Not sure if this belongs here or in GCC - or if it will get deleted.

A Charity Quilt -

What does it mean to you?

What it means to me:

A quilt that will given to someone I probably do not know.

But what if that quilt WAS given to someone that I know - or that knows me??

I still want that quilt to hold up to many washings and hard use. (Hopefully, not abused - but the line gets murky between hard use and abuse)

I would not want to be embarrassed to have my name as the maker of it emblazoned on it.

I want it to look "planned/intentional" versus "scraps off the floor" or "clean out the closet" - even if it was made of "scraps off the floor"

Material can be decent/good, even if relatively inexpensive.

Workmanship - it's as easy to sew at least a 1/4 inch seam as a 1/16 inch one.

I want it to be clean when it leaves my custody.

If a practice piece is truly a disaster - why would someone else cherish it?

Who knows? Someday, I or someone near and dear to me might be on the receiving end.

I agree with everything you said and I do charity quilts

Thank you for posting this. I teach a quilting class once a week in my home. The ladies do not have to pay but in exchange they must donate for our local police depoartment 2 quilt tops per year. I will FMQ them. One of the ladies first one was sad and the second worse so I finally pulled her aside. She said 'they're just for charity". My DD overheard as I said to her - I don't think a homeless person, victim, or whoever deserves anything less than I would give my own daughter. She didn't agree nor did my daughter. After talking to someone that had received a quilt that was donated my DD now realizes that because you are less fortunate does not mean you deserve less. She felt like it was better than nothing. I don't want my quilt to scream "I'm better than nothing". I want it to say "God was thinking about you and sent this as a reminder". Give with a glad heart.

Zhillslady - what a beautiful thought and conversation

Well said.

Well said!!!

I totally agree with you! I want to be proud of the quilts I give to charity. I want the person who receives it to have something special.

I agree with you. I always do my best for charity, my BEST might not be your best, but it's my best. I try as hard as I can, and I hope that the love and effort that I put into it is appreciated.

very well said i make lots of charity quilts

i'm with you.

every quilt i give to charity is a quilt i would give to my loved ones.

i refuse to work with fabrics that i don't enjoy working with.

i believe if you don't enjoy working on the quilt it will reflect in the quality of your work - you'll cut corners, rush thru steps, etc.

I'm sorry but I dont agree, A local church makes quilts for the homeless. Every Tuesday they get together in a donated building, bring sewing machines and cutting mats. They take donated clothing cut them into large squares, using donated stained blankets for batting and sometimes donated batting, they make quilts. The clothing is usually ripped or stained, those parts are cut away and not used. The Homeless shelter in Indy is very grateful for these ugly non perfect quilts. And from what I understand those that sleep in the ally are grateful also. The things we find unsatisfactory or ugly is a treasure to someone living out of a shopping cart. So never think that your quilt cant be loved or needed just because the fabric didnt come from the LQS, or because the stitches are uneven, or they simply dont match. Charity is giving to those in need, not giving to those that are picky and could go to the store and buy one if needed, IMHO.

I also will not put my name on a charity quilt, only city and state and year. Recognition isn't my goal, only to help someone in need. True charity comes as selfless act, not someone needing to be recognized for how wonderful they are. And you may think well maybe mine are so ugly that I wouldnt want my name not used but thats not so, this is a charity quilt, http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-140582-1.htm

I agree with both bearisgray and leatheflea. I make quilts for both groups. Above all, in both instances, the quilts need to be well-sewn so they wear well.

Very well put! I so agree with you.

I don't think bearisgray is talking about scrappy quilts, made out of good pieces of used clothing. Many of us find these to be quilts that are beautiful, last long and wear well :D:D:D

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While this year's LQS offerings may be the only thing acceptable to some, others may have pleasant memories sparked by a bit of fabric that was buried at the bottom of a bin. The colors that may seem dated and old-fashioned to one may be a comforting and familiar to another.

I hope every quilt made, charity or not, finds a person to cherish it.

I think a charity quilt to me means something I make with love for someone who needs it. I try to be picky with what material I buy anyway for quilts, so a lot of it does match and it's good use able quality. I do spend some time coming up with a pattern to make sure I have enough of the material and to make it attractive.

I have made quilts out of clothes in good shape, and they turn out well. If it's a scrappy quilt I think there is more leeway on patterns and colors. One quilt I made out of khaki pants and it's one of the most durable quilts. LOL

I guess for me, as long as it was made well and with thought that's the big part.

I think you made a very good point. I was making charity quilts every year for kids and this year because of health reasons I was really unable to get any out. I met JDIANE on the board here thats at Project Linus and I get to send fabric and they do all the sewing there. Its a win win for me. One thing I can do and do well is go yard saling. This has been a great fabric finder year for me so I get to send all my great fabric finds to her at Project Linus. I can still feel good about doing something for Charity that way. I just look at it as sending unassembled quilts :thumbup: When I was making them before I'd look at them like "is that something I would make for me or friend".
Thanks for the great post.

I want my best work to be given no matter who gets the quilt or what it is made from. Make it with love and give with a cheerful heart.

I went to a quilt show at a HUGE church several years ago and they handed out some guidelines for quilts to be made for the poor in some foreign countries (their mission work) and they requested that not much time or money be put into any of them because the women had to wash their clothes/bedding in creeks, rivers, lakes, etc. and beaten on rocks. They did not want any time-consuming hand quilting on them either. Just machine quilted or tied.

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.

I agree

I agree with you. If my best isn't good, it haunts me. I wouldn't want ANYONE to see it. That's why I am such good friends with my seam ripper!

Me, too!

I don't think a charity quilt needs to be made from LQS fabrics but I do think it needs to be sewn with as much attention to detail and care as possible. I agree with you wholeheartedly that whats my best may not be your best however, I am saddened when someone who quilts beautifully makes something very obviously "thrown together" with the comment it's just for charity.

I agree!! We are trying to lift them up and let them know they are a worthy person!! ;) ;) ;)

well said and I do A LOT of charity quilts, I call them "give-a-ways". I do scrappy patchwork, which happens to be my favorite. I even own one.

I make charity quilts and I hold them to a higher standards than the ones I give my friends and family! I mostly make the quilts for our local Children's Hospital and I want the quilts to be fun, comforting, and very well constructed so the kids can have them forever.

There was just a post on this earlier today in regards to Quilts of Valor. I didn't read the whole thing but apparently the organization doesn't want just SID on it. There was controversy over that and then someone made the comment that these quilts were going to the military and not some homeless person who will take whatever they get and out of respect they should be well made. When I donate a quilt, I make just like I would make it for a friend or family member. I think that even a homeless person would deserve that much. I've always hated the "Ugly Quilt" projects. Maybe it's just me...

Thank you for expressing this so clearly.

Well said!