I can't do the "it's still money in the c/g pocket". I feel better if I can donate $20 than to see a $50 item go for $5. I may have all the time in the world to make stuff for auctions, but my stupidity level is beyond giving away $50 for $5. So, I wil buy back my own donation.

well then i guess i'm "stupid" for putting charity above my ego

I had a similar experience with a large quilt auctioned. How about a table runner, if you want to make something?

I donate a quilt and a few small items to a non profit every year for their fund raiser. They have gotten good bids and have taken in more than I spent on the project for the past three years. I love that people admire my items and that quilting is represented in the array of "ARTS" available. If, however, it is a losing proposition and the item that cost me $150 to make and many hours of my time goes for less.... I would also rather give money. If I am making it for free, then I want to give it to someone who cares.

Ego?? I can not in good conscious throw $45 dollars away. It doesn't do a thing for me, and it sure does not help the charity. Not that it makes any difference, but very little of what I sew is for me or mine. Most goes to charity. But again, I will not throw good money away.

I have donated crib or kid sized quilts to silent auctions because I make them for Project Linus anyway and usually have some on hand. I don't mind what they sell for. We have a lot of quilters in my little community and most donate table runners or small wall hangings.

I was "volunteered" once to be in charge of a silent auction for a friend undergoing expensive cancer treatments out of town and I can tell you it is very hard to price hand crafted items. Setting the starting bid high enough to reflect the value often results in no bidding. The goal is of course to raise money for a good cause. It's impossible to make everyone happy. We did the open bidding sheets with a starting bid of about 1/3 of the value and a set increase amount per bid. It was fun to see which items got into the "bidding war" stage. But, it was a ton of work!

Our nearest library does a quilt raffle every year and I hear they do really well. The quilts are always amazing and I've purchased my fair share of tickets over the years.

I totally agree with this. At our church fair we do well with tablerunners - holiday and glitsy fabrics catch the eye and sell best. Donating money is also a good option - it's disappointing to see something sold for much less than it is worth. I would rather give a quilt to someone I care about than see it sold for pennies on the dollar.

Several years ago I donated a wall hanging for a charity event. I pinned a note on it what the fabric cost was and that it was a labor intensive piece. I just thought that the committee should know the worth of it and where to start the bidding. I don't know what it brought but a friend of mine got it and was very excited to have it.

I am doing a rag quilt made out of recycled jeans for one side and Western Flannel for the other. I am in Texas and it is a small country town and really westerney things and the most popular here.

I donated a small quilt to an organization that serves the homeless. I thought it would go to an individual, but they wanted to use it in a fundraiser. The lady thought $50 was a lot of money to raise.....
Since it was a donation I told them to use it as they saw fit. In the future I will will probably give to another group.