed 6,500 miles away, according to Capt. Scott Burnett, the battalion communications officer from...

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del., Aug. 17, 2009 – In 2003, Catherine Roberts, a midwife and a 25-year quilter from Seaford, Del., wanted to give a wounded soldier a quilt to bring him comfort during his recovery. Angie Carr and Air Force Capt. Sandra Bannan display a Quilt of Valor June 12, 2009, at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center on Dover Air Force Base, Del. The quilts have been awarded to several hundred workers at the center since late 2006. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Matwey  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “We are a...

Ajo, a former mining town west of Tucson, is a place so small it has only one stoplight. But Darlene Gaylin and friends are putting it on the map as the home of "Hugs for Heroes." Since 2007, the great-grandmother and a few dozen silver-haired pals have been crafting quilts in red, white and blue and shipping them to troops overseas. They've sent more than 200 so far. "We call them our comfort quilts, and they are made with love," said Gaylin, 71, who spends much of her free time sewing — so much that her husband has declared her...

Jennifer Marsh was sick of paying high gas prices and bothered by the abandoned gas station that was an eyesore on the drive to her studio each day. So the aspiring artist and inspired activist came up with an idea — to cover the gas station with a colossal handmade blanket in a way that would bring greater attention to the world's dependency on oil. ''I really tried to find a good balance of art and politics. I don't want it to be just a political statement. And I don't want it to just be a sculpture,'' said the 27-year-old...

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C., May 9, 2008 – They didn’t have any lines, and if it weren’t for their bright colors against the spartan background of a C-17 Globemaster’s cargo bay, quilts produced by the South Carolina Quilts of Valor troop-support organization might have gone unnoticed. Extras portray wounded soldiers for a scene in an upcoming episode of Lifetime Network’s “Army Wives.” The scene, featuring quilts made by members of South Carolina Quilts of Valor, was filmed on Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., on May 5, 2008. Defense Department photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution...

Many quilters and guilds across the US are participating in this worthy endeavor. If you quilt (or know of some one who does) you might want to contribute to the project for the benefit of our wounded Troops. Not a very flattering photo, but the quilts are beautiful. We meet every Tuesday at the Baker Community Center in Millington from 10-Noon. Milllington Quilter's Guild

WASHINGTON, April 10, 2007 – Military children missing deployed parents can take comfort in quilts the Armed Services YMCA’s Operation Kid Comfort program is making especially for them. Eliana, 9, Charlize, 1, and Melanie Reagin look over the quilt made by the Operation Kid Comfort program. The quilt features photos of Army Staff Sgt. Josh Reagin, who deployed to Iraq on Dec. 31. The quilt and pillow program is designed to bring comfort to children whose parents have deployed. Photo by Marny Malin  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Armed Services YMCA is a member of America Supports...

Today, let's talk about quilts and covers of various types: redwork, patchwork, whole cloth, woven blankets, embroidered throws, bed rugs, blue work, bed hangings, crewel, or whatever.

American Hero Quilts SeattlePI, October 8, 2004 M.L.Lyke, Reporter VASHON ISLAND, WA--The story of 100 quilts begins with two hands and one tragic tale. The hands belong to Sue Nebeker. The tale belongs to a stranger from east of the mountains, Ken Dennis, a 22-year-old combat rifleman who came home from Iraq a troubled soul. "I just don't want to see 23 after all this," he told his parents. Nebeker, 53, read the story of the young Marine -- abandoned by his wife, haunted by scenes of war -- in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Aug. 13. Dennis hanged himself March 21,...

CONCORD - Late last month, Dee Scott, a registered nurse at Mt. Diablo Medical Center, walked the halls of the Landstuhl Medical Center in Germany, where many American soldiers injured in the Iraqi war are recuperating. She clutched piles of red, white and blue quilts, painstakingly hand-crafted here in the East Bay. One by one, she handed them to men in hospital beds, some critically injured, some with broken bones. The gifts, 73 of them, were her way of thanking them for their wartime bravery. "I'm fiercely patriotic," she said. "Having the opportunity to thank our troops in person was...

Here's the info: Marine Comfort Quilt Group is a not for profit ministry whose objective is to provide a memorial quilt of comfort to the next of kin of our fallen military. Our quilts are made from thirty quilt squares, each containing an inspirational message from it's donor or another serviceman. Our quilts are stitches of love from those who want so badly to bring comfort, but don't know how to help. Our Marine Comfort Quilt Group has now decided to take on a greater project. With the War on Iraq, we have lost many Marines. Our initial project was...

DATE POSTED: DECEMBER 8, 2004 Women donate quilts to injured special operations Soldiers at Walter Reed By Sgt. Joe Healy U.S. Army Special Operations Command WASHINGTON (USASOC News Service, Dec. 8, 2004) — In Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Ward 57 here, Soldiers receive medical attention from doctors and occupational specialists for injuries suffered during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Now, because of a pair of volunteers' efforts, some of those Soldiers are also getting attention of a different kind. “Can I offer you a hand-made quilt and a hug?” Gloria Kelly asked Dec. 2 to a number...

Every Thursday, and some Saturdays, volunteers at Fort Lewis, Wash., lug sewing machines to the Army Community Service building so they can create quilts for children of those deployed in the war on terrorism. About 18 months ago, Marty Alexander, library technician, saw a sample of a cuddle quilt on TV. An avid quilter, Alexander said she went about making one. It took her four hours. Alexander said she thought if she could get an assembly line going, she'd be in business. She talked with Mary Herrera, chief of family services, Army Community Service. Donna Arias, a financial planner at...