Quiltingboard Forums - Is there a limit as to how ugly a charity quilt can be?

Quiltingboard Forums (https://www.quiltingboard.com/)

- Main (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/)

- - Is there a limit as to how ugly a charity quilt can be? (https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/there-limit-how-ugly-charity-quilt-can-t176001.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics (Post 4884481)

Or as to what materials can be used in it?

I've recently joined a group that makes charity quilts for international relief projects, and at today's meeting, things got a little... uh... tense... when we talked about the donated materials in our "stash".

Since that little quilting group is probably not the only one whose members have different opinions on the subject, I thought I would put the question out for discussion here.

And... if you've also been in a group of "differing opinions", how did you work it out?

Ugly like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I believe that beautiful quilts can be made from different kinds of fabrics depending on design and color combination. In making quilts for the homeless our greatest goal is for warmth, we put in 3 or 4 layers of batting, but we see no reason they can't be pretty as well. We use mostly polyester double knits since we have it and it is very serviceable and warm. Even simple checkerboard quilts can be beautiful. Since you have so much fabric, I see no reason to buy more. I would suggest that the ladies go through the boxes and find fabrics that they would like to work with and each make quilts that appeal to them. In a group there is always room to accommodate people's likes and dislikes when you have such a bounty of supplies.

I would like to suggest that whether you think the quilts are ugly or not, you have a heart sewn onto each one. It's a very simple thing, and yet, the recipient will know that you intended for the quilt to be made with love.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sewmary (Post 4884519)

I view my charity quilts just like any other quilt I would make. In my world, if that charity quilt is not good enough to give to a family memeber then it is not good enought for anyone else. I don't believe that people who need charity deserve second hand quality or any old thing.

I feel exactly like this.
You don't have to buy 10.00 a yard fabric to make a nice charity quilt.
I wouldn't feel guilty if the fabric were among my not-favorites either, but I don't want to be condescending to anyone, just as I wouldn't want them to be to me.
If my own house burned down, I wouldn't "expect" anything, but I'd hope ppl wouldn't dress me like a "bag lady".
tsk! tsk! to those that would.
Hope we have helped. Your going to get differing opinions on fabrics, same as every other subject. We know when we're being chintzy, even if we don't admit it. I like to sleep at night.;)

If the "washabiltity" and "wearability" pass the test then I would make the most of what was donated. IMHO

"We've become a dumping ground, every time somebody wants to clean house!"

I wouldn't want to sew on ugly fabric, just because it was donated. I also wouldn't want to mixture of different types of fabric either. If it is old, ugly fabric, don't use it. Yuck!

It can be a heated discussion. Some people feel that it's a gift, "I'm giving from my fabric and my time and you better just darn well appreciate it." Other people want to give the very best they can. I primarily make quilts for QFK and QOV's. The standards are very clear and I like that.

For me ugly quilts aren't so much design and color, it's the ones that are not made well. I have absolutely no problems with seams not matching (that just adds character) or weird colors but please make sure your seams have a good 1/4" seam-or even the scant 1/4" seam. Don't use a 1/8" to make it fit or completely skit that section. I've seen some tops that barely caught the second fabric or just missed by a hair. The first time it's washed the seams will come apart. Trim your blocks before you put them together, don't work with 4"-6" squares and try to make it fit. It doesn't-we've seen it.

Don't try to make a 40" top fit a 38" backing by quilting the extra fabric into huge puckers. Don't use a basting stich to quilt, if the tension is wrong, fix it before giving it. I've seen some that the tension was so bad that all you had to do was clip a couple places and unsew the entire thing.

Don't have the battting stop 1" or more from the edges of the quilt, if you don't have enough batting, trim your top and backing a little or wait until you have more batting.

Stuff like that. If you were in a situation where you would be receiving this-would you want it? would you appreciate the thought? I feel that quilt gifts are like giving a hug to someone and I want my quilts to reflect me in some way.

I agree with Dayle. Good leadership - someone to take charge will make the difference. My now gone MIL lived thru the depression and made some beautiful quilts from old clothes and such. Good Luck. Teresa

Amazing how something sosimple can get so complicated. I agree that I would not use material that would fall apart or not be suitable. I would try selling the worst of it for rag paper and then take the money to buy more suitable quilting materials. Beauty is another thing. I couldn't make something I hated to look at. I like the idea of cutting up the uglier pieces into smaller ones. Scrappy quilts can turn out very nice. Maybe some of the more talented sewers could make 8 " blocks out of the uglies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics (Post 4884568)

Here's our situation: the stash consists of over a dozen of large boxes of "textiles" that have been donated over the course of I don't know how many years. In the boxes are everything from new fabric (cotton, blends, T-shirt knits, double-knits) to fabric that was on the shelf so long that it has really obvious fade marks to curtain panels, old tablecloths, and lots of sheets, from faded-but-serviceable to nearly worn through.

And a number of different thoughts were expressed at the meeting, such as:

"Why should we buy ANYTHING to work with, when we have so much stash already."

"Don't insist on just cotton. Those double knits we have would make great backs, if only we had some smaller quilts, because they're just not quite wide enough."

"Those double knits - it's just too hard to get the needle through them."

"All those fabrics were donated, and we really should use them as they were intended."

"We've become a dumping ground, every time somebody wants to clean house!"

"Well, if you think our quilts are ugly now, you should have seen what we were working with 40 years ago! We were cutting apart clothing to use..."

There is a wide range of ages in this quilting group, and some have lived through the depression and some haven't. (I suppose that changes one's perspective.)

The quilts are all going overseas. We're not actually quilting them, just tying through with perle cotton (or similar). I don't believe all the fabrics would wash succesfully, but the point was mentioned that if the quilts are just to serve as a wall or a rug, they might not ever get washed anyway.

I don't think we're even at the point where we're discussing taste or aesthetics or colors, really. The quilts are just 8" squares sewn together. We're talking REALLY BASIC quilts here.

A couple of the ladies cut the 8" squares (very accurately, I must say) and sewers get handed a bag of 108 pre-selected squares to put together however we please. Some in the group don't cut, or sew, they just help layer & tie.

My mom makes such quilts (8" squares) for her church to pass out to the homeless - they try to keep "like" fabrics together in the same quilt (roll-up bed/sleeping bag) so it's at least consistent. they also try to disguide the fade marks by creating a sashing or strip of fabric in the block "right there." Since what they use is by the "mile-a-minute" ("crumb chaos) method, it really all seems to go together.

Everyone tries to keep in mind that these are UTILITY quilts. But as they sew them together they also keep in mind those Great Depression years they survived or followed on the heels of when they had as litle or less than the homneless they're giving to. Somehow the love they sew them together with transcends "ugly" and as they remember where THEY were decades ago while they hand them out, there is a genuine smile on their faces of both those handing them out and those receiving.

Hope this helps!

I agree with both Sewmary and Tartan. I try to put myself in the place of the recipient and think about how I want them to feel about what I'm donating. If it won't work for me, then I don't give it to them.