Is there a limit as to how ugly a charity quilt can be?
01-18-2012, 11:29 PM
#111
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by gemladi
I went and helped at a Church of Christ in a small community in SD. They quilt for The World Mission and the quilts are not anything I usually make even as a local guild donation. They explained to me the quilts are used for many different reasons and will probably never be washed. Also I heard if really nice looking quilts are donated they sometimes never make it to the intended recipients. I will try to post a photo, but for some reason I have no longer been able to.[ATTACH=CONFIG]304304[/ATTACH]
Nothing ugly there!
01-18-2012, 11:30 PM
#112
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 452
I quilt at two churches that make double knit quilts. One makes king size ones with sheet backs. The other church makes
twin and lap size with single knit backs. All are tied. For Linus, we only make cotton quilts for children. I am one of the store
houses for donated fabric. One day last fall, a couple of ladies delivered 33 boxes plus some plastic bags of fabric to me. I
sorted that quickly and sent it to good homes! I know which groups use double knit, cotton, cotton/poly, upholstery fabric,
satins, etc. If the fabric is not usable (sheers, dirty) for quilts, we send it to a Children's Home that sends it to El Paso to be
made into rags. Small scraps and threads the people in El Paso send to Africa to be ground up and made into thread. We don't waste any fabric or send it to the landfill. Many of our quilts are lovely; some are not so pretty, but all of them should be well made and servicable for the ones that receive them.
twin and lap size with single knit backs. All are tied. For Linus, we only make cotton quilts for children. I am one of the store
houses for donated fabric. One day last fall, a couple of ladies delivered 33 boxes plus some plastic bags of fabric to me. I
sorted that quickly and sent it to good homes! I know which groups use double knit, cotton, cotton/poly, upholstery fabric,
satins, etc. If the fabric is not usable (sheers, dirty) for quilts, we send it to a Children's Home that sends it to El Paso to be
made into rags. Small scraps and threads the people in El Paso send to Africa to be ground up and made into thread. We don't waste any fabric or send it to the landfill. Many of our quilts are lovely; some are not so pretty, but all of them should be well made and servicable for the ones that receive them.
01-18-2012, 11:31 PM
#113
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 76
Favorite Fabrics,
You belong to a group exactly like our church group that I recently joined. The quilts we make are all 'utility' quilts & are all tied and with 'whatever is thick' used for a batting. Most are for World Relief where they are used for quilts, walls or rugs. Some are given to the local homeless shelter, (which now has too many) a Low Income store that sells them for $10. ( local people are scarffing them up there so they can re-sell them at their garage sales.)
These gals have been making these quilts this way for years so I just 'go with the flow'. Some of the fabrics are pretty ugly to me, but who am I to rock the boat? Everyone has different tastes. As long as we don't use fabrics that are too thin they are happy. We even use light-weight upholstery fabric samples. We recently were gifted with 6 antique quilts from the late 1800's or early 1900's and some fabulous chenile antique bedspreads that the women wanted to re-gift to the Goodwill because they didn't want to mess with them. THAT'S when I voiced my opinion & told them about what treasures they really were. I plan to clean them up, get them appraised & either offer them a fair price or put them on e-bay so the group can have some money to work with.
You belong to a group exactly like our church group that I recently joined. The quilts we make are all 'utility' quilts & are all tied and with 'whatever is thick' used for a batting. Most are for World Relief where they are used for quilts, walls or rugs. Some are given to the local homeless shelter, (which now has too many) a Low Income store that sells them for $10. ( local people are scarffing them up there so they can re-sell them at their garage sales.)
These gals have been making these quilts this way for years so I just 'go with the flow'. Some of the fabrics are pretty ugly to me, but who am I to rock the boat? Everyone has different tastes. As long as we don't use fabrics that are too thin they are happy. We even use light-weight upholstery fabric samples. We recently were gifted with 6 antique quilts from the late 1800's or early 1900's and some fabulous chenile antique bedspreads that the women wanted to re-gift to the Goodwill because they didn't want to mess with them. THAT'S when I voiced my opinion & told them about what treasures they really were. I plan to clean them up, get them appraised & either offer them a fair price or put them on e-bay so the group can have some money to work with.
01-18-2012, 11:36 PM
#114
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: S. W. Indiana
Posts: 7,484
Originally Posted by oldbalt99
Yes we have a big difference in oppinion on charity quilts. Ugly, poorly made quilts reflect badly on the person or oganization who contribute them. Espacially since people will insist on putting group name lables on them you want to give an ugly quilt buy one from walmart , it's cheap and will last longer than your cheap trash.
OUCH!
Why spend $40 at Wally World when you can make one for free from the group stash?
01-19-2012, 04:31 AM
#115
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: richmond, ky
Posts: 5
I think color, patterns etc are in who is making the quilt. We all like different things, however whether we are making a quilt for ourself, our mother, best friend or charity we should do the best work we possible can and use the best material we have. Just because someone is in need, we shouldn't ever just make something to say o well I made a quilt and donated it.
01-19-2012, 04:58 AM
#116
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Seguin and Universal City Tx
Posts: 1,969
Originally Posted by sewmary
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.
01-19-2012, 05:47 AM
#117
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Indiana
Posts: 112
My dil`s church makes quilts for the homeless..they prefer knits for the backing if they have it..they also use the heavy drapery,corderoy, or what I call firm fabric..I would not use in a quilt but this is what they want..they do not use batting ..it gets wet and does not dry very good..sometimes the ugly fabric cut in squares also looks better when sewed together..I like scrapy quilts but others would say they are ugly..I am sure the homeless would rather be warm then pretty..
01-19-2012, 06:41 AM
#119
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Illinois
Posts: 13
I've only belonged to 2 quilting groups in my life. In both of them, we all agree that the homeless, the helpless, the young would be grateful to get whatever is sent. There are no ugly babies & there are no ugly quilts.
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08-31-2010 11:29 AM
