Where do you buy your material when you are making charity quilts?
 

Forgive me for this being a long post but I am just curious. When making charity quilts where do you purchase your material? If you belong to a guild do they tell you to buy at lqs and not to buy material at a specific large retailer? I belong to an organization that makes charity quilts and we were told to buy the material at either a lqs or a specific retailer. While I understand they don't want fabric that looks and feels "cheap" I think that if I am going to buy the material for a quilt to be donated I should decide where I should buy. I would love to shop at the lqs store but times are tough and I can't afford to buy at a lqs. What are your opinions on this subject?

I would not make charity quilts for that guild.

If I was told where I had to buy my fabric I'm afraid I wouldn't make any quilts for that organization. I can't afford to buy at LQS for donated quilts. I buy wherever I find decent fabric at a good price. I even buy at thrift shops. Most of my quilts are made for kids and I know they will be dragged around and loved to death. That's fine, I'm not making heirloom works of art, I'm making comfort for kids. Pardon me for saying, but your group sounds like a bunch of fabric snobs.

My quilt guild will use any fabric we can get!

The guild I belong to make charity quilts for several organizations and donations and they buy fabric at the lqs, WM, or wherever they can get good fabric at good prices. They don't tell us where to buy the fabrics.

Phyllis
QuiltingGrannie

I agree with this and pattypurple.

so far you are all agreeing with how I feel. I don't mean to sound snobby or anything but I can't afford to buy LQS for people I know and love let alone strangers.

I try to use fabrics I already have. If it is a specific quilt for a raffle we have been lucky to have donations. I will not or have I ever taken a class at a lqs that says you must buy the fabric there. I like to make sample blocks first and then decide what to buy. The sample piece might be wonderful but I'm not going to use the same colors so I want to see what the best layout is in my colors first. I understand why they are doing it but classes have gotten so expensive. I might take a class to learn a technique so why do you have to use new fabric? I buy fabric at the shops locally so they know I would go back for what I really wanted to use.

Charity quilts should be made with what you have or what you can afford. For a guild to dictate what and where you buy is beyond belief. Offer to make what THEY buy. I would also question if the person or persons requiring that purchases be made at said LQS, is maybe a partner or silent owner of the shop.

I buy fabric from Wal Mart,Joanns and anyplace else where I can find decent material for charity quilts. I think it is unreasonable for the guild to expect you to buy at lqs. Our Wal mart has really nice kids fabric made in the US but you have to checkout every bolt!! Some is awful (made in China and US) and some is really nice. Good Luck there are many hospitals and shelters that will love ANYthing you make

The guild can buy the fabric and say this is what we will use to make donation quilts that is what my guild does. I've never heard of any guild telling it's members where to shop. I make charity quilts from the same fabric I use for family quilts. I may not put the amount of work in the charity quilts but the fabric quality is there.

If they want to be selective in the fabrics , they should provide it. If not it up to each member to decide what they can contribute. I would have a real issue being told what is exceptable to be use in a quilt that will be given away.

One of my quilt groups just made several quilts that were requested by a group in serious need. One of the ladies who loves thrift stores bought draperies. They were cotton and cotton lined. Excellent shape. very cheap and had lots of fabrics. Some had never been hung. The quilters loved them. Inserted batting and quilted. Very economical and easy to do. We are fortunate to live in A city with many hotels. They change out their decors so often that drapes are readily available.

i left the guild i had belonged to for a few years. they just became too snobby about fabrics. there are plenty of other places that need the donations that i can afford.

I also agree with Prism99

When I make charity quilts I either do it with fabric on hand or I but what I can find inexpensively. If an organization wanted me to pay $11/yd for quilts to give away I would not consider making quilts for them. I simply cannot afford to do that.That said, a lot of the fabric in my stash is either from an LQS or from online and of the same quality.

Have you asked the organizer specifically about this rule? Sometimes they put the rule in because some people just don't get what is reasonable quality and what is cheap. I don't know. Never belonged to a specific organization like that.

I sew for a children's hospice and we get tons of fabric donated. Same with the quilts for the YWCA, and the DHS quilts! We often send fabric to other groups we get so much. BUT this is quilt/sewing country and when grandma passes, her fabric gets donated! WE don't mind though. We even have groups that take t-shirt knits, double knits, you name it!

I wouldn't be making any quilts for an Org. That tells me where to buy the fabric, even if they told me to buy at Wally's.

Yep...same here. I understand there would be some guidelines (safety, washability etc.) depending on where the quilts were going but to tell you where to buy fabric....forget it. I buy a lot of vintage and alternative fabrics to incorporate into my quilts, fair enough they would not be a sensible choice for a charity quilt and I would stick to new/cotton fabrics, but I'd be buying them wherever I could get the best price.

First of all, I'm my own boss when I make charity quilts. I make them how I want and out of whatever I want and give them to whomever I want.

NOW-----------most of my fabric is stuff I've inherited. If I need to buy something, I hit the thrift stores first, then fabric stores.

I tried to do for a "group"one time, too many rules and to top it off--------midstream, the rules changed.

Two of my favorite pieces of fabric used to be a duvet cover that I got for a couple dollars at a rummage sale. NEXT TO BRAND NEW.

