Stitching hope

At Oak Mountain Middle School, students in Melinda Gargiulo’s class are learning to make quilts one fabric square at a time. If the stitches are a little crooked, the veterans who will receive the finished quilts probably won’t mind.

Gargiulo, who teaches family and consumer science, said she was looking for a service project to involve her sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes. A friend told her about Three Hots and a Cot, which provides basic necessities and other services to veterans who are dealing with homelessness, addiction and other challenges adjusting to civilian life. From there, “it just clicked.”

“We can’t fix all that but we can at least show a little love,” Gargiulo said. “This just seemed like a bigger and better idea and would involve all my students, not just a select few.”

Her project is called Covered With Love. Gargiulo’s students – about 225 in total – will work throughout the year to create 10 to 15 twin-sized quilts. Each is responsible for creating at least one quilt square, made up of four smaller pieces of fabric. The sixth graders are hand-sewing their squares while the older students use sewing machines, and one class of eighth graders will put the pieces together at the end.

“It’s a lost art in my opinion. You know, so many people don’t do this anymore. Most people don’t even sew anymore,” Gargiulo.

JD Simpson, the president of Three Hots and a Cot, said community involvement is a large part of how his organization has successfully served about 700 Alabama veterans so far. Besides Gargiulo’s students, he said he is humbled to see churches, clubs and individuals who regularly knit hats by the dozen or bring truckloads of canned food and toiletries for these servicemen and women.

“I love the idea and the veterans love it for a few reasons,” Simpson said. “It’s a mental health thing. A lot of these guys have been through a lot.” 

In addition to the community service and practical skills they gain, Gargiulo’s students are also learning about geometry and the history of quilting as they create their squares.

All the fabric is patriotic, so the finished quilts will be red, white and blue. Some was donated and the rest was bought with the help of a $1,000 grant from the Shelby County Schools Foundation. The grant paid for most of the materials, though Gargiulo said they will likely host a fundraiser to help pay for any remaining costs.

The Birmingham Quilters Guild, Gargiulo said, offered to cut the fabric into hundreds of identical squares. The students then take the squares and learn how to pin, iron and sew them into quilt squares. Each student will also embroider his or her initials into the square.

So far, Gargiulo said every class has “really been enthusiastic” about the project and have shared their own stories of grandmothers or other family members quilting.

“I like that we all have to work together to make one thing and it comes together,” said eighth grader Emiline Philpott.

“I just like the thought that we’re helping people,” eighth grader Emma Hice said. “I think that’s so cool and I’m so excited about it.”

Emiline and Emma are both part of the school chapter of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), which will do the final work on the quilts. Gargiulo said they will enter the Covered with Love project in the annual Alabama FCCLA STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) competition in March.

They’re more excited, however, to present the finished quilts to Three Hots and a Cot at Christmas and at the end of the year. Gargiulo and Simpson are hoping to have some of the veterans on hand to accept the quilts. Simpson said he has seen many veterans cry at the thought that a stranger put so much effort into making something nice just for them.

“The tears you see in their eyes when they’re presented these quilts… they treasure these things,” Simpson said.

“I think that will be great for the students to see who’s getting what they worked on,” Gargiulo said.

For veterans struggling to rebuild their lives, Simpson said the quilts can provide a warmth that isn’t just physical.

“We do it because of these kids making quilts,” Simpson said. “Is it going to solve all their [veterans’] problems? No, but it’s part of the puzzle.”