Plan sewn up to ship 100 quilts to troops - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Plan sewn up to ship 100 quilts to troops

BOYERTOWN, Pa. — Hundreds of hours of tedious work, huge heaps of colorful fabric and an endless amount of love and gratitude were sewn into 100 quilts crafted by members of the QuiltMakers of Boyertown, which will be on their way to troops serving in Iraq in the near future.

"I just thought it would be something from home," said Bobbie Dewey, a member of the group based less than 40 miles northwest of Philadelphia, whose own home is in nearby Pottstown.

A small "something from home," Dewey explained, can mean a great deal to a soldier when he or she is in a war zone hundreds of miles away from their friends and family members. She knows firsthand just how far that distance spans, as her sons, Geoffrey Ostrowski, 21, and Matthew Ostrowski, 24, served in the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively.

Having previously made Christmas stockings to send to one of her son's units when he was serving in Afghanistan around the holidays, Dewey said she had the idea for a QuiltMakers project: make 100 quilts to send to service members to give them a touch of the comfort of home.

"When my son came home from Afghanistan, I saw this red and white thing in his bag," Dewey said. "It was his stocking. He said 'I'll never get rid of it.'"

Dewey realized that a stocking that meant so much to her son, who had family at home waiting and praying for him, might mean as much or perhaps more to a soldier who did not have a strong support system at home.

"There are some boys over there who don't get the letter every day from mom or sister," she said.

She knew her son Geoffrey Ostrowski would be redeployed and after coming up with the idea to make the quilts for his unit, she took the idea to the QuiltMakers of Boyertown.

"There wasn't a dry eye in the room" after the presentation was over, Dewey explained.

She said everyone jumped on board and has been working hard since January to complete the 100 quilts.

"I think they saw sons and grandsons and maybe even a great-grandson" when they thought of my son serving in the Army, Dewey said of the potential motivation of QuiltMakers.

For Kay Bachkai, deciding whether to participate in making the quilts was an easy decision.

"I'm a strong supporter of our troops, I'm a member of D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution), so my ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War," Bachkai said. "Anything that supports the troops, I'm supportive of."

"I think it shows them (the troops) that we really took a lot of time and effort and thought," Bachkai continued. "They really know there are people back in the states thinking about them when they're out there putting their life on the line."

Joan Wegman, president of the QuiltMakers of Boyertown, said outreach has always been a mission of the group. Whether quilting for the local hospital or for veterans, or for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, which was done through sending more than 1,000 Pillows of Love to them, doing things for others is hard work, but rewarding.

"You always get more than you give," Wegman said.

For Wegman personally, being a part of the project to craft 100 quilts had particular meaning. "I'm a very patriotic person," she said. "My husband served in Vietnam and I know these boys are putting their lives on the line. If this project brings some happiness to them, that that's what we're all about."

Dewey said the decision to make quilts instead of something else was done purposely.

"These boys, they don't actually get to sleep sometimes," she said. "So by the time they get back to their bunk, there's something comforting somebody made for them waiting."

Liz Bedell, a Pottstown resident, said many of the quilting groups often do charitable outreach work because it makes them feel good to do something good for others.

"It's all about giving back," she said.

Dewey said she was grateful that several dozen of her peers were willing to get behind her and support a project she was interested in to benefit troops like her son.

"These ladies are fantastic," she said of the QuiltMakers. She also thanked local quilt shops for offering to support the project.

Dewey said the quilts would be signed by the ladies before they are shipped out in the upcoming days and weeks.

She wants the troops to know how much people at home care and hopes the quilts will show them that.

"Your heart, it's the kids, whether it's my son or somebody else's," Dewey said.

Bette Moyer, also of Pottstown, said she wanted to participate in the project for the same reasons the others gave, but also because the troops are doing a service she can't do herself, but she can do something to support them.

"I'm an old lady," Moyer said, and unable to fight for the U.S. herself. "Thanks for helping out and keeping my home safe."