Hello all!

I just wanted to throw out a topic and see what type of responses I might get :-)

What do you do with all your quilts? Do you make them for family? Is it theraputic? Do you donate them? Do you keep them yourselves? Do you show them? Do you raffle them?

I know there is an organization called Project Linus who provides love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers” and I was wondering if anyone participated with this?

Thanks for taking the time to answer!! I look forward to the responses!!

What do you do with all your quilts?

I'm a hand quilter, still new, don't do it every day or even every week, so I don't expect to have many, many quilts. I plan to make a pile for myself, also a wall hanging or two.

I may make some as gifts, but it's a lot of effort, so I would only give them to people who want one and probably have them pick the design and fabric so they'll like what they get. OTOH, I could see making baby quilts. Some neighbors are expecting their first, and I so wish I had a machine so I could whip up a cute quilt for the baby!

So far I've donated each one I've made. Our guild supports the local battered women's shelter, as well as donating to the local fire and police departments. My favorite recipients are wounded soldiers, via the Quilts of Valor group or the Soldier's Angels group. I have made one wall-hanging for myself, but have not kept any quilts.

Kept a few - given away lots. I always know what I'm going to do with it before I start.

I give them away. I started with family. When I get through all of them I will give away to friends. You can donate them for auctions or to charity functions. Check out Quilts for Kids which sends you fabric, you make the quilt, send it back, and they give it to a child in the hospital. Or you can keep them for yourself. I kept all the quilts I made in the begining. I have about 10 that I just can't part with.

I have given my quilts to my three kids, Grands,Great Grand, Hubby's family,friends and certain people I feel could use a quilt and I have some for us too. I have over the last 44 years made 24 Hand quilted, 36 Machine quilted and 28 Comforters - Tied.

I rarely keep any of the quilts I make. Most go for charity. Therapy, yes, I guess I'd say making quilts is therapy. I see success and beauty. Once made, the quilts aren't mine anymore. They go to new homes, family, kids, friends, you name it.

Sis has 3 (soon to be 4)
Hubby has 6
I have many,
Sold 3
Gave away many also. They are all over the place, Texas, California, Indiana, Virginia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Canada.

They go in my collection in the closet. I have published patterns and I speak for area quilt guilds so i need them to take with me and show. There are some that I use and some that I have given away. I have a hard time giving them away because of all the time I put into them.

What quilts? I have lots of quilt tops, but that's about as far as I get. I've been doing this for about 4 years now, only have two that are finished. One is a wall hanging that I pieced and my aunt hand quilted. The other one I had quilting buy a LAQ and it's too pretty to use.

I love piecing!

Mine have all been gifted. One stayed at the house...it was a gift to my husband. The rest are snuggling up with other folks I love.

I make most of them for gifts, some for charity, and some for me. I make them with the intention of using them. I do not do them for shows or raffles.

I make mine for shows, sale and give aways plus I have many
it is just fun to do and I have been making them for several years

I make them for all the reasons listed above. I have been making quilts for 20 plus years and hope that those who receive them enjoy them. Right now I have started to make "Cancer Comfort QUilts" and give them to any one who is going thur Chemo treatments. I just started this the first of the year so haven't made only one an gave it away The blocks for the second one are made just have to put it together. I have been commissioned to make two other quilts for before this Sept. They will be totally made by machine.

What part of central PA do you reside?

Kathi in PA

I have given every quilt I have ever made except for one. That one is currently at the LAQ and I am anxious to get it back! I have made lots of tablerunners and such, but most were given away as gifts.

most of mine are given away to people i do not know! i have started to keep some of my work.

All mine have gone to family members. No one in my family should be cold I guess.

I make them to give away, and I also use the ones I make for me.

LAQ?? Long arm quilt?

So far all my quilts have been given away. 2 were raffled at work, 2 were door prizes, the grands have 3 each, and DD is getting one. The rest have been given to co-workers and friends who are undergoing chemo, dialysis, house fires, having babies or grand babies, or getting married.

When DH got me the frame and mid-arm I had to promise a quilt that would stay at home. I have one in my mind, but haven't started working on it yet.

I give them to social service who uses them to give to kids that are taken from their homes like in the middle of a fight, abuse etc. It helps for them to have something new and belongs to them when they are taken away. My grandkids went thru that and since we adopted them 2 years ago, they were taken at 4 in the morning by the police and ss and taken without a thing except whaty they had on. The dad had them and ss had gotten a tip that he was abusing them. He wasn't but both parents lost the kids. They are now 12 and 15 good kids. tjey were 3rd and 5th grade when we got them after almost 2 yrs in foster care/. also my quilts go to the women and kids shelter here in town.

Yes, LAQ is Long Arm Quilter.

