What She Said!

 My sister, Sandy, has a quilt blog & podcast called "Quilting for the Rest of Us," which has become wildly successful and has followers all over the world.  Her latest post includes a very thoughtful and thought-provoking essay on "charity quilts" that I decided to copy directly into my blog because I agree with her wholeheartedly and want to say, "What she said!"  And one of the comments she received is also something I want to pass along, so I copied that here, too.

I work in a fabric store and often encounter customers buying cheap materials because "it's for charity."  I always want to say to them just what Sandy says:

When did we ever get the idea that we can use our ugliest fabric in the most haphazard way or our blocks that clearly didn't work at all and donate them? It's like donating shirts with tears and stains or electronics that don't work or furniture with broken legs and assuming, "Hey, I don't want this piece of junk in my house anymore but someone else will be grateful for it." Yeah, maybe (although I have my serious doubts), but we're talking quilts here. We talk about quilts symbolizing love and care...so what the heck?

Doesn't everyone deserve beauty in their lives? Especially some of these places we're making donations too--women's shelter's where mothers and children are struggling to put themselves back together; hospitals with families watching loved ones in pain; families who have been burned out of their homes. Why wouldn't I want to give someone in need just as pretty a quilt as I'd give my own child? Sure, maybe I won't do heirloom quality hand-quilting on it, but I sure as heck would want to choose fabrics that will bring pleasure or a bright spot to what may be an otherwise gloomy day. I sure as heck would want to show some care in my design and in my piecing. I would want the person to think I actually thought about them--even if in the abstract, a nameless person that I've never met but I can have some genuine human empathy for. Not just a way to offload ugly fabric. (And although I know one woman's ugly can sometimes be another woman's beauty, I've read enough tips on enough message boards that have quite literally said, "use that ugly fabric in a charity quilt!" to make me steam.)

I also came to the very discomfiting realization that my own attitude changed whenever I worked with those unattractive, often musty-smelling tops. I stopped caring about my own skills. I adopted a very "I don't care, just get 'er done" attitude. Fast and Finished was queen, not Done Right. Which, of course, led to me simply compounding the problem of ugly quilts with shoddy workmanship. And that's to my shame. I'm doing some penance over that one.

People don't necessarily need blankets...they can buy blankets pretty dang cheaply at big-box stores these days. Frankly, if my purpose is to provide a blanket, I'd rather write a check. The reason to make a donation quilt is to go that step beyond, provide someone in need with just a little bit more: the thought that someone else cared enough about them in their situation to sit down and make something by hand. But for pity's sake, please make it pretty.

I vow never to make an ugly quilt for donation again. I vow to never be attached to making ugly quilts for donations again. I will choose to make my own donation projects from my own beautiful fabrics with an attractive design, not some slapdash thing that "someone ought to be grateful for." I will choose to make something that shows someone I cared enough to take the time to think about it, even if it is a simpler pattern, even if it is a slightly faster style...it's still attractive, and thoughtful. And hopefully, will give them a touch of love and care at a time when they need it most.

If I wouldn't want it in my own house, I won't donate it to someone else.

To which Quiltin' Jenny replied... 

I agree with you 100% Sandy, EXCEPT to say this: when I was once asked to donate my old shoes when I was buying new ones, I flippantly responded, "No one would want these!" The clerk was serious when he said, "If you believe that, you should come volunteer with me." Now I know shoes aren't the same as quilts. As you said, inexpensive blankets are easy to find. But have you ever heard of UglyQuilts.com, also known as the Sleeping Bag Project? These quilts are purposely ugly because anything that is even remotely attractive is stolen from the homeless people for whom they are intended. (Horrible). I think it's important to know your charity. Obviously if you are making neo-natal quilts for babies who might not survive, you should use the softest, sweetest fabric you have. If you're making pillowcases for kids with cancer, texture is pretty critical. But if you have some ugly fabric that needs a home, don't throw it out. That ugly quilt will keep someone just as warm as a pretty one and hopefully not be stolen. That doesn't mean you don't put your best work into it; just that the print means less than it would on some other projects.

So, if you have some fabric you don't need, be truly generous with it and make it into a purposefully ugly quilt:

THE

UGLY QUILT

AN

EMERGENCY SLEEPING BAG

WHY THE NAME 'UGLY QUILT'

 

a. The Sleeping Bag is a utility quilt made from clean used or no-cost fabrics.

b. This simple sleeping bag should not have a market value to assure the homeless are beneficiaries.

c. The name indicates the skill level needed for this tied quilt.

d. The Ugly Quilt can be made in less than a day.

e. A group can make one in an hour.

THE OUTER SHELL OF THE SLEEPING BAG IS MADE BY CUTTING SCRAP MATERIAL, BEDSPREADS, DRAPES OR RUMMAGE INTO THE LARGEST SQUARE OR RECTANGLE THE PIECE WILL ALLOW.

 

1. Sew enough pieces together to form a seven foot by seven foot (7' x 7') square.

2. Sew two, 7' by 7' squares together to form the sleeping bag cover. 7' by 14' finished length.

3. Stitch two sets of three foot straps to a 7' edge, approximately 15 and 30 inches in. Straps are made of neckties, dress belts, etc.

4. On three eight foot (8') church tables, fill one half of the 14' x 7' piece with clean old blankets, mattress pads, fiberfill or light-weight rummage. Leave a three inch (3") seam allowance on the three open edges.

5. Cover with remaining 7' length. 6. Tie knots through all three layers with a double crochet cotton every eight inches (8"), to secure the covers to the fill layer.

7. Lay the 3' straps up onto the tied quilt.

8. Fold the tied 7' x 7' in half, R to L forming a 7' x 3 1/2' sleeping bag shape. * Triple knot with crochet cotton the remaining side and bottom edges every three inches catching only the four cover layers. Raw edges will insulate the seams when turned * The top edge and folded side are finished.

9. Turn right side out.

10. Roll up and tie straps tightly to secure. Feel free to implement your ideas but keep it simple, quick and cost free.