Great news!

I spoke with someone at the city attorney’s office yesterday and got the go ahead to do the quilt raffle! No forms needed since it’s for a charitable cause.  Yes!  Paperwork is not my forte!

I also spoke with the Mission this morning and we’re working on ironing out the details.  I think the plan is to hang the quilt at the Mission while it’s being raffled, so I guess I will need to sew on a hanging sleeve.

Next thought… should I label it?  Something like “quilt for hope”, yada yada yada… suggestions would be MOST welcome!  I was thinking of naming it “Shades of Hope”, since it’s in various shades of green and purple, but I wasn’t sure what information should be on a raffle quilt.  I know many of you have been involved in these, so your feedback is much appreciated.

I’m pretty excited about this, and hoping the raffle does well, as I would definitely like to do it again, especially if I can get some of the local quilting groups involved… and if not, I’d still like to do it again.

Jim will be back from England in the wee hours of Sunday, I can’t wait!  It feels like he’s been gone forever!

Rectifying an error in judgement

Not too long ago, I was talking to Jim and expressing my dismay that so many of the charity quilts (I really hate that word!) I see are well… umm… stretching for some diplomacy here.  Not my strong suit.  People use up their stash, or buy cheap fabric, and slap something together because after all, it’s just charity right?  Not all of them of course, but too many.  And please, I’m not referring to those who do the best with what they have.  If you hit the goodwill shop and pick up a paper bag full of old clothes, go home and spend the time sorting and cutting and create a quilt for someone with the scraps, my hat is off to you!

As quilters, we often make test blocks.  And we often have dozens of them laying around, different fabrics and colors which when combined to make a donation quilt… yeah.  Not so pretty.  Functional yes, and it will keep someone warm!

Ugh.  I vowed that none of my donated quilts would be like that.  Just because someone is down on their luck, or sick, or abused, doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate a thing of beauty just like everyone else right?  Right!

And then here I am, doing the same thing with my quilting.  Sure, I put together quality materials, planned my designs, coordinated my colors… but when it came to quilting them, I didn’t give it my best.  Of course I understand the concept of learning… we all have to practice our skills and then we have our imperfections glaring us in the face… great items to donate!  And they are!  But I think some of our best efforts need to be donated too!

So here’s my belated New Year’s goal:

I will put as much effort into quilting my donation quilts as I do piecing and designing them.  I will design great quilts for my donation quilts, not just easy, quick to make quilts.  If anything, those in need of extra attention deserve a nicer quilt, don’t you agree?

I also want to focus on doing a couple of quilts for the teenage group.  It seems to me that they get left out.  We focus our time on babies, and wounded soldiers for the most part, and the teens in need are lost in the shuffle.

So here’s my next project.  Well more or less.  I’m hoping for some feedback on which version you prefer? Left or right?  It may yet undergo a few design changes, but I’m pretty pleased with it in either of these.

The greatest joy of all in quilting is giving the quilt away.  We know the hours and hours, and often blood, sweat and tears, that go into creating a quilt.  Rarely do the recipients have any idea of the time and effort involved.  And that is perfectly okay with me, as long as their faces light up when I hand my creation over!