I'm so happy to see this post. My plan in the next few months is to make donation quilts & try to work through my stash. I can't spend time on "ugly" or even just plain quilts or I would lose interest real fast. My quilting is more about the process than just cranking them out.

All of your input is making me think about where I'll take my quilts. Thank you all for your input.

I was a member of a quilt guild a few years ago that we made made sleeping bags for the homeless and we used very heavy material , we cut up mens wool suits and overcoats in big squares and made heavy crazy quilts, folded then in half lengthwise and sewed it up on one side all the way to the top and the other side about two thirds. so they could get in them then we quilted it SITD and rolled them up and tied them with a mens tie cut in half, The cops were carrying them in their trunks and also gave a a bunch to the shelters. we also made small teddy bears by the garbage bag full for the cops to keep in their trunks for children that had to be taken or parents went to jail,etc, some we even sewed a pillow to the top and stuffed it with batting.They were much appreciated.cmaras1234:o

QUICK NOTE...Remember
.Warm is much better than pretty. cmaras1234

Thank you, all of you, for the suggestions you have given here. So many ideas!! I am always amazed at the complete generousity in all of you, your willingness to give. You have given me so many ideas to ponder and decide and I really appreciate that. This Board is wonderful!!!! Many thanks.

I haven't read every post so I apologize if this has been mentioned, but I do close to 100 quilts a year for Project Linus. There are chapters everywhere and if there is not one close to you, they tend to have drop off places in quilt shops all over. My local chapter is trying to hit 50,000 quilts this year. So far, we are at 45,000 so it is doable. Lots of kids of all ages get quilts to help them cope with whatever issues they are working through.

I don't make quilts for homeless people but if I did it would be for Covenant House. Young people there have so little to call their own and are homeless through no fault of their own. Even baby quilts would be appreciated because some of the girls are giving birth. I support Covenant House as best I can just not with quilts. Mine go to a Children's Home where again the kids between 8 and 18 have little to call their own and the quilts are very appreciated. I can only make about 6 a year anymore. I make them beautiful and enjoy the process so much
Geri in Anchorage

while I understand the "theft" thing, I can't see that they should be ugly. To me it's like saying they don't deserve pretty. I would make something out of dark fabrics, but not deliberately ugly.

I think what is meant is not that they can't be 'pretty' but that they aren't 'showy'. Beautiful 9 patches or even the disappearing 9 patches are great. But a lone star or a bargello might tempt someone to take it. It is sad, but it is the way it is. This might be a great place for a person to try a bargello. The small errors you make or perhaps an odd color placement would probably bother you but the recipient would be so greatful to receive this handmade item. Another great place to donate is to the police dept and fire dept. Small simple blankets in a carry bag (on the idea of a quillow) can be carried in their trunk and given to a child they take from a crisis situation. When a child is removed from a home or has lost everything in a disaster, being given a blanket to wrap in and keep can make all the difference to them. Sometimes it is the only thing they have other than the clothes on their back.

Sometimes my enjoyment of sewing gets in the way of reality. I love making bedding for the animals in the local shelter. I started out making the beds that have the tube sewn around the top and is filled with stuffing. They work up fast and you can still be proud of them. The staff is always appreciative but then I have heard a couple of times since that the dogs tend to chew open the beds to get to the stuffing. And this can result in clogs in the laundry equipment. I now just sew two squares of fabric together, one being flannel, and the other cotton, that can be folded to make smaller or opened up to make larger as needed.
I think the same can go with any charity sewing. Maybe the simplest is better for the reality of the situation. But I know it can be hard to sew that way since I enjoy it so much.

Just my opinion. And to be honest, I have started donating cleaning and food supplies to the shelter, which is really a necessity. The shelter apparently had a respiratory issue that required destruction of the fabric items to prevent re-introduction of the virus.

Even in nursing homes, things that are TOO nice are more likely to "wander". Charity quilts should be IMHO sturdy (deeper seams than show quilts), simple (get it done), and practical (large lap size usually). They are a great place to use up fabrics in your stash that just didn't go with what you thought they would. I agree that shelters are a better place to donate than to the unsheltered.