PERU, Ind. – The Peru Sycamore Ridge Chapter of the Embroiderers’ Guild of America has been working on “Kissing Pillows” for U.S. service men and women for the past two years.
The project was started by Geraldine Trappey to support the 75th Division of the U.S. Army Reserves in 2005. Since the beginning of 2005, there have been more than 22,000 pillows stitched for military personnel.
The program was quickly adopted to support deploying soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines across the country. Women and men donate all of the materials, stitching and finishing across the country. At each unit supported, the pillows are distributed to the deploying parents. The parent kisses the pillow and gives it to his or her child before leaving. The children cherish the pillows during the time their parent is gone from home.
After the local guild heard about the pillows, it has helped send more than 500 for different deployment to help meet the number of pillows needed:
1,100 pillows for Navy Helicopter Squadron HSM-70 (the Spartans out of Jacksonville, Fla., when they were deployed to the Persian Gulf.
7,000 pillows for the U.S. Army Reserves 807th Medical Command.
455 for the First MASH unit to be established since the Korean War.
105 for member Penny Burn’s grandson’s deployment to the Middle East.
This will probably be an ongoing project for many guilds as long as there is a need. If a call goes out for more, the local guild will likely help. Thanks go to Tina Smiley who has stitched more than 250 of the pillows and to Penny Burns who has donated fabric and time to put the pillows together. The group also has received Aida cloth from the House of Stitches in LaPorte to help in the cause.
In 2009, the guild also made blankets for the CASA and Birthright organizations. The guild bought the fleece material and the members finished the edges of the blankets for babies, children and adults.
Guild members include Yvonne Bertke, Penny Burns, Julie Butus, Mary Ewing, Deb Fouts, Sharon Henderson, Phyllis Jeffers, Lora Lacy, Cathy Landgrave, Nancy Moss, Rita Murphy, Connie Payne, Cindy Raber, Mary Ross, Arlene Crum, Tina Smiley and Barbara Trapp.
The local chapter meets at 6:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the First Christian Church of West Main Street in Peru. Anyone interested in joining are welcome to attend. Members live in Deedsville, Denver, Galveston, Greenwood, Kokomo, Logansport, Medaryville, Silver Lake and Peru.