08 Sep 2024 Veteran receives quilt from Conway County Piecemakers
The Conway County Piecemakers have been making quilts for veterans for 12 years and have presented more than 850 to them at no cost to the vets. The group hosted a ceremony in Morrilton (Conway County) on July 4 and presented a dozen more, but veteran Tyrone Hammond was awaiting surgery and could not attend.
On June 24, Piecemakers founder Catherine Pruitt presented a personalized quilt to Hammond while his wife, friends and another quilter looked on at his home in Plumerville (Conway County). Hammond served in the Army from 1966 to 1969 and was in the Vietnam War.
Pruitt and her fellow Piecemakers have been bringing joy to veterans for more than a decade because of their talent for sewing. After starting with a national quilt-gifting program, the quiltmakers realized they could make an even bigger impact if they could focus their attention on a local level. They formed the Conway County Piecemakers, a nonprofit organization, and started making and delivering handmade quilts to veterans in Central Arkansas in 2014.
The group has about a dozen members, and about half sew quilt tops. Other members manage the administrative tasks and planning for the program. “Everyone has a job,” Pruitt said.
The Piecemakers show their love for veterans in more ways than quilt-making. They worked with former State Rep. David Sanders to get funding for a veterans’ monument that stands in front of the Morrilton hospital. They have hosted numerous barbecue dinners, cookouts, fundraisers and events to honor veterans and to present quilts. Each year, they hold two public presentations, one on July Fourth and the other on Veterans Day. The July Fourth program included a meal, entertainment and a guest speaker, and 12 quilts were presented. The Veterans Day program will take place at Morrilton High School, and the faculty and students work hard to make the day special. “They include the choir and band and have reserved seating in the front row for the veterans and their families,” Pruitt said.
Every veteran is special to the club. They have shipped quilts across the country, delivered them to the homes of confined veterans and even continued their mission with a drive-by quilt pickup at Pruitt’s shop during the pandemic. Each quilt comes with a special label sewn into it with the veteran’s name, a branch of service, years served, and any overseas tours noted. Any former service member with an honorable discharge is eligible to receive a quilt. For more information on how to volunteer or to nominate a veteran, contact Cathy at 501.306.8034.
