Thursday, March 6, 2014

Quilt of Valor #61

Wow, it had been a long time since I have quilted a Quilt of Valor.  I have had this top made by Al Lind on my shelf for over a year.  Al was a WWII Veteran and POW.  He was a prolific piecer: having pieced over 500 quilts. When he passed away in 2010, at age 92, he left a legacy of over 80 tops yet to be quilted.

I have had the honor of quilting my 18th top of Al Lind's today: 
Sent to Afghanistan to the 932nd Forward Surgical Team
Each of his finished quilts are sent packaged with his 7 page story.  Here is a small excerpt from his story:

"Al Lind: Drafted in 1942, the work hardened farm boy from South Dakota had entered the army strong and fit at 160 pounds.  June 18th, 1945, he returned to American soil, a survivor of 23 months and 11 days as a POW--he was 80 pounds of rawboned courage. 

He married and returned to a life of farming. When he retired he was always looking for something to do. That’s how he began cutting cotton strips for his neighbor, a quilter. She told him about Quilts of Valor.  When Al found out more about the effort, he put hours in each day cutting fabric for others as well. Within a few weeks, he was taught to make foundation string pieced blocks with a borrowed sewing machine. He now has his own machine and makes 10-12 quilt tops a month.


For him, service to country is a lifelong commitment. His quilts now honor those who followed in his footsteps: the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who each day stand ready to risk lives to protect the freedoms all of us enjoy."



What a legacy this American Hero has left to so many other veterans.
I never got to meet him but did speak to him on the phone, of which I am thankful.

Check out his video: Al Lind




3 comments:

  1. What an amazing man!

    Your quilting makes his work come alive.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful, kind, generous man. I watch the YouTube video clip link and a couple others I found on YouTube about Al. Love these string quilts. Thank you for sharing the story of the quilt in your post and the story of Al Lind and his Quilts of Valor.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd heard of Al, but, I'd not seen that video before. I also make tops for Quilts of Valor, but, not as many as Al.

    ReplyDelete

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