A group of Cape Breton quilters is working to honour veterans, past and present, with a special tribute for their service.
A group of quilters in the Strait area have been meeting once a week for nearly 25 years.
“Because quilting is addictive,” says quilter Barb MacIntyre. “Once you start, it just grows on you.”
Group member Lesley Carruthers even writes a blog about quilting. Last fall, she read about a national project called Quilts Of Valour, a collective effort to make quilts for Canadian Armed Forces Members, past and present.
“So after I went to the website, I thought I'm going to make one,” says Carruthers. “So I decided to get together all my materials and I started to make a quilt.”
When Carruthers brought the quilt to the group, they loved it and decided to join the cause.
“It tells the veterans that we definitely think of them and it's a cozy thought, you know, it's a warm feeling to share a quilt,” says quilter Sandra MacDonald.
The project started in Canada in 2012 and the organizers are hoping to see 10,000 quilts created for the cause by 2018. So far, they've reached close to 6,300 or 63 per cent.
“You don't always have to use the same design. You can just make a quilt of any size that fits the dimension and give it to the Quilts Of Valour,” says Carruthers.
The quilts are meant to be a comfort for those who have served, or continue to serve, in the military.
The group hopes their quilts end up in the hands of local veterans, but that depends on the Quilts Of Valour organization – an organization that's receiving requests from veterans across the country.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Dan MacIntosh
