QUILTS OF VALOR

What is a Quilt of Valor?

A Quilt of Valor® (QOV) is a quality, handmade quilt that is machine or hand quilted. It is awarded to a Service Member or Veteran who has been touched by war. The Quilt says unequivocally, “Thank you for your service and sacrifice in serving our nation.”

Our Guild members have truly taken this Community Service project to heart and have proudly made QOV’s every year since 2010. Below is some information about the requirements for making one of these quilts and more information about our Guild’s involvement with QOV. If you have any questions, please contact Alice Raymond.

Quilt Requirements

Many have asked about the size requirements for QOV’s. The national organization specifications ask for 100% cotton quilting weight fabric appropriate for an adult and no metallic or scratchy fabric. They also requested that no quilt tops or backs should be a replica of the American flag. It’s okay to use printed flag fabric in the quilt, they just do not want the basic quilt design to be based on a field of stars with the alternating red and white stripes.  

The preferred/recommended size:

60”x80” (minimum of 55”x 65”, maximum 72”x 90”)

Wheel chair quilts for Veterans should be: 35”x 40”

Background / History of QOV program participation by the Bedford Friendship Quilt Guild

We  first became involved with the Quilts Of Valor (QOV) program in 2010. At that time we completed 13 quilts and presented them in a city-wide QOV event that November. Over the years we had the privilege of presenting quilts to two WWII veterans on their 100th birthday, Martin Roy in 2015 (he was 100 on Veterans Day!) and In 2016, we presented to two brothers and in 2017 all the recipients at the Veterans Day Program were women, two of them US Navy WW II veterans. 2018 saw presentations to 2 different father & son teams as well as a husband & wife team.

2011 - We made 6 quilts that were displayed around the town of Bedford as a 10 year tribute memorial for September 11, 2001. These quilts were displayed at the town library, town hall, the police and fire complex and several churches.

2012 - We presented 7 quilts to the Veterans Hospital for new patients and one to a family member of Jane Sedrick, a guild member. This was also the year we first participated in the Bedford Veterans Day Program on November 11th, presenting two quilts to the uncles of one of our members, Jane Blais.

2013 - We donated two quilts to the NH QOV organization for an event they were presenting and again presented quilts at the Veterans Day program organized by the Bedford Historical Society.

2014 - We created a total of 9 quilts and presented one to the husband of a guild member, two at the June Guild meeting and 5 at the Veterans Day program. 

2015 - We made a record 14 QOV’s! Five of those went to the NH QOV organization to help with a large group where they were presenting quilts. One went to a wounded veteran recuperating at Walter Reed Hospital and 7 were presented during the Veterans Day program. We also had the great honor of presenting quilts to a WWII veteran on his 100th birthday, Martin Roy! He was 100 years old on Veterans Day!

2016 - We presented 7 quilts at the Veterans Day program and Pauline Gravelle presented a QOV she had made to the father of a friend.

2017 - We presented a total of 11 QOV's. Five of them were at the annual Veteran's Day program in November and, for the first time, all of those recipients were women and two of them were WWII veterans. The other 5 quilts were presented to: Captain Desmond Coffee; Captain Bradley Taylor; Cpl. Paul Coppola; David Morin former US Army; Major Ryan Nugent of the US Air National Guard; and Kari McGaughey, a WWII Veteran whose quilt was presented to her on her 100th birthday!

2018 - We have presented a total of 80 Quilts of Valor since 2010! In 2018, we presented a total of 11 QOV Quilts, 6 of which were presented to Veteran’s during the Veteran’s Day program. The recipients were:

  • Christopher Loughin

  • Hugh Worden - US Marines (brother of our own Ginnie Tenney)

  • Andrew Worden - US Marines (son of Hugh and nephew of Ginny Tenney)

  • Andrew Boyd - US Army

  • Boyd Bobo - US Army (father of Andrew)

  • Will Cypher - US Navy

  • Herman Streitburger - US Army Air Corps, Prisoner of War in WWII

  • George Munson - US Army and Army National Guard

  • Ginger Munson - US Army and Army National Guard (wife of George)