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Wilkes County Veterans History Project: Quilts of Valor

Veterans Monument Top Box

Quilts of Valor Photos

Lily Smith poses with Raymond Hayes, Vietnam Veteran

Sitting veterans pictured L to R Ward Eller, Raymond Hayes, and Gene Brookshire receive Quilts of Valor at a VFW Memorial Day service.

Gene Brookshire, a WWII veteran, receives

a Quilt of Valor from Libby Whittington, quiltmaker

Lindsay Smith (L) and Libby Whittington (R)

award Raymond Hayes, Vietnam veteran

with a Quilt of Valor

Ward Eller, Korean War veteran (Center) receives a Quilt of Valor

Libby Whittington, quiltmaker (L)

Larry Reavis, VFW Chaplain (R)

Raymond Hayes, with his wife, Barbara, admire the quilt he received.

Marion Bauer working a Quilt of Valor project.

Quilt of Valor made by Donna Wood for a

Vietnam veteran

who served as a flight nurse

Quilt of Valor made by Denise Bowlin for a 

Vietnam veteran

who served as a flight nurse

What is Quilts of Valor?

Catherine Roberts’ Dream

Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a dream, literally a dream. Founder Catherine Roberts’ son Nat was deployed in Iraq.  According to Catherine:

The dream was as vivid as real life. I saw a young man sitting on the side of his bed in the middle of the night, hunched over. The permeating feeling was one of utter despair. I could see his war demons clustered around, dragging him down into an emotional gutter. Then, as if viewing a movie, I saw him in the next scene wrapped in a quilt. His whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. The message of my dream was:  Quilts = Healing.

The model appeared simple: have a volunteer team who would donate their time and materials to make a quilt. One person would piece the top and the other would quilt it. I saw the name for this special quilt: it was Quilt of Valor, a QOV.

Sew Blessed

Libby Whittington, owner of Sew Blessed Quiltworks works with a team of quilters to create Quilts of Valor for honoring local veterans in Wilkes County.   Download a copy of the form needed for nominating veterans here: