I think that making a charity quilt is an opportunity to give back and thank God for the blessings I have received. You know the old adage, "cast your bread upon the waters and it shall come back to you buttered and toasted". Nothing given away with love (and the right attitude) really costs much because what's given away is returned with interest, eventually!

What I really hate is the mentality of "just throw it together and get it done as fast as possible" where the quantity out the door is of paramount importance. It does no one any good to make a tacky quilt to give away and the pool of receipents feel like drawing straws for the short straw to get stuck with the quilt.

I don't want any of the people who receive my quilts to feel like they got stuck with it. I'm a newbie quilter and perhaps my seams don't always match (ok, so they rarely match as well as I think they should) but I try to do my best. If I'm in a foul mood, quilting for others is not something I should be doing. Even on my best day, I'm not up to competition standards, but that doesn't mean I can try to put together a nice quilt, charity or no.

Our small quilting group of 10 has a service project of making lap quilts for the residents of a nursing home which basically translates to each of us making about 15 lap quilts between now and Thanksgiving. Some think it's okay to just grab squares and sew them together, and if they match okay, if not, well it's a learning experience. I'm okay with scrappy sometimes, but putting holiday fabric and hula girls in the same quilt is a little too much for me. But perhaps someone receiving the quilt will love it.

I like to put thought into it. May not look like I did in the end, but I did try! :lol:

I certainly agree that doing something for charity does not mean unloading trash, but none of us has more than 24 hours in a day, and in some situations quantity does get a little priority over quality. I'm not saying that I would donate something that I'm ashamed of, but I most certainly feel I should give more of my effort to things for my loved ones.

As others have pointed out, a person who is cold will be glad for a quilt that is warm. Quality of workmanship and materials is important only in so far as it affects the functionality of the quilt - definitely 1/4" seams, for example.

Seriously, if you can make several simple quilts in the time it might have taken to make one special one, which would be preferred by the ones standing in line for them? That said, I try to give the best I can at the moment, and I try to put some thought into each one.

Another thing I sometimes do is try something new that I may not have quite mastered yet. I hope the recipient recognizes my human frailty and desire to do something special, even if the result is less than perfect.

I would not want to see a newbie quilter hesitate to make a charity quilt because of a fear that it might not be good enough.

A friend of mine told me that some of the "fabric" donated to her church group for quilts was fiberglass curtains.

This is the kind of thing I was talking about NOT using.

I totally agree that it makes a lot more sense to make four "quilts for kids" types of quilts than one Baltimore Album type quilt.

One can still do "economical and easy" with thought and care.

My charity quilts are quilts that I would be proud to give to family. If something is crappy or a practice piece, I give that to the animal rescues. Dogs don't care and neither do I. It's a win win situation.

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Our guild is 70+ members strong and donating quilts to Project Linus is our main charity effort. The number of quilts members turn out is amazing. Not all all masterpieces but all are done with care and consideration for the person receiving them. That is what counts.

To me a charity quilt from me is a gift to someone who is in need, be it needing a hug, or a person who has been thrown a curve in their life, financially or healthwise. I try to use the same craftsmanship I would use in making a gift for a family member. I don't skimp on fabric quality either. I usually use a simpler pattern that will not be too time consuming or difficult to do nicely. These people deserve the same quality as anyone else.

Would put the same care into a charity quilt as I would my own but may not use as elaborate a design. My goal would be not only to keep them warm but to inspire them to work toward improving their lot in life and to cheer them up and give them hope each time they used it.

My friend told me a great story...Her grandmother helped to make quilts for charity for her church. When she packed up all the boxes of quilts she found one that was really ugly. She took it apart and added different fabrics to help make it a prettier quilt. Very soon afterwards, she and her husband went on a mission to a foreign country. They arrived safely, but everything they owned had been lost. Their church quickly came to their aid and sent boxes to replace their lost possessions. When they opened the box, on the very top, there lay the quilt that she had taken apart and made more beautiful. From that experience as a recipient of someone's gift, she decided she would always make and send her very best.

I give away more quilts these days than ever before and most are made with donated scraps, but not all. I don't put my name on them, but I do use the same care, precision, sewing methods that I do for custom quilts. I make the colors match and prewash the fabrics to make sure they will hold up, not bleed, etc. and the end result is one that would be suitable for anyone including friends and family. Biblical principles...if you are going to do a job, do it well.