So once you have made enough quilts for you, what do you do with the rest? My son has his own quilt, I have a lap quilt, I have an Amish like quilt in the making. I like making quilts, but I surely won't need more than just a few around our house, so what do you do with the rest of them?
I guess I could always make one for my mom (she's been wondering lately if I could make her one), one for my MIL just as a gift, one for my FIL and his wife.
But even after those people then what?
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It is my belief (& I am not alone) that you cannot make too many quilts even if they are all just for you. On one quilt you are practising a new technique, on another a different color way, enother to showcase some special fabric, another to replace the quilt that your child loved to death, etc.
The basic reply to any non-quilter who asks the same question is: "When does a stamp collector have enough stamps?" (Or artist have enough paint/paintings? Author written enough books?)
This article talks about your question wonderfully.
http://www.quiltville.com/howmanyquilts.shtml
And a final note:
A lot of people make them for charity. (Any size from preemie quilts to quilts for wounded veterans, to the families of fallen police officers, to raffles for schools, etc.)
Totally agree with Amy, that you cannot make too many quilts even if they are all for you. Quilts to me are an art form. I use the smallish ones just like my paintings to adorn the walls.
there are lots and lots of people who will feel very loved by having a quilt! What are your favorite charities? Is there a group home, a shelter for women and children, a shelter for the homeless??? what about mennonite central committee who ship quilts overseas, or a church or other group to raffle them and use for fund raising???
If you don't want to give away large quits what about making wall hangings, fabric postcards, small quilted projects for around the house (coasters, pin cushions, bozes, pot holders, aprons, placemats, seat cushions, book covers, purses, wallets...)
:-)
Great question. I remember when I began quilting thinking I would only need to make about 10 quilts but I have been making quilts for 19 years and cannot imagine ever being done. Unlike my photos which have been scrapped up to the current year, I cannot imagine being caught up with my quilting. There are so many color combinations that I want to try, so many patterns that call out to me. I have quilts everywhere in our home, on the walls of most every room, on every couch, folded on the shelves, rotated seasonally, one in the car for picnics, and on and on. For me, quilting is an expression of my creativity. Thanks for asking.
I will never have enough quilts. Even if I finish all my ufos, I will still be thinking of more. It is my passion and purpose. The passion is in the making. Later i can give them away or just look at them if i want too...
I agree with every one else - one can never have too many quilts. My kids keep out-growing their quilts and I have to make new ones. I have nieces and nephews that need quilts (probably one for each graduation when they get that age - still have a few years left to decide) and then there are charity quilts you could make. Keep the passion of quilting alive.
Rarely do I know what I'm going to do with a quilt when I make it. I just make it because I can't NOT make it. Most eventually end up as gifts or go to charity organizations. A very few I keep for myself.
Quilts, either ones made for you or friends and family, wear out and need to be replaced. People marry. Babies come along. People retire. Friends move away. People die and those left behind need a hug qult. All these are reasons to make quilts and if you have one suitable in your stash of quilts then that's great.
But it all comes down to, even if I had nobody to give my quilts to I'd still make them. It's my art form, my stess reliever, my escape when life deals me hard blows.
Oh my, there is no such thing as too many quilts! When you walk in my house there is absolutely no doubt in your mind that I am a quilter. I have a hanging quilt rack above a bench in the entry where I hang seasonal quilts. I also drape seasonal quilts across the bench. I usually have a quilt on my dining room table. I have a floor rack in the living room that holds at least 3 quilts at all times. I have an armoire in the living room where stacked quilts are displayed on the shelves. I have little quilts on the walls. I have a quilt across the back of the couch in the living room and the family room. I have a quilt on our bed, plus three quilts on a quilt rack in our bedroom. There is a quilt across the back of the recliner in the computer room. There are little quilts on the walls in the hall - and even in the bathrooms. The little quilts change with the seasons. There is a wall rack above the dry sink in the dining room where I hang seasonal quilts. I have table runners for the coffee table and little quilts for the end tables. There is a wall quilt above the piano.
I've also given several quilts to each of my kids. I'm making quilts for the grandchildren that are to arrive next year. I make quilts for charity.
And that's just the beginning . . . .
