Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2019 - 51

The guild participates in regional quilt
shows; supports local non-profits with
presentations onsite and during fundraising events; works with a local university in
a student service hours program; provides
children whose families are in emergency
shelters with their own pillowcases; and
makes bags for children at the cancer center. "These (happy, colorful bags) fit over
the hanging chemo-filled bags to help the
kids feel less afraid," says Pegram.
"This is also our third year with the
Quilts of Valor program," she continues.
"In recognition for the service and sacrifice of our veterans and service members,
we make and present them with quilts.
It starts by nominating someone via
their website, then the Foundation gets
in touch with local guilds who take it
from there. We're trying to get the older
individuals first, especially our Vietnam
veterans and older. One of our recipients
said he didn't have any family left, so he
nominated himself. Folks are encouraged
to do this since we were able to give him
a nice event [for the presentation]. There
was not a dry eye in the house."
According to the members, there are
many skills that come into play in designing and making a quilt. There are
five main parts: the top (face), batting
(stuffing), backing (material on the underside), binding (around the edge), and
the actual quilting (stitching that connects the layers). Quilters have favorites.
"If people don't necessarily want to join a
guild, they can still help with individual
projects like the Quilts of Valor," Pegram

says. "I'm a topper, where others of our
20-member guild really enjoy the quilting part. Each person brings something
unique to a project. Artists have a real
talent for color. Engineers are very technical. We need mathematics for precise
measurements. And I follow directions!"
Then, Pegram shares their latest outreach in the local community. "I had
this idea to teach men at the halfway
house how to quilt. Well, you can imagine the eye-rolling as I went through all
the channels to get permission," Pegram
shares. After securing skeptical approval, she showed up the first night with a
Quilt of Valor quilt.
"I taught high school for 30 years. I've
seen it all, so let's get started," she told
the group. "Somebody here likes art,"
she began. And the resident with many
visible tattoos raised his hand. "Somebody else likes math." Another resident
with carefully groomed hair and clothes
raised his hand. So she got out some
quilt pieces and started putting together
geometric shapes. One man came slowly
forward and quietly moved around the
pieces into a new pattern. Pegram smiles
and states, "The halfway house quilting
program started this fall."
Looking ahead: Cleveland, Tennessee,
just "turned the dirt" on a new Veterans'
Home this past summer. The Cherokee
Blossom Quilt Guild didn't miss a stitch!
"We have about two years to make between 50 and 108 quilts, which will be
on the veterans' beds when they arrive,"
concludes Pegram.

Starter Kit/Insider Tips from Kathay Pegram
➻ Join a quilting guild.
➻ Visit a brick and mortar quilt shop - touch the fabric, talk to the owner, get a pack of precut pieces.
➻ Watch YouTube videos for skills tips and browse on Pinterest for ideas.
➻ Look through books and magazines for patterns.
➻ Take an online class for beginners.
➻ Three must-have tools: rotary cutter, cutting mat, quilting ruler.
➻ Older quilts with different stitching in various sections could indicate a large group quilt. "Getting together
and working on one quilt is a traditional activity that is quickly disappearing."
➻ Nominate a veteran or current service member in your hometown for Quilts of Valor recognition.
Cherokee Blossom Quilt Guild - cherokeeblossomquilters.weebly.com
Quilts of Valor - qovf.org
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

http://cherokeeblossomquilters.weebly.com http://www.qovf.org

Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - November/December 2019