The Tally So Far

10 - Local Doylestown PA Vets Group

26 - Vermont VA Center

7 - 3rd Batt Rangers at Walter Reed, Wash DC (Kris' Battalion)

25 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 11/8/05

63 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 2/06/06

3 - Brooke Army Medical Center, Texas

35 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 5/29/06

59 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 9/11/06

100 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 5/31/07

80 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 11/28/07

72 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 2/13/08

44 - Balad, Iraq 7/2/08. More about the Balad Field Hospital here, here and here.

17 - TF 115 MED, Camp Cropper, Baghdad, Iraq, 8/30/08.

15 - TF 115 MED, Camp Cropper, Baghdad, Iraq, 10/1/08.

29 - Warrior Transition Battalion at Womack Army Medical Center, Ft. Bragg, NC. See pictures at left, 8/1/09.

80 - Walter Reed, Wash DC, 1/27/10.

Note: My record keeping wasn't too precise at the beginning of this project since I never expected it to grow to the size it has. I'm now trying to keep better track of where the quilts go.

These folks were at a recent QOV sew in. For more photos check this page at the Byrne Sewing Connection web site.

A shipment of quilts bound for Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington DC. These were delivered on my Veterans Day trip to Washington, 11/8/2005.

Quilts being delivered at Walter Reed Hospital.

These two soldiers had the same last name and claimed to be "twins".

These quilters are from Chapel Hill, NC Stars of Hope Quilters and Cashiers (NC) Quilters Guild, 2 of the many quilt groups that have sent quilts to the Warrior Transition Battalion at Fort Bragg, NC.

Some of our Byrne quilts went to Sue Wolf of the Star of Hope Quilters in North Carolina which has connected with the Durham-Orange Quilters Guild, Mary Ed Williams,  coordinator;  Lavonna Larson and the quilters guild from Cashiers, NC; Kirsta Meadows and Diane Futzner in Jacksonville, NC; Stacy Aldridge and her group of quilters in Fayetteville, NC;  Joy Danforth in Elizabeth City, NC  who put us in touch with Cindy Roth (Longarm University) who has a mailing list with a very "long arm" that reached over 150 quilters across the USA.  Wow!!!

To date,  I have received over 180 quilts from across NC and from big cities and small towns (many I never heard of) across the USA.  So we have been making progress in getting quilts to the soldiers in the Warrior Transition Battalion.  We have a standing invitation to present quilts on the 2nd Tuesday of the month after meeting attended by many of the soldiers. Some of us from the Stars of Hope and Stacy Aldridge deliver the quilts. Together with the WTB staff, we arrange the quilts so the soldiers can select a quilt that they like. We also have cards handmade by the kindergarten class of the Franciscan School in Raleigh to give with the quilts. So far we have delivered almost 300 quilts - only 200-300 to go. Our next trip is scheduled for August 11th when will deliver about 50 more quilts.  Some will be presented at the battalion headquarters; others are left with the staff to take to homebound soldiers.

As you can see the soldiers are excited about the quilts and send their gratitude. The assortment offered is just what they want. Two soldiers were after the quilt made from fabric with green tractors- both had small sons.

Several of the soldiers wanted their picture taken with the back of the quilt- they loved the American flags. Go figure.

This soldier with the center medallion eagle took 30-40 minutes looking for the perfect quilt with eagles. Of course we had many small patches with an eagle print but he knew what he wanted.