Marcy J.

I do not know how to send a picture of my UFO. I pieced the top at least seven years ago and cannot find the interest to putt it together with batting and backing. It is one of Nancy Zieman's Column Quilts pattern. The fabric I selected (liked at the time) is very bright yellow, blue and some red. It does not appeal to me anymore. It measures 53" x 72". I am guessing it would appeal to a teenager or used in a cabin atmosphere. I hesitate sending it out for quilting because of the cost involved as the quilt fabric, batting and backing was costly. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. Also, do people really use the quilts that are made for them or are even interested in them.

cjsews

The majority of my quilts I just do a simple cross hatch. And yes, most of the quilts I give are well used. If someone does not seem interested when I show them my quilts, they will not receive one. Too much work and $ to have it put up in a closet. If donating, I find a charity that is in need of comfort quilts and hope they are well received

osewme

I've made & given quite a few quilts while I was working. Lots of baby quilts & wedding lap quilts for co-workers was the majority of my quilts. All were used & loved with one exception. I did make a baby quilt that the father of the baby was so impressed with it that he wanted to hang it in the baby's room & not use it. Now, I'm not sure if they "never" used it but I hope that at some point they did.
If your sewing machine has a serpentine stitch on it, that makes for good quilting on a quilt. Even though you are not so happy with the top, just know that there is someone out there that would love to have it.

sewingpup

you could check and see if there are any quilt guilds in your area that do donation quilts. Some of them may have longarmer's that will take in quilt tops to quilt for donation. I have quilted a few for QOV as some quilters do not have long arms as you know. It is fairly quick to do as I used an all over designs and the pieced top came in a bag with the backing, batting, pillowcase, binding and label. All I had to do was quilt it. I did chose to put the bindings on also,

Quiltwoman44

I started using up some tops i made years ago by either finishing them into a quilt or using them on the back of a new top or making using them on the backs of another old top I had on hand. Works well for me. two quilts with one stone ......

peaceandjoy

I volunteer with a group that makes quilts for needy families. We use donated tops - some by members of the group, others by people who, like you, no longer want to finish a project, and some by generous folks who keep us supplied with tops. Most are simple, but some are more complex. I would suggest you see if there is a similar group in your area, either by contacting local guilds or possibly through local churches or other groups that work with those in need (food banks, shelters, etc.).

You could try to sell it; if the price is right you will at least recoup some of the costs of the material that went into it, while moving it out of your home and off of your list. If you take this approach, be prepared to sell it for less than the value of the fabric that went into it, but again, realize that it is no longer taking up space.

As far as using quilts - do you mean those that are gifted? The short version of that, for me, is know your recipient. While we may love making quilts, and love quilts and use quilts ourselves, not everyone does. Our daughters, for example, much prefer the minky or fleece type of blankets, which I detest (I'm a natural fibers person). Decorating choices as far as color or style vary so much, even if you know what colors somebody likes, it's hard to know what type of quilt, if any, they would like.

And that was my short version, lol!

Barb in Louisiana

A different thought. I never like any of my quilt tops before they are quilted. A miracle happens after the quilting and binding is put on.....they are beautiful again.

I have a friend who finishes all her quilts and those she is not particularly fond of, she leaves out for everyone to see. She always has someone come in that will fall in love with it.

bkay

You don't say where you are, but in the DFW area, Project Linus, of both Dallas and Collin County take tops and finish them into quilts.

bkay

Karamarie

I agree with peaceandjoy 100%. Not everyone is especially fond of quilts and young (kids) people like the soft fuzzy backs.

juliasb

I have quilted the majority of my quilts on my DSM. Only recently have I started to send quilts out for quilting and I love the look of the quilts I have that I did send out!
The majority of my quilts have been so loved and used I get them back for repairs if repairs are even possible. This makes it all worth the love and energy put into making each one of them.