Louis Seelye put on his POW/MIA cap and looked up at his new red, white and blue quilt at a Historic Downtown quilt shop in Plant City. Twenty-five women worked on the quilt together, and it took them almost three weeks to complete it.
“It’s pretty,” Seelye said. “I like it.”
The quilt features patterns of stars, stripes and American flags.
The women who made the quilt were volunteers for Quilts of Valor, a national organization that sews quilts and blankets for combat veterans. Seelye was the first veteran to receive a quilt from Quilts of Valor’s new Plant City chapter, at a presentation Aug. 29, at Inspire! Quilting and Sewing.
Seelye served from 1968 to 1969, in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He was a member of the 105th Artillery Unit.
“I was one of the lucky ones,” Seelye said. “I made it back.”
Seelye’s sister-in-law, Lucille Seelye, contacted Quilts of Valor about presenting a quilt to him. A Georgia chapter of Quilts of Valor had given a quilt to her husband in November 2013, just one month before he died.
“I wanted to make sure his brother got one as well,” Lucille said. “I really believe in what Quilts of Valor is doing.”
Quilts of Valor was founded in 2003. As of January, the organization had donated more than 95,000 quilts to veterans and current service members nationwide.
Raye Gregor, director of Plant City’s chapter, said the group makes quilts upon the request of state coordinator Linda Fentriss. The group’s next assignment is to make 30 quilts for a Nov. 11 presentation.
New volunteers are welcome.
“Any skill level is needed,” Gregor said. “Everybody is pitching in and doing just what they can.”
ConKerr Cancer
Another charitable group with ties to Inspire! Quilting and Sewing is ConKerr Cancer. ConKerr Cancer volunteers make pillowcases and blankets for children in hospitals who suffer from cancer or other diseases. It is a national organization, and the Tampa Bay chapter meets monthly in Plant City.
Carol Deloney is the coordinator of the Tampa Bay chapter, as well as an employee at Inspire! Quilting and Sewing. Every month, the chapter makes 1,300 pillowcases for children in hospitals from the Bay area to Lakeland. The pillowcases feature bright colors and patterns and are designed with specific age groups in mind.
This month, the group is hosting a sewing marathon, with the goal of making about 8,500 pillowcases, which would add up to a length of four miles. They will be sewing at the store all day Sept. 5 and 6. The event is open for the public to stop by and join at any time.
ConKerr Cancer’s first chapter started in Philadelphia. Groups across the country compete each September to see who can make the most pillowcases.
“Every year, Philadelphia beats us by just a few cases,” Deloney said. “We decided we needed four miles of pillowcases to beat them. But if we don’t, there’s no prize. The kids are the winners.”
The two sisters who opened Inspire! Quilting and Sewing in 2012, Lynn Haberl and Lisa LaPointe, have decided to celebrate the store’s second birthday by donating to Quilts of Valor and ConKerr Cancer. Between Aug. 15 and 30, they matched donations up to $1,000 for each of these organizations, in the form of sewing supplies and fabric.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.