petthefabric

Thanks for the replies. I've been humbled. Some people are just naturally loving and non-judgemental...not me. I need the reminders from others.

These quilts would not have survived washing. Both quilts were too large for intended use. And I was willing to remake them.

Hadn't even thought of odors. This wasn't an issue in this instance.

Seems there is value in almost all quilts, just depends upon the recipient. Which brings up another criteria; who is the recipient. These will go to women's shelters, hospice, foster care. Clean, durable, size are important criteria.

This is a personal criteria; when making donation quilts, I want to enjoy the process and create something I wouldn't use but would like to make. A friend was making quilts for a women's recovery program. A quilt was one of the graduation gifts. My friend loved creating quilts for these ladies and made them fun for the recipients.

"i have finally come to the conclusion that it is not a cardinal sin to not accept any and all donations." from Bearisgrey. This reminds me that there is way too much "good" works out there for me to do it all. And some of that "good" works belongs to someone else.

My conclusion: be humble and stay within the work that I'm called to do.

cathyvv

Maybe some could cut up and be made into place mats.

I would only 'trash' a quilt if it was so off that it literally has to be reconstructed to quilt it. What I would probably really do is leave it for someone else to quilt.

cathyvv

Using them to make dog or cat bedding and donate to an animal shelter is another option.

cathyvv

Agree. If you live in a cold area, a double knit quilt in your car is a good thing to have if your car happens to break down. It doesn't have to be beautiful, it has to be warm.

illinois

Sounds to me that the woman handling this donation project is part of the "Quilt Police"! No donated quilt top should be discarded unless it is beyond salvaging. To discard one simply because of fiber or that it is ugly in the eye of the beholder is beyond reason. If it will be serviceable should be the only scrutiny. Some of our favorite throws in our family are the ones made of double knit and tied as they are extremely warm and launder so easily. I'm told that some mission groups ask that quilts be ugly as the pretty ones are stolen and sold and are not used as intended for warmth for those who actually need something to keep warm. My opinion is that charity quilts, for the most part, are to serve a purpose, not win a prize. Of course, it depends if the quilt is intended to lift spirits, too. Then appearance is important.

bearisgray

sometimes a "blessing" can become a burden.

i have picked apart and redone some tops.

i came to the conclusion that i could have made about four simple tops " from scratch" in the amount of time spent in trying to salvage something "iffy".

marymild

One of my very first quilts was a 3-D Saint Nicholas that was made from discarded, ripped quilts that were beyond repair. So the quilter cut them up and made santa clauses. Never say never.

Jeanette Frantz

My comment is this: If it's not usable for humans, I would certainly rather donate it to an animal shelter or whatever. Since double-knit fabric doesn't ravel, it wouldn't even have to have binding. I would much rather see it used in an animal shelter than to clog the waste disposal facilities across our world. As Prism said, double-knit wears like iron, but it is much warmer than you would think. I have a 92 year old aunt who used double-knit to make floral appliques on quilts -- perhaps they wouldn't qualify -- because her quilts were (and are) very pretty!

Absolutely no criticism intended -- because, on the other hand, the time spent to make something usable from these quilt tops may be time better spent.

marcycn

Why would anyone throw away good, clean, insect free material? Maybe it's not up to your standards. Maybe you would never buy the material in the first place. But, there are so many people out there who don't have much and would love to have something to keep them warm and would be beautiful to them. Homeless for sure. Animal shelters for sure. They don't care if the quilt isn't good enough to put in a quilt show. They only care that it's warm and it's theirs. It will be beautiful to them.

I've found that quilting is for the middle to upper class who has disposable money. If I want material I have to eliminate something else, usually food, so I can afford to make another quilt. Mine aren't good enough to sell - seams don't match and I tie most of mine because I just can't seem to get the stitch-in-the-ditch down pat. But they are beautiful to me and seem to be to those I give them to. One church group here in FL uses donated sheets for the backing.

So please don't throw good quilt tops away. Find someone who would love to finish it and find a home for it. :-)

Pat M.

All of the above, just because they are for charity does not mean they have to be ugly or cheap. I have rebuilt quilt tops for the students many times.