applique

Worse is giving a quilt to charity and a year later seeing it hanging in the house of a relative of the organizer! So discouraging.

charity-crafter

Mad was too extreme of an emotion, more like irratated. But yes, I did used to run into some pretty grabby/greedy people.

I worked closer to the city and took public transportation. I would be working on my projects while commuting.

It wasn't people who were my friends, it was mainly the people I rode the bus with. People you see every day ~ 1 hr a day depending on the commute. people you are friendly with but don't really know much more then their first name and roughly where they worked by what bus stop they got off.

I worked at a hospital so I'd bring my dolls into the Pediatric ward to give the kids so I'd have a little baggy of dolls or a couple of lap quilts and that's when I'd get the comments. It's the passing aquaintances who feel the need to make comments.

My co-workers usually stop asking for one when I give them a supply list and tell them to go buy what is needed to make a quilt. My list includes thread and cotton batting.

MargeD

I have never had this happen, and I have made charity quilts in the past. Right now I'm looking for a local charity, perhaps a hospice to see if they would welcome my quilts for sick children battling cancer or for those people in nursing homes. When I belonged to a quilt guild we made quilts for David's House in Lebanon, NH, which was similar to a Ronald McDonald House. The guild was even asked to make bed quilts when a new house was built on the hospital grounds. Unfortunately, at times fabric given for those quilts went home with members and no quilts were made, they used it for themselves. When people found out what I did they asked if I would like fabric, and I said yes, keeping that fabric separate from my own stash. Seeing pictures of the children with one of my quilts really made my heart sing, there's nothing like it. Unfortunately, there are people in this world who cannot fathom why we would make a quilt to give away to someone we don't even know. Their loss.

charity-crafter

There has been a time or two when the donation fabric was perfect for the project I was working on, but I'd always transfer an equal amount from my stash to the donation stash so I wouldn't feel guilty. I don' t go guilt real well.

LindaM49

I think it is fantastic what your ladies are doing for charity...especially children.

A friend of mine...her late hubby's cousin...does the same thing. She retired as a nurse from Hershey Medical Center here in PA and she quilts all of the time. She and a group of her quilting friends get together a lot and make quilts for babies. They take them to the hospital and tell them to give them to unwed mothers or mother's whose babies were born with a birth defect etc. They also give some to Ronald McDonald House near the medical center.

I would feel guilty too if people were giving me fabric knowing that I would use it for charity quilts...and then I make quilts to sell out of it.

If you have the time and money then I say do it. I would rather give the quilt that they will cherish forever...then hand them a money donation that will long be forgotten years down the road.

May in Jersey

I'm co coordinator for my guild's project pillowcases and have had people ask me to give them one or two of the pillowcases. I refuse saying that they have been made with donated fabrics and are for charity distribution only. Some have countered that I've given pillowcases to so and so, etc. but I have to inform them they were made with fabrics I purchased myself. If they want a pillowcase I'd make them one but first they have to buy a yard of one fabric and a half of a yard of another, and if they want a contrasting strip a quarter yard of a 3rd fabric. Oh, I also mention the LQS they should go to that sells fabric at $10 per yd, that ends their request.

Just finished a queen quilt for DIL, she paid for materials (a kit, backing and batting) and I sewed it. Never again as I spent too much time worrying about this one. The pattern was difficult but I thought I was doing great until I put the blocks together and nothing seemed to line up to make the secondary pattern. Ordered fabrics to replace what I had used and began again making the block pattern a little simpler. Backing she chose wasn't a wide one so I pieced strips, measuring the width and length several times before cutting. Of course, it wasn't long enough, had to add another strip across the width. One thing after another, machine started sewing badly, thread kept breaking, needle broke, it was just too much so for me No More Quilts by Order. I'll continue to make quilts for family and friends and all new family babies but I'll be doing the choosing of patterns and fabrics, just ask what size or dominate color they would like. May in Jersey

PS: quilt is now at longarmer and will finally be finished and given soon.

jitkaau

Grasping people often use any logic to acquire something for free.If they had true moral fibre they would offer you money or help toward achieving your charity works.No need to justify yourself when refusing the free-loaders but keeping your work a secret might prevent a lot of other doors from opening - e.g. if someone would like to donate but was unaware of your activity,everyone would lose. Keep up the good work.

virgwid

Not quilting, as I am just getting into that, but I belong to a charity knit/crochet group. We talked with the head of a womens shelter who was very enthusiastic about us making afghans for the women and kids they were moving into new apartments. They literally had nothing, as they usually left with just the clothes on their backs. Anyways, we made I think nearly a hundred. She was having a yearly luncheon for all the workers, volunteers, donors etc. Of course we had to cook for our own luncheon. Our group cooked a lot to help out. Guess what was being given away to everyone as a thank you for the help/donations? People were winning them as prizes, getting 2 to 3 of them at a time to take home. Thank goodness I wasn't there. They probably would have had to call the cops on me for threatening her life! Needless to say we never had another thing to do with that shelter. Which was a shame, as the women and kids could really have used something useful and pretty. Virg

Great-great granny

Unfortunately, I think this says a lot about this society of ours. :cry: :cry:

That's why people like the ones on this board need to be even more determined to help keep our little part of the world a civil one. By continuing to spread our love for other humans, whether it be w/a quilt, a hug, or an uplifting word when someone else is down, we are proving we don't choose to live w/so much negativity around us. :lol:

Stitcher317

I tell people "we" (Our quilt guild) regularily makes quilts for charity and everyone applauds our efforts. No one has ever asked me to make anything for gratis.

I also make and donate a quilt I give to a local Cancer Society for a raffle every other year. This is a quilt I put my heart and soul into as I am a breast cancer survivor. This year my quilt brought in $550.00 and knowing the proceeds go to helping families and patients negotiate their path through this disease fuels my efforts to do even more.