Charity Quilt Fabric
09-04-2011, 10:29 PM
#21
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: TN
Posts: 528
I want to thank each of you for your responses. I believe that any of us that make charity quilts do it from the heart with whatever we can afford or choose to use. My reason for asking my question was for the same reasons that some of you stated. There are some organizations that have returned quilts due to them not being "good enough". I have also had members of a chapter that I belonged too say why should we use good fabric their just for charity. I guess I will just continue to make my chairty quilts and know that whoever receives them will appreciate them no matter what the fabric I use. :)
09-04-2011, 11:20 PM
#24
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,703
I haven't made a charity quilt myself, but would like to. I'm thinking kids with cancer and doing my original quilt design, the "Shuriken". Shuriken kind of has a backstory---the first block I made for it was donated to be put in a quilt for someone that had a rare form of bone cancer. Right now I'm making the first full sized quilt that was originally intended for a friend of the family who had throat cancer, but he lost his battle in February so now its going to be a Christmas present for his family. So I think eventually I'll make a few charity quilts with that design.
With that being said, if I'm going to put that much thought into planning out a design for a charity quilt and give it some meaning then I'm going to put in a little thought into what kind of fabric I'm going to use. Not saying I'm going to go buy the most expensive fabric I can find, but I'm certainly not going to go get the cheapest piece of **** fabric I can find either. Its one thing to buy what you can afford and its another to purposely buy an inferior product. If your own mother was in the hospital would you send flowers that were wilted and brown? Heck no. Why should it be any different with making a charity quilt? You're not giving a quilt to an organization. You're giving a quilt to a wounded soldier who served two tours in Iraq, a little girl who lost all her hair to chemo, or the homeless man who recieves his only meals from a soup kitchen. They're already down on their luck. I don't want to kick them when they're down by making a quilt that says "Yeah, I created this quilt for charity, but didn't really give a crap how it turned out. So therefore I don't really give a crap about what you're going through". I want to create something that says "Hey, I don't know you, but I know you're going through a rough time. Here's something from the heart for comfort". So I would use the best fabric I could afford. I may or may not use a pattern that can be whipped up in a few hours, but I'd lean towards something that might take a little bit to do if it meant creating a quilt that was extra special.
Sorry for rambling and maybe sounding a bit preachy. Seems to happen on a night like this where its real late and I can't sleep.
With that being said, if I'm going to put that much thought into planning out a design for a charity quilt and give it some meaning then I'm going to put in a little thought into what kind of fabric I'm going to use. Not saying I'm going to go buy the most expensive fabric I can find, but I'm certainly not going to go get the cheapest piece of **** fabric I can find either. Its one thing to buy what you can afford and its another to purposely buy an inferior product. If your own mother was in the hospital would you send flowers that were wilted and brown? Heck no. Why should it be any different with making a charity quilt? You're not giving a quilt to an organization. You're giving a quilt to a wounded soldier who served two tours in Iraq, a little girl who lost all her hair to chemo, or the homeless man who recieves his only meals from a soup kitchen. They're already down on their luck. I don't want to kick them when they're down by making a quilt that says "Yeah, I created this quilt for charity, but didn't really give a crap how it turned out. So therefore I don't really give a crap about what you're going through". I want to create something that says "Hey, I don't know you, but I know you're going through a rough time. Here's something from the heart for comfort". So I would use the best fabric I could afford. I may or may not use a pattern that can be whipped up in a few hours, but I'd lean towards something that might take a little bit to do if it meant creating a quilt that was extra special.
Sorry for rambling and maybe sounding a bit preachy. Seems to happen on a night like this where its real late and I can't sleep.
09-05-2011, 12:53 AM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 563
I know that this is steering us a little off-topic, but just curious:
Have you ever tried using old cassette or VHS tapes for crocheting mats? .... I have so many that I don't use any more but don't know how to dispose of them - I hesitate to add more to our landfill..... Do you think the tape has any chemicals that would break down and be hazardous if used for play mats for kids to use outside on damp grass? .... PM me if you prefer.
Have you ever tried using old cassette or VHS tapes for crocheting mats? .... I have so many that I don't use any more but don't know how to dispose of them - I hesitate to add more to our landfill..... Do you think the tape has any chemicals that would break down and be hazardous if used for play mats for kids to use outside on damp grass? .... PM me if you prefer.
Originally Posted by raedar63
I would use anything that is avalible to me, that being said I use the same for myself and family. I am currently crocheting plastic sacks together for goodness sakes, so that shows you how un-picky I am lol.(In case you wonder they make wonderful mud rugs,mats to sit on outside , reusable grocery totes etc, they last a long,long time.)
I have steared away from many,many charities because they require certian " quality materials" Some do not have the luxury of an abundance of high quality fabric, and some of the posts I have seen before on this subject makes some feel inadequate to give from the heart....Remember it is what is in the heart that counts ....
I have steared away from many,many charities because they require certian " quality materials" Some do not have the luxury of an abundance of high quality fabric, and some of the posts I have seen before on this subject makes some feel inadequate to give from the heart....Remember it is what is in the heart that counts ....
09-05-2011, 01:03 AM
#26
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by roxie623
Tell me when you make charity quilts what fabric do you use? Is it fabric that you yourself would like in a quilt, is it a lower quality fabric that you got just for charity quilts, or is it fabric that you had and just didn't care for it after you purchased it? Also what type of pattern do you use? Something that works up quickly or one that may take a few days to work on? Thanks and I look forward to hearing everyones thoughts on this.
09-05-2011, 01:11 AM
#27
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Tippy-top of a ridge in WV
Posts: 6,355
Originally Posted by Shelbie
Our guild made over 100 large size community quilts plus three dozen crib quilts and two dozen incubator quilts this past year. They were all from our guild's stash (all donated) which includes a wild assortment of fabric from the last fifty years. Most of our quilts are scrap quilts because most of our fabric is smaller pieces. We try to sort our fabric so that the poly/cottons are all together to be used in quilts that will be washed frequently. Much of the fabric is leftovers from member quilts or fabric that they are no longer in love with. I have seen some incredibly beautiful quilts come from these bins of fabric. At the worst, they are interesting or charming. Having the "best" fabric does not necessarily mean stitching the best quilt.
09-05-2011, 02:38 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Dupont, WA
Posts: 1,063
I'm a fabric snob when it comes to charity quilts becasue they are going to kids. Everything is 100 cotton from top, batting to the back. I used poly batting one time and didn't like it. I used the bamboo ans didn't like it either so I just stick with cotton. Now the fabric comes from all different places and are better than others but all will be used. I pass the cotton blends and things onto others on this board so it is a win-win situation.
09-05-2011, 04:01 AM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 935
I have never made a quilt for charity that I wouldn't want to use in my own home. I do have a large stash of fabric (much of it inherited) so I pull from that a lot. And, there are many websites that I can purchase new high-quality fabric for as low as $2.50 a yard. Because of the cost involved, I don't make as many as I used to, but I still make them.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
