Each year, Olde Green Cupboard Designs sponsors four retreats that are held at the Camp Blanding Joint Training Florida National Guard Center in Starke, Florida.

These retreats are for attendees that want to finish up those projects they have been working on for a long time. What a relief it is for quilters to finish projects, loose the guilty feelings of unfinished UFO’s, and then get excited about moving on to the next project or purchasing fabric they’ve been lusting for!

This retreat is also about giving back to our military families here in Florida. Each retreat we have dozens of quilts that are donated by the attendees… made especially for fallen soldiers, soldiers that have been returned to the states with injuries… and/or for their families. Along with the quilts donated, we work on placemats for their “Gold Star Program”. These placemats are given to families whose military loved ones are away on deployment or have died in combat. It symbolizes the “love of family” by placing the mat at the dinner table, to acknowledge that he or she is always with them during “family” times. They are made like the flags shown in the family’s home windows or on their cars – Red with a gold star in the middle for a fallen soldier, while blue star placemats denote a service person away on deployment. In addition – all retreat registration funds are donated to the post to use at their discretion for families that may be in need while their military members are away serving our country.

All of us that attend take these gifts very serious and will continue to donate as long as our machines keep on sewing. Thank you to Marcus Fabrics for their donation of fabric for our Gold Star Placemats! Your support is greatly appreciated – from all of us and our military families. While our current retreats are all sold out, we encourage you to find a group in your neighborhood and donate your time and talent  today… it does our hearts good!!  —  Olde Green Cupboard Designs