Charity Quilts - Getting Started

In this first post, I want to talk about things to think about before starting a charity quilt.  I know this is stuff you all know and do, but maybe there is someone out there new to quilting who will find this information helpful.

Quality
"Quick & Easy" Charity Quilts doesn't mean "Fast & Trashy."  The last thing someone who's life is falling apart needs is a blanket that falls apart too.  :)

Make sure you are using good quality material that won't fray or shred.  Designer fabric isn't a must, but make sure whatever fabric you use will stand up to lots of love and machine washing and drying.

Make sure the stitching is secure and none of the seams are pulling apart.  If you are making quilts with beginning sewers, you may want to consider using 1/2 inch seams instead of standard 1/4 inch seams.  A 1/4 inch seam that goes a bit crooked is more likely to pull apart than a 1/2 inch seam that is a bit off.

Size
Make sure the size of the quilt is appropriate for the person it is going to.  If the quilt is designed for a child a good rule of thumb is for the quilt to be approximately 6 inches longer than the child is tall.  That way the child is able to curl up completely under the blanket and there is some room for growth.  Boston Children's Hospital has some general height ranges for children here on their website.  Quilts for those 12 and over should be close to twin sized.

Fabric
Now we are coming to the fun part!  (Like the fabric or quilt?  Click on the source link to go to the store selling it!)

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Fleece - Fleece is a go to fabric for charity blankets.  It is a heavier weight polyester fabric that is soft, fuzzy, and doesn't fray.  It comes in a variety of colors and prints and is usually 60 inches wide.  While not strictly necessary, the edges are often cut and tied in a decorative fringe.

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Flannel -  It isn't just for plaid shirts anymore.  Lighter weight than fleece, but still nice and soft, flannel is a great choice for either a quilt top or backing.  However, it is more likely to stretch while piecing and may not be the best choice for beginning piecers.

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Minky - A polyester fabric with a high cuddle factor, minky is a great choice for a quilt backing.  It is dreamy soft!

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Cotton Fabrics - The traditional choice for quilts, cotton fabrics come in a wide variety of colors and prints.

Read the Fine Print - If you are donating a quilt to a specific organization be sure you know if they have any specific requirements.  I know of some places that don't accept quilts made from denim and who require a 1/2 inch seam allowance and others who specify that they want quilts made only from new quilting cotton.   Make sure you give what is needed and required.

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Gender Balance -  I don't have any statistics to back this up, but I have the feeling that a lot more "girly" blankets get made than blankets for boys.  If you are donating multiple quilts make sure there are some for boys and girls.  You might also like to contact the organization and see if they need more boy or girl appropriate quilts.

Now that we have the basics covered we are ready to get quilting!   See you soon with our first tutorial!

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How Hard Can It Be?

Remember these lovelies?  Last time I checked in I was trying to decide what color of spacer hexagons to use between them.  I didn't think it would be so hard to decide, but I have been thinking about fabric choices for a good month.

I started my fabric journey by going to JoAnn's and picking out any fabric that I thought might look good.  These are the short listers.  My cart was Full!

I stacked all of the pattern books on one side of the pattern table and spread out.  Thankfully no one needed to find a pattern that evening.  :)  I took each fabric, unrolled it, laid the hexagons on top, stood back, took pictures, asked the opinions roving employees and still couldn't figure out which one was best.

There were some definite No Ways in the bunch.  Black and whites that made me loopy when I looked at them and solids that were just a bit too boring.  Here are some that made the very short list.

This was the best aqua in the bunch - it actually looks way better in the  picture than it did in the store.

Big black and white dot.  It made my eyes water a bit, but interesting.

A cross hatched print.  It looks ok in the picture, but I wasn't sold on the quality of the fabric or the print.  The hashes are kind of weird when you see them up close.

This black with mini white dots is what I ended up buying.  Then I got home and didn't like it.  Sigh.

More help was needed.  So I took the hexies to the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild's July meeting which happened to be on color selection.  Perfect!  When Eva Marie asked if there was anyone who had a piece of fabric that they didn't know what color to use with, my hand shot up and we spent some time discussing fabric options.  One side of the room leaned more towards aquas and another towards blacks.

After another week of thinking about it, this is what I chose.  A black with an open circle in gray.  I still don't know if it was the perfect choice or not, but it was my husband's favorite fabric of the bunch, so when in doubt humor the husband.  :)

Here it is so far.  The black is a strong contrast, but I think some bright chunky quilting in perle cottons will soften the black areas.  Now I just need to make more star hexagons so I can make it twice as long and even out the sides.