I have given many away to family or friends as wedding or Christmas presents. I've donated a couple for a charity quilt auction, kept a few and have a TON of tops waiting to be quilted. I hand quilt my quilts but I need to start machine quilting to finish all those tops!

I haven't been quilting long enough to have an excess of quilts to donate. It seems that as soon as I finish one that has not been prepromised, someone calls "dibbs" on it. I sure would like to make one for me.

I donate my quillts to families that have lost their homes due to fire. The local fire station or even some one that is in the know can help with this. I watch the news and the local news paper also. My family also get quite a few, mostly the grand kids see it in the making and say, Nana that one is mine. Who can resist that. jolo

I am a volunteer with Project Linus and I love making quilts with that bunch! I work full-time, but with all the quick tips I get from that terrific group, I can still make a child size quilt in a week or two. Their workshops are an awesome place to learn; I have seen people who have never made a quilt take a "kit" that Project Linus provides and end up making quilts themselves. There is a lot of teaching and mentoring going on. The quilts are simple, cute, fun, bright and make me happy; we sometimes get little notes from kids who tell us how much they like their quilt and how it gave them comfort in their time of need and that makes it all worth it!

Most of my quilts have been for babies (nices and nephew's kids) so they have mostly been given away. Have made one for our youngest son and now working on one for the oldsest son. I hand quilt so it takes me longer. I have also developed a retinal problem so the sight isn't as good as it use to be. I have surgery Wednesday so hope that well help the sight if not just have to learn to live with less sight. Thanks for listening. Ruth

I started out making them for my children , then when each grandchild was three they got their own quilt. Now I am making wedding quilts for these grandkids. I am putting away baby quilts for each greatgrand child that will come. I think if I don't do it now, when they come along I won't be able to. All my family and sisters have my quilts and I have the rest stored or on the wall or quilt rack. A few have been given to the church to give as gift for 50th celebrations. I have never sold any yet. But it is something I might have to do eventually, you never know.

My quilts are made with a specific person in mind and then they go to that person. My s-i-l and I jointly make wedding quilts for the nieces and nephews. Having lost my husband to cancer and having survived cancer myself, I am on my guild's committee that makes quilts for each child undergoing cancer treatment locally. The chair calls and asks if I have time to make a quilt and gives me the child's first name, age, gender, favorite colors and major interest so that the quilt can be personalized to that child. There are enough people on the committee that we each make only one or two quilts a year for the 45 - 60 children having cancer treatment in our local med center annually. The quilts in my home are ones my grandmother -- for whom I am named and who taught me to quilt in 1970 -- made and some I made for my parents and have back, now that they are gone. Someday, I'm going to make a quilt for myself -- maybe a Christmas quilt.

I've been quilting for 4 years. All mine either go to family and/or charity. I am now working on one for my hubby. Maybe he'll share it with me.

I've been quilting for 4 years. All mine either go to family and/or charity. I am now working on one for my hubby. Maybe he'll share it with me.

I have been quilting for a few years. Most have gone to sisters :friends & new babies.

I try to finish what I start......I am working on 2 different quilts at this time..one for a friend going through chemo: the other for my sisters bday.
I find the process very therapeutic ..........

The senior center that I go to are making quilts for Project linus .. I have 5 tops finish's (1) is completed (2nd one is almost completed......The quilt size I made is 44 by44 ...But they can range in size from 36 to 44 in size....

I have made a quilt for each of my three children, 2 grandchildren, brother, and sister-in-laws from fabric they have chosen. I live in a rural area and have shown quilts at the county fair (and won some blue ribbons). I am retired and peacing the quilts is my theropy. I do not quilt them however, I have a machine quilter who does a beautiful job.

Our guild makes quilts for the Project Linus orginazation. We only have 18 members but average 30-40 quilts a year for the project. The web cite is www.projectlinus.org

When I learn how to quilt, I will make one for each one of my family members for christmas gifts, and probably do more doll quilt swaps and yes donate to the needy, that is of course if S.S.S. dose not take a life time to get. as I have no money for fabric. but I geuss I can dream. Penny

good luck with you surgery and I hope all gose well. Penny

I have 11 kids.. theres always someone standing in line saying oooh thats mine when its done.. I'd like to make one for myself. have yet to do that

I've been quilting for many years and recently finished a Shutterfly photo book with most of my quilts. I made an inventory of the quilts, with the happy outcome of a time-line becoming apparent. I was able to document my first efforts up to my latest. I discovered that I'd given many away (thankfully I kept photos of most of them). The quilts I've kept are hanging on our walls, changing with the seasons. Yes, quilting is indeed therapy. There were times when I just needed to hand quilt and to get lost within this art. Thanks for such a provocative post. :D

Mostly I give them to family members and friends. Each of my kids has at least two quilts and I have made one for each of my granddaughters. There are also a lot of quilts hanging out at my house!

I just keep making them---I can't stop!!