Barrhead Country Quilters work hard on Quilt of Valour project

To do their part to honour Canadian soldiers past and present, two dozen members of the Barrhead Country Quilters worked for months to design a quilt to be donated to the national Quilt of Valour (QOV) organization. The quilt now hangs on the wall at the Barrhead Public Library for all members of the public to enjoy.

"One of our members, Sylvia Nanninga, heard about this Quilt of Valour project at a quilting show and brought the idea back to the members," said club president Jacquie Gross. "Everyone in the club thought it was a great idea so we went to work on it several months ago.

"A total of 25 of our members did one patch each and Verna Holgate patched it all together and we finally got it finished in time for Remembrance Day."

Several members of the club were on hand when the club unveiled its Quilt of Honour last Wednesday - the day before Remembrance Day - on a wall at the public library, where it will hang for the next two weeks.

It took several months of hard work and teamwork to get this project completed, said Gross.

"Everyone was very excited about the project and took great pride in their work," she said. "This was our club's way of paying special tribute to the members of the military who give so much."

The quilt will be presented to the Quilts of Valour national organization after it is displayed at the upcoming Barrhead Quilt Show, which will be held April 28-30 next spring.

The Barrhead Country Quilters is a group of approximately 35 women who meet once a month to work on individual and group projects such as the Quilt of Valour, said Gross.

Quilts of Valour being made across the country are turned over to injured military personnel once they return to Canada. As of December 2009, the organization has been able to deliver over 500 quilts to armed forces personnel.

The mission statement for the national Quilts of Valour organization is: "To ensure our injured Canadian soldiers are recognized for their bravery and commitment of their true patriotism to our country. We give this support through the presentation of quilts of comfort made for our military service people."

Quilts are being made across the country by other quilting groups, with finished quilts being distributed to armed forces bases across Canada, said Gross.

"These quilts are quality made to that the QOV could last a lifetime of daily use," said Gross. "Making QOVs is not about mass production. Rather it's honouring and comforting those who have served our nation while at war."

The Barrhead Country Quilters meet the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. from September to May at St. Anne's Catholic Church Hall in Barrhead.

The group sponsors an all-day sewing circle once a month, alternating between Thursdays and Saturdays. On these days the members work on group projects, offer courses, assist others or work on individual projects.

Every second year, the club hosts a large show for the entire community to showcase the finest work from members. There is also a yearly retreat in February.

New members are always welcome, said Gross. The cost is only $20 per year. Quilting courses during non-meeting days are priced separately.

For more information, contact Gross at 780-674-2358.