In the fall of 2019, when Spring Valley quilter Jan Poldervaard learned that the proposed new veterans home in Preston was to become a reality, she knew how she wanted to help. Jan had a vision of a handmade quilt on every one of the home’s 54 veterans’ beds. She contacted the Veterans Services Office in Preston to share her idea, and, after a three month wait, Jan got the official ok from Paula Newinski of the MDVA to proceed. Newinski offered a list of possible projects. A wide twin quilt (55”x 65” to 65”x 80”) was eventually chosen.
While Jan didn’t know Mary Zimmerman personally, she knew her quilting work from exhibitions at the Fillmore County Fair. Jan contacted Mary, and soon they joined forces to contact other quilters and ask if they’d like to join the effort. A letter was written detailing the requirements for the quilts and encouraging people to share the letter with anyone they knew who might be interested in making a quilt or quilt top. Soon the letters were spreading like wildfire among quilters.
Quilters were asked to use 100% high quality cotton, quilt weight fabric in shades of red, white, beige, gray, or blue. Since the quilts will be washed regularly in hot water, fabrics needed to be pre-washed in hot water. Batting was to be quality, low-loft of cotton/polyester or polyester. The quilters were also asked to label their donation with their names. Each person chose whatever quilt block pattern they preferred.
The letters resulted in an “overwhelming response,” according to Mary Zimmerman. Out of the 40 people Mary personally contacted, only one person was unable to help. Some quilters have made two or three quilts. Quilts have come from Harmony, Preston, Cannon Falls, LeRoy, Rochester, Racine, Spring Valley, Chatfield, Grand Meadow, Taopi, Spring Grove and Arlington, Minn. The youngest quilter was 11 year-old Sydney Barth who had displayed a prize winning quilt at the fair.
Many quilters do not quilt their quilts themselves, but rather send them out to longarm quilters. Since paying for the longarm quilting runs on average $108, Jan Poldervaard contacted local VFWs, American Legions, and VFW and American Legion Auxiliaries for donations. American Legions from Harmony, Preston, Wykoff, Lanesboro and Mabel; Legion Auxiliaries from Chatfield, Mabel and Wykoff; VFWs from Mabel and Preston, VFW Auxiliaries from Chatfield and Preston, the Preston Area Community Foundation (which contributed through the Preston VFW Auxiliary); and seven individuals donated to help defray the longarm expenses.
Supplies for the average quilt including the longarm quilting expense cost approximately $267.50; that does not include the time of the quilter. All the quilters donated all the materials; some generous longarm quilters also donated batting or discounted their prices since the quilts were for veterans.
On April 27, seven of the multitude of quilters gathered at Mary Zimmerman’s home to view the already accumulated donated quilts and talk about their successful quilting project. At that time they had almost 90 quilts; a new goal of two for each bed may soon be reached to accommodate laundering of the veterans’ quilts.
According to Kathy Tesmer, quilting is a sisterhood – a fun group to be friends with; as soon as she learns another person is a quilter, they immediately have a connection. Norma Merkel shared that her newly widowed sister often goes to her local quilt shop to visit with people when she’s lonely. Mary Zimmerman commented that she has met so many people through quilting, “We all speak the same language!” She went on, “It’s cheap therapy!”
When asked why they chose to participate in the project, Charlotte O’Connor shared that both she and her husband were vets; they met and were married in Vietnam, so this is very personal to her.
Jan Poldervaard, who has many veterans in her family, responded, “The veterans – they gave so much for us – we wanted to do what we could for them!”
Janet Czapiewski added, “And I need to keep busy!” Janet shared that she needs and loves to quilt and sew. Initially she made an intricate quilt using one-inch squares of fabric, but she decided to make a different one with fewer seams to increase the durability of her donated quilt. Her husband, also a vet, was the lucky recipient of the first.
When asked how long it took to complete piecing a quilt, Janet, a former professional seamstress, said hers took a month or so. The other women chuckled that they have many quilts in the works at a time that they weren’t certain.
Patterns of the quilts vary widely as well as the complexity. Each row of Norma’s quilt has a different pattern since she created it at a workshop where four different women each made a row on each other’s quilts. Denise Paulson shared that her quilt was a Mystery Quilt; she purchased a brown bag full of five fabrics for her quilt with only one piece attached to the outside of the bag visible. Every two weeks she was sent an installment of directions and really didn’t know what the quilt would look like until she finished it.
Charlotte made a Friendship Star quilt, Jan made a Made in America, Janet combined a couple patterns to create her own pattern which she named Bear Paws and Stars.
Now some other people are sewing other items for the veterans home as well. Roxie Thompson and her quilters’ club, Group Quilters Therapy, are making bags to hang from the front bar of walkers to carry items. The bags will be pieced with a stylized flag. Currently, a prototype is being tested at the Mabel Nursing Home by physical therapy and the laundry department.
Julie Jackson of Spring Valley has made 54 pillowcases, with each one using three different patriotic fabrics; each bed at the home will have one of the handmade pillow cases. Julie declared, “I need to do this; my dad and brother were veterans.”
According to Jan and Mary, this will most likely be an ongoing project. They plan to see what the needs are as time goes by. One possible future project might be lap quilts for wheelchairs. We can only wait to see what future creations may be donated to the Minnesota State Veteranas Home, Preston by these generous quilters!
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