Melissa Scarborough Allred is one crafty Iraq War veteran.
An avid quilter, she recently decided to try something a little different. She created a quilt inspired by the American flag. Her original design soon turned into a worldwide effort to provide quilts for veterans.
Allred, who served as a public affairs officer in the National Guard, posted a photo of the quilt on her Facebook page. The likes and shares unexpectedly poured in.
“Within the hour it had over 300 likes. My Facebook account did not stop for three days. It was crazy,” she said.
Before she knew it, Allred had hundreds of requests for her original pattern from people wanting to honor a veteran they knew. She quickly realized she needed to formulate a plan. The “many touching stories” she heard helped Allred decide what to do.
“I decided I am not going to sell it (the pattern). I’ll give it away, but challenge people to make quilts for veterans,” she said.
She created a private Facebook group where people could share the pattern and ideas. In about three weeks there are more than 1,000 members. She has had quilters contact her from across the world, including Germany and Australia.
A 93-year-old World War II veteran in the Mississippi Delta even called her,
“He said, ‘I want to thank you for what you are doing and it is awesome,’ ’’ she said. “That is the first quilt I will give away.”
The original quilt is now on display at the Mississippi State Fair. Allred went to Jackson to see the display before the fair started. A group of veterans came solely to meet her and see the quilt.
“When you are talking to a 60-year-old man that has a ponytail and riding a motorcycle and he’s got tears in his eyes, that hits home,” she said.
Allred and her Desert Storm veteran husband Michael will keep the original quilt. However, a state official saw the quilt and wants it to hang in his office. The details are still being ironed out, but Allred plans to make a similar flag quilt for him.
Allred said the project resonates with quilters because it’s a personalized way to pay tribute. “All the people were saying they want to do something on their own terms to honor veterans,” she said.
Also, the pattern Allred provides is not so large and elaborate that it costs hundreds of dollars to make.
As for the future, Allred is working to make her project into an official nonprofit organization and hopes the exposure keeps coming.
She also launched a Mississippi-centric quilt drive.
“In Mississippi I have kicked off a quilt drive. It doesn’t have to be the flag quilt,” she said. “I would like to get one for every veteran in Mississippi.”
While the veterans in her home state get a separate campaign, she does hope the worldwide effort continues to grow.
“It has been amazing. I would like it to get as big as it can possibly get,” she said. “I’m all about a challenge.”
She encourages quilters everywhere to make a quilt and give it to a veteran in their area.
Allred said she is willing to help local individuals with their quilting project, whether they want to learn or need fabric.
For more information email Allred at quiltsforveterans@yahoo.com or find the main group on Facebook at Veterans Flag Quilt Challenge and the Mississippi drive group at Quilts for Veterans, The Citizens Salute to Veterans.
