Quilts of Valor brings comfort to Alabama veterans

Quilts are warm. Quilts are comfortable. Quilts tell a story, spark memories and stand as works of art.

But perhaps the greatest function a quilt can have is to bring peace and comfort to those who defend this nation.

That’s the belief behind Quilts of Valor, an organization that started with a mother wanting to comfort her son after his service in the Global War on Terror and has grown to become a major movement with a purpose.

That movement and purpose have found their way into the Barry-Mobile Chapter of Energizers, an organization of Alabama Power retirees looking to continue the community service that was ingrained when they worked with the company.

Linda Tipp is the president-elect of the Barry-Mobile Energizers, and she has been sewing quilts for Quilts of Valor since 2016 when her late husband was awarded one of the quilts.

“A lot of us grew up with family and friends quilting – remembering the old looms that came down from the ceiling – and for a lot of people way back in the day, that was their source of heat,” said Tipp, who worked in Human Resources before retiring from Alabama Power. “So when you think about quilting, you think about comfort and warmth.”

Quilts of Valor wants quilts to be seen the same way – as a sign of comfort, peace and healing for the recipients.

“For me, it’s a ministry,” Tipp said. “I came from a military family. I still have children serving. It’s a way for me to honor their service.”

In addition to being a great quilter, Tipp is a great recruiter for Quilts of Valor.

Maria Thompson is treasurer with the Barry-Mobile Energizers and was recruited by Tipp for Quilts of Valor.

“I’ve sewed my whole life since I was six years old, and I just never thought about quilting much,” said Thompson, who worked in Marketing and Customer Service when at Alabama Power. “But my grandmother quilted and she used one of the frames that came down from the ceiling.”

After some time, she thought she did want to get into quilting, “But I don’t want to make the old-timey quilts, you know? I want to make something more modern-looking.”

She took a quilting class in 2014 and was hooked, or better to say, she was stitched.

“I just fell in love with it,” Thompson said. “I have made probably close to 60 quilts now since then. I was making them for family and friends but then when I heard about Quilts of Valor, I said, ‘That’s what I want to be involved in.’”

As she’s quilting, she said she feels patriotic with every stitch.

“I just think about our veterans and what they mean to our country and what they’ve sacrificed,” Thompson said. “I have an uncle who is 85 years old that was a Marine for 20 years and got a Bronze Star. He’s one of the ones I think about. I have other family and friends that have been veterans, and I think it’s just a great thing that we do for them to honor them.”

Catherine Roberts was the Blue Star mom who had a dream of a soldier being comforted by a blanket and would use that as motivation to start Quilts of Valor to honor her son.

“When he came home, as so many of our veterans do, they bring their demons home with them,” Tipp said. “She was a quilter and she wanted to do something for her child that would kind of help with the healing process that he was going to have to go through to get halfway back to normal.”

What started as a grassroots effort just grew.

“Now we have chapters in every state, and in the last 22 years we have awarded over 416,000 quilts to active-duty service members and veterans across this nation,” she said.

Tipp’s chapter in Baldwin County has awarded close to 1,000 quilts.

There are some rules and guidelines to making quilts for Quilts of Valor, but there is also room for artistry.

“The design is that they be patriotic – mostly red, white and blue,” Tipp said. “But it’s left up to the quilter as to what design they want to do with their red, white and blue – blocks, squares, stars – they’re just works of art.”

Thompson is a quilter who does the full quilt from start to finish, and each one can take between 10 and 30 hours of quilting time to complete.

“This is something that can be passed down on to their family,” Thompson said. “You don’t know how long it’s going to be in the family. It’s an honor to know that your quilt is going to go down in a family lineage and not just be sold at a garage sale maybe somewhere.”

Quilting is a perfect pursuit in her retirement, Thompson said. “I can see me doing this forever.”

At the September luncheon for the Barry-Mobile Energizers, Tipp and Thompson awarded quilts to fellow Energizers – Alabama Power retirees who also served in the military.

“We had the biggest turnout we’ve had all year long,” Tipp said of the meeting.

Family members and former co-workers turned out to support the six veterans who were awarded quilts.

“It was just so awesome for everybody to be there,” Tipp said. “The warmth and the love that was in that room was just phenomenal.”

The awarding of a completed quilt to a veteran or service member makes it more than worth the time and effort of quilting, Tipp said.

“The pay for this is not anything, but the benefits and dividends are phenomenal because I get to talk to veterans,” she said.

“It’s another way to say, ‘We acknowledge your service. We thank you for your service and your valor to this country,’” she said. “It’s an honor for us to do this work.”