a male Army Veteran who quilts

November 13, 2019

a male Army Veteran who quilts

Andrew Lee. "Shock and Awe." Based on the photo of the WWII flag raising at Iwo Jima. Pieced, one inch squares.
On view at the International Quilt Festival, Houston, 2019.

Veteran's Day has come and gone, but its never too late for a moving story about our veterans.

Andrew Lee speaking at the Tennessee Valley Quilters Association annual meeting in Smyrna, Tennessee. July 20, 2019.

On July 20, 2019, I was invited to give the keynote speech at the Tennessee Valley Quilters Association. The day-long event was held at a local school just outside of Nashville, in Smyrna. TVQA is a group of several guilds from the region that get together once a year to hear educational presentations, shop and celebrate quilts.

The theme this year was All American Quilts. So my presentation on American Cotton fit right in. In the afternoon, there was another speaker whose story fit even better.

Andrew Lee is an Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. He currently serves in the Tennessee National Guard, where he recently re-enlisted for another term. Andrew's decisions to serve our country are honorable, and to be honest, for most of us, very difficult to fully relate to. My father and uncles and grandfathers served in the military, and I know people who are just a bit older than me who served in Vietnam. But for the most part, people like me are far removed from the individuals who choose to serve in this day and age. These people are very special.

Andrew Lee and Teresa Duryea Wong, July 20, 2019.

So, during this event I had time to visit with Andrew and we started up a conversation which continued over email and phone calls. We got to know each other a bit and it was easy to talk because we both share a passion for quilts. I am now proud to call Andrew and Kristy my friends.

Three years ago, Andrew and his darling wife Kristy, needed something to do together. So, they signed up for a class at Joann's to make a quilted table runner. Andrew was hooked and has been quilting ever since, and so has Kristy. They share a studio!!! And Andrew recently got a brand new longarm.

Like a lot of veterans today and in the past, Andrew suffers from PTSD from having been in combat. He is uncomfortable in large crowds, never goes to fireworks shows, and needs to make sure he is in control of his environment. Quilting offered him an escape from the constant stress and kept his mind and hands fully engaged. Andrew is now an advocate for quilting as therapy for PTSD and he regularly speaks to veterans and anyone who will listen about how quilting has changed his life.

Andrew is also an advocate for Quilts of Valor and is constantly making exquisite, pieced quilts to donate to his fellow veterans. When possible, he even makes the QOV presentations in person.

But, this stunning 110 inch quilt titled "Shock and Awe" is not the work of the average dude who just decides to start quilting. This kind of talent and eye for art does not just pop up one day and manifest itself in a beautiful, quilted work of art. No, this kind of talent comes from a deeper gene.

Before he joined the Army, Andrew was an art student. At that time, he had never even heard of quilts. But clearly, he was passionate about the creative process and learned, or possibly just honed, his innate skills of color, line and balance.

While he was making Quilts of Valor and recovering mentally, he began thinking of making something bigger, something monumental. The problem was that Andrew worked full-time as a long-haul truck driver. He would be gone from home for days at a time driving across the country. For most of us, that would be a deal breaker as far as quilting is concerned. But not for Andrew.

Andrew Lee with his trusty sewing machine rigged up inside his truck.

He found a way to combine sewing and driving. And while on his mandated rest stops, Andrew would bring out his sewing machine, AND his ironing board, and piece his quilts. And once he got this system working smoothly... he devised a way to make his true art form inside his truck --- and most of the quilt top for "Shock and Awe" was made while he was on the road.

The photo of the flag raising at Iwo Jima is among the most recognizable images in American history. And for Andrew, converting this photo to a quilt offered a challenge, and also a way to distinguish himself as an artist. He turned to his mom for help and together they figured out how to 'pixelate' the image so it could be converted to fabric squares. One inch squares to be exact. Andrew planned out each row of the quilt. He bought all his fabric at one time and he placed the pre-cut squares into bags and sewed one section at a time - not in his studio - but inside his truck!

Once he finished the quilt, he partnered with Angie Lamoree to quilt it. Angie quilted a repetitive stitching pattern of military dog tags on chains to finish the quilt.

This quilt has been displayed in lots of places and it will continue to be shown for the next year. Andrew has been featured in television stories, newspaper articles, social media, and was recently interviewed for The Quilt Show by Alex Anderson.
Check this link to see the interview with Andrew and Kristy.

He takes the quilt with him as he talks to veterans. And in 2020, around this same date, Andrew's quilt will become part of the permanent collection of the International Quilt Museum. This is a fantastic tribute for this beautiful quilt and for the story of the maker, and both the quilt and the story will now be forever preserved at this important institution. It is very poignant that the International Quilt Museum will acquire this important part of our shared quilt history. Way to go Lincoln!