Here is a thank you note we received:

Ladies,

I apologize for the delay in my response; the internet is spotty over here. I am 2LT Genevieve Bostwick (Faust). I graduated from Plymouth High School in 2008 and am now based out of Ft Hood Texas serving as a platoon leader in a Regimental Support Squadron. My parents heard about your awesome service and linked up with you to send my whole platoon quilts. I wanted to say thank you so much for the time and care you put into serving us with these quilts. This deployment has been especially hard on my platoon because we were broken apart and sent to different forward operating bases (FOBs) all over the region to handle logistical support for the region. My soldiers are awesome and step up to accomplish any mission they are given, but it can be tough for them being divided into ones and twos and sent to various FOBs with units and leadership they aren't familiar with. Being able to forward them a quilt with a note reminding them that they are not alone or forgotten, has been a wonderful gift for me as a leader. My soldiers that are collocated with me were thrilled to receive the quilts and loved the cards inside. From me, and on behalf of my soldiers, thank you so much for your time and support.

Very respectfully,

2LT Bostwick, Genevieve

Supply and Trans Platoon, Regimental Support Squadron, 3d Cavalry Regiment 

Special Request for 7 Replacement Quilts

(UPDATE:  The replacement quilts have been completed and sent to this unit)

The CQP made 14 quilts for the 911th FST that deployed to Iraq in May.  On 10/08/201 we received the following email:

"Dear Linda,  You are the wonderful organization who supplied quilts for our 14 member unit that deployed to Iraq in May.  We have cherished them and all use them. Unfortunately, seven of our members lost all of their personal belongings when their sleep tent was hit by enemy mortar fire about a month ago....inclusive of the quilts you all hand made them.  They are saddened by the loss of these quilts.  I am wondering, Linda, if you could make these quilts for these seven members again and ship them to them.  I know it is alot to ask and you have been so generous to us.  But it would mean so much to these people to boost their morale and give them back some very good memories.  I have a list of the names and  their address of the base they are stationed at.  They are in a very very remote austere environment and  would truly appreciate that touch from home."
 
It saddens us that these 7 soldiers have suffered such a loss, but we are thankful that they were able to reach safety and were not injured.  Although we have over 1000 quilts on order, we want to do what we can to make new quilts for these 7 soldiers and to get them sent to Iraq ASAP. Cost to make them would be about $140 and it would cost another $25-$50 to send them to Iraq.  There are already several volunteers who have said they would work extra hours to help make the quilts. If you would like to help cover the cost of these quilts please let us know.

Orders, Orders and more Orders!

No, I am not talking about the military orders our young men and women in the service receive. I am talking about orders for camo quilts. Right now we have about 1100 quilts that have been ordered and need to be made. It is a bit overwhelming---but our volunteers are working hard to complete the orders. Wouldn't YOU like to be one of our volunteers?

Where do the orders come from? A parent might request a quilt for their son or daughter. Sometimes it is a grandparent or other relative that orders the quilt. Orders have also been received directly from Iraq or Afghanistan. It might be a commander ordering a quilt for the entire unit or it could come from an individual who received a quilt who then orders one for the rest of the unit. An order may be for 1 quilt going to an individual or it could be an order for anywhere from 20 to 200 depending on the size of a unit.

With all the publicity the Camo Quilt Project (CQP) has had lately, the orders are rolling in---now we just need more volunteers to come and join us in making the quilts.

How much does a Camo Quilt Cost?

The quilts are given to our troops free of charge. If you would like to donate money for a quilt, it costs $25 for the materials to make a quilt. Those who request the quilts pay any shipping charges to send the quilt to their soldier/marine/airman. Besides the cost of the quilt, it takes 3-5 hours to complete each quilt depending on the experience of the volunteer. Here is the break-down of the various tasks: 10 mins for pinning; 10 mins to zigzag 2 vertical rows; 30-60 mins to do the quilting, 10 mins to press 4 ties & 1 binding (7 yds); 45-90 mins to bind the quilt and 15-30 mins for miscellaneous tasks such as cutting, winding bobbins, trimming quilt, cleaning up, inserting card/brochure/cool-tie and rolling the quilt. Of course, the time to make a quilt at the shop depends on how much "chatting" goes on among the volunteers. :)

OUR HEARTS ARE SADDENED

We were shocked to hear the news about the Fort Hood massacre. A few days later we learned that one of our quilt recipients, Ssgt Amy Krueger, was one of the soldiers that were killed. In September Amy received one of our quilts and on September 29th we received this email from her:

"My name is Sgt. Krueger. I am with the 467th Combat Stress Control Unit that will be deploying within the next two months. I recently received a blanket because a family member knows some of the women that volunteer their time to make these blankets. I personally want to thank you and all the women who worked diligently to make my blanket. It is a very gracious gift that will be very very useful. Also, on the behalf of my commander, Maj. Suttinger, as a unit we were wondering if we could request more blankets for the rest of the unit? We will be state side till approximately the beginning of December. I am not sure if it would be possible to make 45 blankets before then or what the capabilities are, but we thought it was worth asking. Again thanks to all that are
involved in this wonderful project!!"

