Vets get metaphorical hug

KING – On Feb. 26, four veterans from the American Legion visited the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery and went to the top of the hill to the committal shelter. The shelter serves as an all-season space for families and friends to gather when visiting the cemetery.
Willis Pope, Gary Lettau, Marvin Biadasz, and John Whittow were greeted by Kristine Van Eyck and Linda Pujo of the Darting Needles Quilt Guild in Appleton.
Van Eyck explained that Quilts of Valor is a nonprofit organization and their guild makes such quilts to their standards. The Quilts of Valor Foundation’s mission is “to cover service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts of valor.”
Not anyone can make a quilt and call it a Quilt of Valor. The standards are high: it must be 100% cotton fabric, must be large enough to cover an average-sized adult, and it must have a top, batting, and backing. It must be machine or hand quilted. A tied quilt is not acceptable. The double fold, also known as French Fold, binding is recommended.
These, along with many other technical standards and guidelines, make up a Quilt of Valor. On the quilt is a rectangular patch that lists the name of the veteran the quilt was awarded to, the date and place of the award ceremony, and who pieced, quilted and bound the quilt (this can sometimes be three different people). There are also washing instructions.
Van Eyck presented each man a quilt and they opened each one to show the intricate patterns as each quilt was different.
“We don’t get too many World War II veterans anymore, but certainly Korea, Vietnam and a lot from more recent times, too,” said Van Eyck. “We’ve had over 400,000 quilts presented across the country to veterans. The quilt makers in our group are sisters, mothers, daughters or friends of people who have served and they want to express their gratitude for your service and this is the medium that we use. When you use it, think of it as a hug from these quilters.”