Mending hearts Published Sept. 13, 2007 By Airman Elliott Sprehe 27th Fighter Wing Public Affairs CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The hands of the woman delicately guided needle and thread as it punctured the cloth, only to reverse the process to bring it through the other side once more. She repeated each step with care and grace. In another part of the room, people sewed patches onto quilts, each one a remembrance of a fallen Soldier, Marine, Airman or Sailor. Operation Homefront Quilts, which began at Cannon Air Force Base over three years ago, has made 306 quilts for the family members of deceased servicemembers, said Martha Brister. "We're a combination of retired Air Force wives, active-duty, widows and civilians," said Ms. Brister. "We started with 16 volunteers and could always use more people," said Ms. Brister. If a person is interested and not able to sew, we teach people how, she added. "Everybody here does something, there's always somebody to pick up the slack." The group tries to meet monthly, usually on every third Friday, at the Airman and Family Readiness Center here. The quilts are all handmade and when making one, the group works to personalize each quilt by finding out as much as they can about the person it will memorialize, said Ms. Brister. When possible, quilts are made for each member of a family, including parents, spouses and children. "We've taken care of a lot of the local area," said Ms. Brister, and they also have made quilts for families in Lubbock, Texas, Roswell, N.M. and many other New Mexico areas as well. The local group plays a large role in the national organization and is one of the major contributors to the country, said Ms. Brister.