Quilts honor fallen soldiers

Many quilts have special meaning to the quilter - none more so than quilts crafted to honor loved ones fallen in war.

Representatives of the Oregon Home of the Brave Quilt Project were set up on the Sisters Post Office lawn during Quilt Show. The project's mission is to provide quilts for families of soldiers killed while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kaye Hansen, from Boring, is the state coordinator, and she had delivered a quilt on Saturday morning.

It was an especially meaningful display for this correspondent, as I had received an early call from my soldier son. He had safely returned from deployment the night before.

The Home of the Brave Quilt Project is a nationwide effort, with chapters in every state. Its purpose is to show support for fallen soldiers' families, especially the mothers. The quilts are replicas of quilts sewn during the Civil War by the U.S. Sanitary Commission, forerunner to the American Red Cross.

The U.S. Sanitary Commission was a volunteer organization charged with raising funds for supplies and overseeing sanitary conditions in military hospitals. These women were recognized as "another great army, composed of the mothers and sisters, wives and sweethearts of our brave soldiers..."

During the Civil War years, these Northern women made between 250,000 and 400,000 hand-stitched quilts.

There are few remaining Sanitary Commission quilts, but one of them hangs at the Lincoln Shrine in Redlands, California. A prominent Redlands quilter and historian, Don Beld, started the Home of the Brave Quilt Project in 2004. There is a specific pattern, called the "Cross X Album" block. The fabric used is reminiscent of Civil War-era fabric, and the X is made of a light colored fabric.

Well-wishers may put messages there, and many of the quilt blocks are signed by their creators. Governor Ted Kulongoski signs each Oregon quilt.

"Each quilt is labeled with the soldier's name and there is a certificate and a card. It is a piece of history, and we are careful about authenticity," said Hansen.

The historical aspect of the quilts attracts attention, but it is the legacy - continuing the giving spirit of the original Sanitary Commission women - that draws quilters to the project.

For more information visit oregonhomeofthebrave.org.