It is not a question for me---I am super involved in making quilts for children in need and have been since 99 or roughly a third of my quilting life. The way I see it, my mom also quilts so she has my siblings and the grandkids covered already though I did make one for my god child, two nieces and one nephew. There are 12 total grandkids who will never want for one darned thing in their lives so I don't plan on making them one though that is subject to change--they should not expect one, let's put it that way. These same kids can't bother to thank me when I send them money for the birthday--no quilt.
Your son just has one quilt? Both of my boys have several - bed quilts, sofa quilts, memory quilts, etc.
At this point they get about one quilt a year. I'm just finishing up a Wedding quilt for Chris and Adam claimed a String quilt that hasn't yet been quilted.
Last year Chris got a T-shirt quilt made of all his college shirts and Adam got a Jean's quilt made from his old jeans.
I also make donation quilts and have a stack of them ready to go right now.
I am kicking around the idea of making quilts for our women's shelter :) Lots of worthy causes, and you could also stockpile a few baby quilts for showers etc. xoxo melzie
What do I do with the quilts I make, the ones I decide I don't want to keep for myself. I give them away as gifts, I have sold a couple, and I give many to charity of my choice.
Andrea, you've gotten a lot of great answers. I agree with all of them. A quilter is never done quilting. There is always someone who needs a quilt.
I don't think that I will ever have too many quilts. I will always be wanting to try something new or with new fabrics. I will always have some occasion ot make one for and enjoy doing it. ;)
I agree that for most people there is a limit to how many quilts you can use yourself. However, I make most of my quilts for charity - local children's ward and special care baby unit. Gives me a chance to play with patterns and colours, etc and I have a worthwhile place to pass them on to :)
There are so many people really in need of the means to keep warm. Contact your local home health agency. While they cannot divulge exactly where the quilts go due to confidentiality laws, they have many patients from birth to death that are in need of "covers" (can you tell I'm from the country). The elderly really have difficulty keeping warm. They not only benefit the patient, but the families they live with. The patient can keep warm, and the family are not broiling in an effort to keep the patient comfortable. They use them year-round and are as important to the families in the summer as the winter.
Omigosh!!! I found the link for this blog on The Calico Cat, and I have soooo enjoyed reading this thread! I have never made any kind of patchwork or quilt, but having read this, I am seriously tempted to have a go! But I am primary an embroiderer, and I have a room full of UFOs and SINs, and I dare not take on any other kind of craft work. Getting back to your quilts, I own just two - one made for me by a group of quilting friends who knew that I don't make my own, and the other was given to me by an elderly lady who won it in a raffle and didn't want it. One of my friends is a very busy quilter and reading your posts reminded me so much of her - she has them all over her house and she makes them for family and friends all the time.
Believe me, once you start making quilts for others - more will come out of the woodwork. It's like winning the lottery. You'll find you have a lot more relatives than you ever thought you had!
I made a quilt using novelty fabric someone had given me. I thought a child should get it- and my niece was having a birthday. Everybody else in the family was wondering where their quilt was. I started getting orders - I want a full size one - I want a purple one, etc.
You can give them to people who have new babies, you can give them to charity, you can sell them, you can give a random act of quiltiness, just because. And don't forget to insulate your walls with quilts. Make tote bags, vests, etc. You can find lots of uses for youself.
To me making quilts is about the process of making them - having a finished quilt at the end of it is just a pleasant by-product. This means you can keep on making them and making them and making them ...
Well, I seem to have made almost everyone in my family at least one quilt, and they are still asking for another one or two or three..."pleeeeezzzze???" So there's always that. I keep making quilts and now I'm letting be whatever size they want to be. Sometimes they are lap size and others fit my bed, and others end up for changing art on the walls. Others, well, they just are, and I enjoy them while they are coming to life, and then I fold them away in a clear glass cupboard where I can enjoy them some more. Now, I'm making some quilts for a local Catholic Charities to use, and that's nice too. Never too many quilts!
I have to agree with Amy and with everyone else. You can never make too many quilts.
How old is your son? Do you think he won't outgrow his one quilt? That he won't need more than one on some cold night? When he goes to college?
Don't forget charities. There are so many kids out there with nobody to make anything, never mind quilts, for them.
Never too many quilts.
I fall into the "no such thing as too many quilts" category. It seems like there are quilts everywhere, but we will NEVER be cold. I enjoy making quilts for gifts for just about everyone on my list (with the exception of one friend who stated she didn't care for my color choices) also I try to find various ways to donate. I just can't stop making quilts.
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