sandy l

If at some point in making a quilt, something goes wrong, (doesn't go together right, color doesn't look good, I just don't like it, etc), I switch gears and it becomes a cat/dog blanket. I am not real talented, so try to stick to fairly simple quilts for donation, but what I donate I want to look good for whoever it will go to. So, yes, I agree with a lot of others. "Best foot forward, or in our case, best quilt forward"

Snooze2978

I feel every quilt should be the best you can do whether its a charity quilt, personal quilt or a customer's quilt. All desire the best you have. Sure, you may make a mistake from time to time on any of them but its not with the idea.....oh well, give it to charity. I try to do my best on whatever I'm working on and most of my quilts are gifts to others. I give my love to all the quilts I make. Sometimes what ends up as a charity quilt didn't start out as one. I made one to sleep under on my quilt retreats only to realize its too long for the beds so decided to give it for an auction. Made another one for the quilt retreats but now I'm not going to them so it will also be given to the auction/charity. Made a quilt as a gift for someone but wasn't quick enough as she passed on with a fast acting cancer, even tried to make a lap quilt for her out of the same fabrics but still wasn't quick enough. Those too will become charity/auction quilts unless I can find another sweet soul to give it to. Just my take on the subject.

WMUTeach

I agree that donations should be of a quality that could be gifted but perfection is not a requirement in my opinion. I just donated four quilts that fall into the category of "not up to my standards". They looked OK but perhaps the quilting was not perfect or the corners/points didn't match exactly every time. Other imperfections could be in the actual quilting such as the straight line stitching had an occasional slight curve or the free motion had a point when the quilt shifted. Most of my quilts are made of scraps from my stash in an effort to diminish the amount of fabric in my sewing room. I also love to try new patterns. What am I to do with all of these experiments? I donate them so an organization can meet the need for warmth and comfort to our community.

Will I give away a quilt that is just a practice quilt? No. I don't make practice quilts. I will make 18" practice sandwiches to work on my quilting skills. I am not a perfectionist, thus most of my quilts are imperfect but each one feeds my drive to create and to then bless others.

bearisgray

Will it hold up when it is washed? Will it hold up if the person that gets it will not be able to wash it for some time? Is it clean when donated?

Is it large enough to be useful? a 45 x 60 quilt is not big enough to cover an average sized adult for sleeping.

We spent a weekend in a friend's travel trailer - the first night we were given four lapsize quilts for blankets. That did not work out well at all. Next night she dug out a comforter that covered the whole bed at one time. Much better.

Would I give/donate a Baltimore Album type of quilt that I had spent hours and hours and hours on to "just anyone"? No.
("Just anyone" includes friends and relatives. )

GingerK

The average age of our guild members is 70+. Many of our members have heath issues. But that does not stop them from wishing to help the less fortunate, by donating fabric, tops, blocks etc. How could we possibly reject any of these donations? Each top is inspected for solid seams and squareness. If there is an issue, we do not send it back to the maker for repair, we fix it ourselves. But it does involve time and effort, and we are also 'not young'. Sometimes we take shortcuts. I do not think this is 'wrong'. Nor would I take those same shortcuts on a quilt that I am making as a gift.

One of the most emotional repairs I have made, came from a BOM project donated by a long-time member. I could see how the quality of cutting and sewing in the blocks deteriorated as I went thru them. It turns out, the member was slowly losing her eyesight over the year that these blocks encompassed. Thank goodness the member had also donated the extra fabric from the project. Each block was examined, taken apart and resewn as necessary, and in a couple of cases, completely redone. In this case, the committee decided to finish the quilt and give it back to the maker, so that she could in turn, gift it to her youngest granddaughter. She was not told about the extensive repair work. It was the last quilt she ever made and I was honoured to have helped.

juliasb

The thought never crossed my mind to do nothing but my best on a charity quilt. I am not a perfect quilter by any means. I make tons of mistakes. I do my best to correct those mistakes before I go forward on a quilt. I always have a humbling pride when I present a charity quilt. I have also given not so perfect quilts to dog rescues. I would always want to give my best to another person. As I go forward with my quilting and my skill improve better and better quilts are given to charities, family and friends.

Homespun

I agree. i have never made a quilt I didn't like.

Doggramma

I make my charity quilts with as much attention to detail and with the same quality fabrics as my other quilts. The only difference is I usually choose a simpler pattern and I do simpler quilting to finish it.

Onebyone

I donate local. Women's shelters, foster kids, and care facilities. I check with the schools and there are many kids that need a special gift just for them.

dorismae904

I make a lot of scrap quilts to donate to the Head Start program at my church. Usually about 40 x 50 since they are for children four or five years old. Most of them are simple patterns but all are sewn to the best of my ability. Simple meandering quilting and machine sewn bindings. Never know what kind of treatment they well get and the bindings hold up well to frequent washings. Some of them are not that pretty but all are well made(as best as I can do) I often think of the child who will pick out the quilt I am working on at that time. The smiles on their faces as they hold their quilt is the best reward I can think of.