SEWING PATRIOTISM: Roehr’s Quilts Honor Vets

    Kim Roehr has multiple family members who served in the armed forces, both on her side of the family and her husband’s side. Roehr had cousins who served active duty in Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. When they returned home, she says she could see and feel the toll that war had taken on those she loved. As a result, she wanted to do something special for those family members to show her appreciation and provide some comfort. So she sat down at her sewing machine. 
    Roehr, a Britton native, has always enjoyed sewing. She explains that her Grandma Bernard taught her when she was young. She remembers making good use of the sewing machine her parents bought when she was in seventh grade because her sister was in Home Economics class. Over the years, she made her own clothes, sewed items for relatives, including baptismal gowns and enjoyed crafting.
    In her twenties, she decided to give quilting a try. “I just gave it a whirl,” said Roehr. She admits that she kind of made it up as she went when it came to quilting. She laughs when she tells, “My mom used to say, ‘There’s the right way, the wrong way and Kim’s way!’” Roehr went on to make many quilts over the years for nieces and nephews, kids, and great nieces and nephews. 
    In the midst of COVID, she used her seamstress skills to sew around 1,640 masks. It was around this time that she tried her hand at something else. 
    “I had been searching for a way to honor my cousin that was a veteran that passed away,” she explained. “A friend showed me a ‘Quilt of Valor’ she had made for her nephew. I immediately knew this was my answer.”
    Roehr began researching the Quilt of Valor program. The Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003 with a literal dream of Catherine Roberts. Roberts had a son who was deployed in Iraq at the time. In her dream she saw a troubled young soldier. When the soldier was wrapped in a quilt, his whole demeanor changed from one of despair to one of hope and well-being. The quilt had made this dramatic change. “The message of my dream was Quilts = Healing,” said the Quilt of Valor founder. 
    The goal of Roberts’ program was to provide quality-made quilts to veterans that would say “Thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation.” As of September of 2023, over 350,000 quilts have been awarded.
    Roehr learned about the program and noticed there were no Quilts of Valor chapters near Britton. So while she did not necessarily form a chapter, she decided to model her own mission on the program. 
    To maintain the Quilt of Valor model, Roehr follows their guidelines. The item must be quilted not tied. It must use patriotic colors. It must be labeled, and it must be awarded not gifted. 
    The first quilts she made for the project were for her cousins Troy Haaland and Chad Durfee plus a memorial quilt for her cousin Darin Durfee who had passed. 
    Since awarding her first quilts in 2021, Roehr has made quilts for cousins, uncles, relatives on her husband’s side of the family plus a few friends in between. “To date, I have had the honor to award 19 Quilts of Valor,” Roehr said. 
    Though most of the quilts are similar, featuring patriotic colors and eagles, Roehr often finds special ways to personalize the quilts. A recent quilt awarded to Dave Andrews, a cousin of Roehr’s through marriage, included an eagle soaring on a motorcycle. 
    For her uncle Dave Nelson, Roehr did something extra special.  “I had his grandkids Lena and Eli draw me pictures, then I incorporated them on the quilt,” she explained. 
    Roehr also adds that she has gotten assistance in a variety of ways, including financially. She has been granted Thrivent dollars to help defer the costs of the quilting supplies. She has also had helpers donate their time. Renowned local quilter Yvonne Healy has worked with Roehr to do the top quilting on a couple of the Quilts of Valor. 
    When it comes to awarding the quilts, Roehr said most recipients are overwhelmed and humbled to receive them. “The best part though is the hug,” she adds.
    Roehr emphasized that she has always felt that more should be done to acknowledge veterans. For her part, the quilts are the niche she has found to do that in a personal way. “We should all try to find a way to honor our veterans,” she stressed, “For me, the quilts are just my own tiny little deed that I used to recognize veterans in my family that mean so much to me.” 
    In the future, Roehr plans to continue quilting for family members. She added that people can visit the Quilt of Valor website to nominate a service member or living veteran to receive a quilt through the organization. Go to qovf.org for more information.