Good Neighbors

L-R: Donna White, Janet Sutphen, Joanne Hartriem, Pat Cicogna, Louise Mazuchowski, Diane Church. Not Pictured: Patti Schwartz, Julie Moore,Mishele Ecman, Barbra Carney, Terry Miller, June Longe

To Honor And Comfort

Oak Run Quilters do their part to honor military veterans with Quilts of Valor.

BY JOANN GUIDRY • PHOTOS BY STEVE FLOETHE

From a patriotic palette of red, white, and blue, with white stars thrown in for good measure, the Oak Run Quilters create one-of-a-kind Quilts of Valor for military veterans. For the past three years, the Oak Run Quilters have made 65 QOV quilts and counting, not one a duplicate, which are presented to service members and military veterans.

Founded in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, the Winterset, Iowa-based Quilts of Valor Foundation is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization. Its mission is to cover service members and military veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor. The QOVF is represented by more than 600 groups like the Oak Run Quilters across the country. Since its inception, the QOVF has awarded more than 260,000 quilts.

Terry Burtchell, who is based in Port Orange, serves as the QOVF Florida state coordinator, working with 500 QOVF members and 27 registered quilting groups.

“Like all of our Florida QOV quilting groups, Pat Cicogna and the Oak Run Quilters give of their time, talent, and materials to say thank you to this country’s military veterans. These QOV heirloom quilts that they so lovingly make are very much appreciated by all who receive them,” says Burtchell. “We encourage people to become involved on any level you can, either as a quilter or by making a donation to a local group. It will be time and money well spent for a worthy cause.”

FOR CICOGNA, who grew up in Long Island, New York, and learned to sew as a child from her grandmother, becoming involved in the QOVF mission seemed inevitable.

“There is a thread of military service in my family. My father served in the South Pacific during World War II, my husband David was a Special Forces paratrooper, and my late son was in the U.S. Army,” says Cicogna, 74. “I always had a casual interest in quilting, but just didn’t have the time to pursue it. But after I retired from being an office manager for a medical office in Sanford, North Carolina, and we moved to Oak Island, I joined a quilting group there and dove right in.”

Cicogna quickly showed a talent for quilting, entering only her third quilt in a competition and winning second place. Over the years, Cicogna entered many more quilts in competitive shows, winning numerous prizes along the way.

“I love quilting because each quilt is like putting an intricate puzzle together and each puzzle is different,” says Cicogna. “It was while we lived on Oak Island that I began doing patriotic quilts for family members. Then after 9/11, there really was a demand for them, so I sold some in a gift shop.”

Like many others, the Cicognas would travel down to Florida during the winter in their RV.

“As we began to grow a little weary and wary of living on an island, especially during hurricane season, we started researching retirement communities in Florida,” says Cicogna. “And that’s how we found Oak Run. We came for a visit and just fell in love with the community. And after living on the beach for so long, it was great to be surrounded by trees and green again. We moved in 2010 and two months later, I joined the Oak Run Quilters. In 2017, I suggested we become involved with the QOVF and the group agreed. We’ve been making QOV ever since.”

TO RECEIVE A QOV, a nomination has to be made to qovf.org, then nominations are passed on to each state coordinator. The latter then contacts the nominee’s area group with the QOV request, in this case any group in the Ocala area.

“Any quilt pattern can be used for a QOV, but it must have a patriotic theme,” explains Cicogna. “The minimum size is 55” x 65” and the maximum is 72” x 90”. Most of the quilts that we make fall in between at 60’’ X 80”. The quilts must be made of 100 percent cotton fabric, machine or hand-quilted only. The quilts must be labeled as a QOV and include the name of the service member.”

Once a pattern is chosen, Cicogna sends out quilt block assignments to the members involved in the QOV. Once the individual blocks are made, then the group gets together for a workshop to construct the actual quilt. The time-intensive quilts can take six months to a year to make.

Cicogna notes that it takes a group effort to create the quilts, crediting fellow Oak Run Quilters Joanne Hartrim, current ORQ president Patty Schwartz, Donna White, June Iunge, and Janet Sutphen. Cicogna also co-founded and is co-president with Schwartz of the SW 200 Corridor Quilters. Other founding members of the latter include White, Hartrim, and Terry Miller, who participate in the QOV. Other SW 200 Corridor Quilters lending their skills are Vicky Leighty, Kathleen Benjamin, and Trina Vertefeville.

Even when they have no QOV request to work on, the Oak Run Quilters continue making quilts.

WHEN A NOMINEE’S QUILT is completed, the next step is the actual presentation of the QOV.

“I contact the recipient to set up a presentation. If necessary, we go to homes, assisted living facilities, and churches. And, of course, because of the COVID-19 situation, we’ve made a lot of right-outside-the-door presentations,” says Cicogna. “But if possible, we like to make group presentations at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4781 located near Oak Run. There the chairs are lined up with the QOV on the back of the chairs and the certificates on the seats. The ceremony includes an Honor Guard and the Pledge of Allegiance. I also make opening and closing remarks. And I include the Oak Run Quilters who helped make the QOV in the presentation ceremonies.”

For Cicogna, the presentation ceremony brings it all full circle.

“Each quilt is like putting an intricate puzzle together.” —Pat Cicogna

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

• Pat Cicogna, Oak Run Quilters, 873-4196 or sewhappyone@ gmail.com • Terry Burtchell, QOVF Florida State Coordinator, terry.burtchell@qovf.org • Quilts of Valor Foundation, qovf.org