I shop a lot of Thrift Stores, yard sales and estate sales. I've found wonderful fabrics at all three, and of course, lots of not-so-wonderful stuff. It's up to me to pick and choose the good stuff, and I really have found some wonderful fabrics. Most of it I would use in a Charity Quilt, as long as it was in "like new" condition. A lot of the stuff I've gotten is still on the bolt or in the original package, especially at estate sales. I shop the Quilting Stores when I just can't find the fabric I want in my stash, and I want good quality.

There is no way any organization would tell me where to buy my fabrics. That would be like telling me I don't know how to do my craft properly. A real slap in the face. That would be the end of my affiliation with them! They can foist their fabric snobbery on someone else!

Just my opinion, of course.

I'm just throwing out a thought. Where I live the quilt guilds get a discount on fabric at the local quilt shops. Sometimes arrangements are made with the owners for an extra special discount. Also, flat fold fabric ranges from $1.97 to $3.99 per yard all the time. They are not seconds, just discounted. Just a thought.

i make most of my donation quilts out of my stash- so they are made from lqs fabrics---just not necessarily (new) fabrics- i use up scraps- so i have already made quilts with the fabrics-and continue to use the fabrics up. i would not go buy (lesser quality) fabrics for any quilt it does not make any difference to me who the quilt is for- my mother or challenge mountain---i use the same fabrics- i just use up the scraps that are left over. i have to wonder----would (those people) in your guild really have any idea where your fabric came from- unless you told them??? i kind of doubt it...buy your fabric from where you want- and just don't tell them where it came from- if they do not want your donation quilts there are TONS of organizations that will happily accept them.

I also agree that I would would not make charity quilts for that guild. How about some of the other charitable organizations that welcome you with no requirement to buy from a certain store.

I'm like most everyone else and buy my fabric where I can.

My quilt guild doesn't demand that we buy at the LQSs, but it does encourage us to shop at them when we can just for the support of the stores and because they often donate door prizes for our meetings.

wow - what a hot subject i picked huh? i emailed someone who was sitting near me to get her take on the whole situation. i wasn't sure if i heard or took it correctly. if the guild was going to purchase fabric for the quilts i understand why we would want to use a certain vendor (because she has been EXTREMELY generous so far! I cannot say enough good things about this vendor) but my friend also took it the same way i did. so i guess i won't be making any quilts for them unless they provide the materiall (which they have in the past). Part of me wants to take a quilt top i made years ago that i haven't had the time to finish for a ufo contest they have going. i personally think the quilt top is nice - it is the first one i did- and yes everything was purchased at joann's for it.

We buy where ever we find a good price. Not all inexpensive fabric is poor quality.

There will always be fabric snobs. I make at least 20 Linus quilts a month and I will confess that most of the fabric comes from Joanns. I make sure it is 100% cotton and I like to feel anything I purchase. If it is stiff or course no matter what the price I don't buy it. I also like to use flannel on the backs of my Linus quilts as it makes it cuddley and less slippery. I am basically a handquilter but always simply machine quilt for Linus as the general public doesn't know how to care for handwork. If the child is in the hospital the quilt will go through the institution's commercial laundry at some point. The employees at our local Joanns know I am the queen of end of the bolts. Just a few weeks ago I spent $60 on clearance fabrics that will make at least twenty tops. I always use my coupons etc. Why spend $50 on one quilt when you can make 15 children happy for the same price.

Great idea! Offer to help quilt what they buy. We call our childrens "draggin" quilts instead of charity quilts, because we HOPE the quilts will be loved and dragged all over the place!

Our Quilts of Valor are about a $100 project, and I wouldn't think of telling anyone where they were going to spend that much on the charity. Does the LQS owner belong to your guild? It's your right to shop wherever you want.

I use up my scraps for charity quilts. Fabric is purchased from LQS.

No way would I quilt for that group. For our local Quilts for Kids group all the fabric is supplied to us via donation or from our own stash never a word said about where to buy it. I know Quilts of Valor have IMHO strict guide lines that you have to follow so I don't quilt for them, but I have sent off a few quilts to soldiers via another local group that sends care packages to troops.

Just remember you are doing this to help others and the ones that finally recieve the quilt aren't going to care where you got the fabric just that someone thought enough of them to give them a hug of warmth in their time of need.

Is it possible someone has a financial interest in the local shop???

Nobody tells me where to shop. It is my money and I will spend it where I desire!

I buy whereever it is on sale and shop garage sales too.

My church group is happy to have any donations of charity quilts and pillowcase dresses. I check out sales and buy what I can afford. Donations are nonexistent, so it's all out of pocket. Can't imagine a group telling you where to buy if you are donating everything, including time.

For charity quilts, I will use what I already have in my stash or use my scraps. Even though I work, I don't make that much money, so I have to save where I can. If I want to make a charity quilt, I want it to be nice, but I can't afford to buy all the material, so I just use what I have. Scrappy quilts are also very lovely.

Is the LQS or Specific Retailer possibly involved or partners in the charity project? Maybe they ordered in a special shipment of fabric for the Guild and are participating with financial or other assistance?

CD in Oklahoma

If I'm going to make charity quilts, I'll decide where I get the fabric from. It won't be expensive LQS fabrics either. Probably from my stash that I started a lot of years ago when fabric was $2 a yard! Or I will find some "charity" fabrics at a thrift store or on freecycle. I don't want the quilts to look cheap either, but get real - $7 and $10 a yard doesn't make a very big quilt and it certainly isn't for giving away unless you are wealthy.