With each seam and stitch given the utmost care, a special presentation by Quilts of Valour (QOV) took place at the Cochrane Legion on Aug. 12, which will see around 15 handmade and beautifully crafted quilts handed to Canadian veterans.
Members Valerie Lange and Lana Butcher explained they are part of the southern Alberta component of the Canada-wide organization.
“Lana and I have been involved since it was first started in about 2006,” Lange said. “We have fabric stashes and we make quilts to be given to veterans.”
The idea first stemmed from Leslie Wallez, who worked alongside Sandy Carlisle and a number of other ladies who started to send quilts to Edmonton. As the organization grew, so did their membership. Currently, Butcher said she has been representing their group since 2018, which she deeply honours.
“We all work together as a team to make it possible,” Butcher said. “We present over 200 quilts in Southern Alberta each year. We present over 200 quilts from quilters just north or Red Deer all the way down south.
“We present quilts to veterans in our area. We have very few active-duty personnel, so most our quilts go to veterans.”
Alongside the presentation, one special quilt that’s currently under wraps, will be unveiled and available for display at the Cochrane Legion on Sept. 14.
“It’s our thank you in support of the Legion,” Butcher said.
Lange explained that their group was approached by the Legion to create a quilt for a raffle to help support them.
“This is totally separate from QOV, and three of us got together, Betty Bailey, Martha Karau, and myself got together and put together that quilt,” Lange said. “The only thing they said was [that] it would be nice if it could have poppies in it, and so that’s the way it worked.”
Lange said the value of the quilt is probably in the neighbourhood of $800 to $1,000. She further explains that each quilt is given the same dedicated work and care, but it’s all an extreme labour of love.
“We enjoy doing it,” Lange said. “One of the quilts that is going to Quilts of Valour, is a blue one for the 100th year anniversary of the RCAF. So that was made specifically, but for most of our quilts we use what we get.”
QOV believes that when someone receives a quilt of thanks, it shows that people care, which is also reflected in the quilts which are made with respect and appreciation for their service.
“The veterans that receive the quilts receive them with respect and appreciation for the time and effort,” Butcher said. “The average time for Martha to quilt a quilt is usually six to seven hours. If you happen to have an electric machine it would only save an hour or two, because the machine sews by itself, so you don’t need to guide it.
The difference is you can have a more intricate design or curves if a computer is controlling the machine. Very few quilters have them though. They’re worth $40,000 to $80,000 each, so needless to say, most hobbyists do not have them.”
Each quilt will be given to a veteran, and they assure that each one is created with their new owner in mind.
“[Butcher] is going out, for example, this week to Belcher because Belcher has some veterans, and she keeps tabs on them every year if they have residents who might qualify, and here in the Legion, the president has been very active in referring colleagues or people that he knows should be receiving a quilt.”
At the end of the day, the duo acknowledge that their efforts can only be achieved through the work of their entire team. Through their time working on quilts together, and handing them off to their new owners, they believe it is all an enjoyable experience.
“When you see the emotion of one of our veterans, especially if they have a medical condition where they feel no one’s cared or appreciated what they’ve sacrificed for us, it’s amazing to know that something we can accomplish can mean so much,” Butcher said. “If they are on a journey of recovery, it really does offer comfort, and we call it wrapping them in a warm hug of thanks.”
