The 76-year-old woman hopes her finished products chase away the chills for homeless veterans as well.
Earlier this year, Troutman, who has lived with her husband in the same house in Mustang for 42 years, heard about a homeless veteran who died.
She decided her quilt-making hobby had a new purpose.
"I was watching the news one night about a funeral for a homeless vet, and I thought, I could give my quilts,” she said.
Troutman has donated nearly 30 quilts to a program for homeless veterans through the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Oklahoma City.
Program spokeswoman Pam Williams-Stark said she picked up 28 quilts from Troutman that are now set aside for homeless veterans living on the streets or sleeping in their cars.
"The quilts help keep them warm, which can help cut down on a number of illnesses,” Williams-Stark said.
She said the quilts are being distributed through homeless day shelters and places where meals are served. Those veterans who do not want to sleep in a shelter and prefer the streets or vehicles are given priority for a quilt.
Williams-Stark said Troutman's work is "fabulous.”
Troutman collects scraps from people in the area for her quilts. She uses a 40-year-old Universal sewing machine. She prefers the older sewing machines made of iron over the newer, plastic ones, she said.
Troutman said she is something of a sewing machine collector too and once owned 17 machines she found at garage sales. She's not sure how many machines she has stashed around the house.
Troutman's husband, John Troutman, is a military veteran. He served in Korea and is now retired. Her son, Mark Black, served with the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and lives in Harrah.
John Troutman said quilting is a good way for his wife to keep busy.
Margie Troutman says she can make up to two quilts a day. Her mother, Vey Burcham, taught her to sew as a little girl, she said.
"It doesn't take very long if you have everything you need,” Margie Troutman said.
She also has donated quilts to the Salvation Army and Jesus House in Oklahoma City.
Margie Troutman said she can sit down and sew all day and forget her troubles while helping someone else.
"I love to sew,” she said. "It makes me feel good to make someone else happy. It's my nerve pill.”
Buying a Car
Visit NewsOK's latest Know it and get tips on buying the perfect vehicle.
More Info
Margie Troutman, 76, poses for a photo with her handmade quilts and sewing machine at her home in Mustang. Troutman who has been making quilts all her life just finished quilts to give to Oklahoma’s homeless veterans. BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN
Prev
