QoV at SHQ, delivering QoV to the York County Sheriff

Dateline – Thursday, 3/29 = It’s 6:15 in the morning….Michael is in the bathroom…I’m still lying in bed staring up at the ceiling, thinking about my day….it’s still dark outside….oh no….I hear bells….yep, Lucy has figured out how to climb over the 30’’ high dog gate that we have been using to pen them in the kitchen!!!!  That didn’t even last 2 weeks!!!  Yikes – we don’t have a plan “B” right now.  

Michael was up and out for golfing after packing up my car and I headed off to quilting.  We worked on Quilt of Valor quilts and got 3 tops almost completely done….YAY!!  

We also had great show and tell:

picture piecing from June

Jeanne finished a quilt from last week's class

Mary made the Quilt of Valor below after being at a ceremony and hearing one of the men say 'but they're all so bright'!  Something that I should definitely keep in mind as that's how I would describe pretty much all of my quilts of valor as well:

Susie gave us a history lesson (and I have to interject that I hate history, but I truly could listen to this chick for hours....she is so interesting...and an excellent speaker with interesting stories!!)  The quilt below is what an original 'quilt of valor' looked like.  These originated in the Civil War and there are very, very few left, so Susie wanted to make a recreation.  She said blankets were few and far between and very worn out for both the North and the South and that the government approached the ladies at home (you know...the ones they thought were sitting around with nothing to do  :~), and asked for quilts.  But they had very specific requirements.  The quilts needed to be 55 inches by 85 inches and be in dark colors as they were likely to be bled on and in the mud.  And they should include some uplifting sayings for the men:

I showed my 4 patriotic quilts (and the net bags which some of the women seemed much more interested in  :~) 

and finally talked about what they were for.  

On January 16, 2018, 4 cops from the next county over from mine were shot during a domestic violence dispute.  It was shortly after that that I felt led to make quilts for them.  I didn’t want to talk about it much, because I wasn’t sure I would complete them, or how long it would take.  I didn’t want to be delivering quilts to them 6 months after the incident….I was hoping for more like 2 months.  I made up a special label for the back of the quilts:  

You  are  a  hero  who  puts  your  life  on  the

line  every  day  and  you  have  my  gratitude. 

This  quilt  was  made  to  honor  you  and  the

sacrifices  you  make  to  serve  and  protect.     

I  hope  as  you  wrap  yourself  in  my  prayers  for

your  healing  and  safety,  that  it  will  continue

to  remind  you  that  you  are  appreciated.

and dove into making them.   I had all of the tops done before I went on retreat with Pat, and as you know….got them quilted, labeled and bound once I got home.  I left quilting early to pick up Paula and head to the sheriff’s office to deliver the quilts.  

All of the quilters prayed over the quilts before I took them, and they also prayed that I could ‘keep it together’ ie not be crying the whole time that I talked to the sheriff.  Well, it was a wonderful experience and the praying really worked…I held it together until I was leaving and Sheriff Tolson asked me to wait just a minute.  

He stepped into his office and came back with a pin.  Now, one of the officers died from the shooting (Michael Doty - I made the fourth quilt to go to his brother who is also a police officer) and they had made up memorial pins to commemorate him.  Sheriff Tolson told me that they weren’t giving these pins out to civilians, but only to other law enforcement officers, but he was so touched by my gesture that he thought I deserved to have one as well.  Well, I started to lose it then, but when he gave me a big hug as well it was all over  :~).  

It was a wonderful experience and I am so glad I did it.  I did ask him to try to take pictures as he handed the quilts out, so you may see those in the future.  It was a 45 minute drive home and Paula and I got a LOT of talking done.  

My honey was home when I got home and said he was happy with his score of 86, even though he didn’t have any birdies in the round.  At 6 PM I picked up Jan & Jerri L and we headed into Waxhaw for a Maundy Thursday performance at Pam’s (Thursday quilter) church.  It was wonderful and I was home before 9 PM (after a quick stop for FROSTY’S for all of us).  It was a very emotional day and I just collapsed on the sofa in front of the boob tube until bed.