We have been in contact with Amy's commander and the quilts ordered by Amy will be made. These quilts will be a bit special in that a ribbon will be attached and a specially designed card sent with the quilt that tells Amy's comrades that the quilt is being given in her honor.

The WARM COMPANY

Our troops deserve the best. That is why our quilts are filled with 100% cotton batting. We use the Warm & Natural batting made by The Warm Company. In June The Warm Company donated 3 rolls of batting, 124" by 25 yds each. That was enough to fill 85 quilts! THANK YOU to The Warm Company.

Pictures From Camo Quilt Headquarters

Camo Quilt Head-
quarters







Some of our volunteers at our open house in November.









Volunteers learning how to pin the quilts.

What On Earth is a "Camo Quilt?"

One of our most-asked questions is, “Doesn’t the military provide them with a quilt?” The answer, sadly, is no. Military-issued sleeping bags are bulky and hot and must be carried inside their back-packs. Our Camo Quilt is so popular because it's made from the same camouflage material as the uniforms. That means it can be used in the open, tied to the outside of a soldier's kit, leaving precious room inside for personal items.

The camouflage quilt is a small quilt measuring approximately 45” x 72”. The quilt folds in thirds and rolls up like a sleeping bag. It is lightweight and has cotton batting so it breathes better in the extreme heat. These quilts are slept on and slept under; they protect the soldiers from the harsh elements they face, both cold winter nights and hot daytime sun. They are even used for pillows. Any person serving in the military and deployed to the Middle East is eligible to receive one of these quilts!

Each quilt is packaged with a cool tie and a hand-made card. The card gives information about the volunteer group and is signed by some of the volunteers. This gives our quilts a very personal touch! There is no charge to the soldiers for the quilts. We just ask that the person requesting the quilts cover the cost of shipping.

Linda and her volunteers have made and distributed over 1,000 quilts to Soldiers and Marines!

Click on the "running tally" category tag for updates on the total number of quilts made so far!

The Camo Quilt Story.

The first camouflage quilt was designed and made by Linda Wieck in April of 2006. Her son-in-law, Todd, was being deployed to Iraq and asked her to make him a quilt to take along. His specifications were that it be small, made from camouflage cloth, and it needed to have cotton batting.

While Todd was at Camp Shelby, MS for training prior to being deployed, other soldiers in his unit saw the quilt and wanted to buy one. Todd asked Linda if she could make each of them a quilt and they would pay her for them. She scrambled to finish all 48 before they left for Iraq in July of 2006.

After the local newspaper published an article about her work, one of the readers asked Linda to conduct a workshop to train others to make the quilts. The first one day workshop was held in April of 2007 at a local banquet hall and was fol-lowed by 3 additional week-long work-shops. Hundreds of volunteers helped at these workshops. All the money needed for materials and supplies were donated so the quilts could be given to the soldiers free of charge.

As the need for more quilts grew it became clear that an occasional week-long workshop wasn’t going to be enough to keep the orders filled. We needed a large, ongoing source of committed volunteers to sew quilts. One of Linda’s volunteers is a Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML) member and felt that LWML could help meet that need!

At the South Wisconsin District (SWD) Lutheran Womens Missionary League Fall Retreat, the Camo Quilt Project was presented as an LWML Human Care project.

In order for us to move forward with our project and produce a larger number of quilts, we needed to have a suitable facility where we could permanently set up a workshop. At minimum we needed a warehouse to receive and store the large bolts of cloth (up to 400 yards!)

The 200 LWMLers brought it before the Lord in prayer and God answered that prayer the following week. Glacier Transit and Storage-GTS of Plymouth WI donated a facility for our use. Not only is there a loading dock and storage space but we have an entire facility large enough to set up a dozen sewing machines with a separate room for cutting . GTS has donated this area for as long as we need it including the heat and electricity. Praise God for His wonderful provision!

Now we have space for volunteers to drop in and work! We'd love to see you, so stop by and say hi.