Calling All Quilters

If you read Hugh Hewitt's blog, you would have seen this post yesterday. The new Wounded Warrior Center at Camp Pendleton Marine Base in California needs hand-made quilts for full-size/double beds.

The WWC is for the injured marines and/or sailors who aren't ready to go home but no longer need to be hospitalized. Here's part of the email Hugh quoted, from the "Commander of the Quilters:"

The Wounded Warrior Center was opened in mid-August as a long term rehab center for Marines and Navy wounded. These soldiers have been discharged from the hospital but are not yet ready to go back to active duty or to civilian life. This center gives them a rehab environment that is far less sterile and more encouraging than a hospital billet. There are 26 beds at the facility, and the expected duration of a stay is anywhere from three to six months. Gunny Sgt Greer, who oversees the facility, wanted to have some touches of home and managed to obtain a quilt for each of the beds. His intent was that upon discharge, the soldier would be able to take “his” quilt away with him.

I saw the initial newspaper article about WWC and saw from the photo that the quilt on the bed was homemade. After a few phone calls I reached SSgt Sommer, who told me that extra quilts would certainly be appreciated. I drove there with two and looked over the facility. I left there with a full blown panic attack starting, as the good intentions of the administrative folks had no grasp of the reality of how long it takes to make one quilt. When I left there, all the beds were covered and they had SEVEN quilts in reserve. Simple math told me they were in trouble, big time. 26 beds x 2 occupants per year = 52 quilts. At this time they have eight residents, but they expect to have a full house by the end of the year. Even in my manic period after the death of my husband, I could only produce one top per month, and my budget would certainly not cover making the number they will certainly need. Upon arriving at home I sent out emails and letters to all the quilters I know, and these have steamrolled.

I tried quilting once and got this far before I got stuck, when I couldn't figure out the next set of instructions:

When I was in Montana last year for my dad's funeral, most of the girls stopped at the quilt shop one afternoon (little town, huge quilt shop), and I remembered to ask them how to do that thing the instructions were trying to tell me to do next. But I haven't got back to working on my quilt since then. Spare time is in short supply.

Maybe it's time I try to squeeze in a little quilting time now and then and see if I can finish this...

If you have a quilt you'd like to donate, you can send it to either of these two addresses:

Wounded Warrior Center
SSgt Sommer
PO Box 555191
Camp Pendleton CA 92055

Therese Thomas
PO Box 2243
Valley Center CA 92082-2243