Advice needed: How to cut fabric
 

Our church has been given a large amount of quilting fabric that we plan to use to make 20 large lap quilts (60"x72") for a children's home.

We're starting what I call a weekly "Quilt Block Party" and asking for volunteers to come make blocks and as we get enough for a quilt, we will put it together by tying. Some ladies will sew, some press, some tie depending on their comfort level.

Would you have the fabric pre-cut ( what size) so volunteers could just come in, grab some fabric & start to sew or what? I'm leaning to simple patterns like 4-patch, 9-patch, etc. for a 12" finished block. No sashings & no borders.

Another goal is to get our youth interested in learning how to sew so we will be working with all skill levels.

Oh, and another goal: have quilts done by Christmas.

I think that I would have some of the fabric cut so that those who want to start sewing can do so. If you are going to have some of the volunteers cut, they could be doing that while others start sewing on fabric that is already cut. The size that the fabric would be cut would depend on what pattern you are using for your blocks.

If you are on a time crunch, it might be better to not involve anyone without some experience. While it would be nice, this might not be the project to introduce people to quilting. The amount of time spent teaching them could seriously cut into the amount of time you have to sew thus causing you to miss your time frame. Maybe they could be involved in another project without time constraints.

I was planning on having some Saturday classes for the newbys. Initially our get to-gethers will be on Friday so mainly only those not working outside the home can be involved. Planning on once a month session on Saturdays.

I think having blocks precut would work best. If not you may have some wanting to make different patterns and fall behind on your schedule with more time consuming blocks.

Have you ever done a group project before?

misseva, I commend you for your undertaking!

But I do have one concern; since you mentioned that you would be donating them to a "Children's Home" and also mentioned "tying" the quilts.

I would check with the Children's Home and make sure they accept tied quilts.
From what I've seen online, "Quilts for Kids", etc.., many organizations don't accept tied quilts.

I would hate for you all to put in that work only to be heartbroken in the end! Good luck and Bless you all. :)

What a meaningful investment of time and talent you’re heading up. That’s wonderful.

If I were leading, I’d make kits. Precut all the fabric with a little leftover uncut for goofs, and pack it neatly in a gallon or two-gallon ziploc bag with thread, pattern, cheap seam ripper and maybe a small pincushion with pins. That way each person has everything at the ready and can just get busy sewing when they arrive. Have them put their name on the kit and all supplues back before leaving.

I would choose simple patterns like you have in mind. Even jelly rolls you make with your own selection of fabrics would be quick, and kids or newbies like to complete projects in just a couple sittings.

Good point about checking the requirements of the organization you’re donating to. Isn’t Straight line quilting easier than tying? I’d leave the quilting to those with that skill . Ties can be itchy, in my experience.

Yes, I worked with a sister church in our community. However the quilt blocks were actually four 30" x 36" pieces of fabric sewed together like a giant four patch making a 60 x 80" quilt, then tied. They were taken to an orphanage here in our state. And yes, I know this will be more complicated.

I have thought about cutting the fabric into charm squares and layer cakes because there are so many different patterns for this size and they could be mixed or matched. (I realize the block size would have to be altered if we used 5" squares). One thing I noticed about having everyone sew the same thing is boredom sets in with the more experienced quilters.

Thanks for your suggestion about kits. That had actually crossed my mind but the part about putting names on bag was a new one.

The only thing about straight line quilting is the need for binding and that's a whole 'nuther project that I'm not ready to tackle. I don't like binding my own quilts much less 20.

I second the suggestion to check with the Children's home before making. When we made them for a similar organization while we tied them they did have some other requirements on the quilts. We used blankets rather than batting so they would hold up better to washing.