The
Story of The Road Home Quilt
By Pepper Cory
I'm
an Air Force brat. My mother coped with five kids during
25 years of nomadic military life, and I know firsthand
how difficult it is when someone you love is overseas.
Elaine Dumler and I have a lot in common. In addition
to being a quilter, Elaine is an author who writes about
servicemen and women reintegrating into society after
deployment. "I'm debating," Elaine said, "about
the title for my next book." I showed her a pattern
called the Road Home in my book 65 Drunkard's Path Quilt
Designs. She immediately decided to call her book The
Road Home.
I
started envisioning a big quilt in the Road Home pattern.
It would be a scrap quilt in many shades of red, blue,
and, instead of white, shades of sand to symbolize the
Middle East where many American troops are stationed.
Impulsively, I offered to make The Road Home for the cover
her book. I thought I might sell the pattern. My friends
Mary Frankle, Mary Henris, and Jan Spikett, are military
wives with lots of quilting experience. They joined me
to cut, sew, and complete the quilt top in a month. Lori
Housel, a Marine wife and mother, did the longarm quilting.
After
all was said and done, it didn't seem right to sell the
pattern for The Road Home. It's my gift to you.
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