I spent a day with a very nice group of ladies working on kitted quilts for the Fostering Network. I was looking forward to a days destressing and being told what to do after being the lead person for our quilt show. However this is not my sort of "charity" quilting as I like to make something which would be acceptable to my own grandchildren or children I know. I suppose this means the number I give in this way is relatively small whereas this group gives A LOT. So I accept this is horses for courses. However, most worrying was the attitude of the person in charge who semed to imply the recipients were not worthy of our going to too much trouble, that they wouldn't care for the quilts and if we met some of them we wouldn't much like them. If worthiness came into everything especially charity we would all get short shrift in some respect or other. So for ties I have used yarn which will felt attractively after washing and have added some machine quilting to make the quilt sturdier. The design is effective but I won't be going to this group again. I like to feel my tolerance is infinite but I'm reaching the conclusion it isn't and sometimes it's better not to test it too far.
5 comments:
What a sad thing to pre-judge the recipients of charity. Sometimes I get that kind of comment when working to feed the homeless. I figure there, but for the grace of God, go I.
Golly, Mary, this sounds like a post I wrote awhile back -- http://nancynearphiladelphia.blogspot.com/2011/06/mercy-quilt.html -- I cannot understand why anyone would want to skimp, to do less than her best work, for a charity quilt. I totally understand your position on this. Some of us still believe that "whatever you do to one of the least of these, you do to me."
I agree with you that we need to give our best efforts. sometimes, the charity quilt folks work with donated fabric, so it's hard to make anything lovely with it. but it's the attitude behind giving that's important, and I'm not feeling the love from the group you described. thanks for the thoughtful post.
Amen ... I cannot give away what I would not be content to keep. The number I give may be smaller, but they are given with intention. Good for you for not going back to that group.
Making quilts should be a joy, and it seems to me that the making of a charity quilt should be done with optimism.
I always hope that the recipient will, if only for a moment, feel that a stranger cared enough about them to put in the time to make them something.
You make beautiful quilts, Mary - and I know that you put as much money and effort into charity quilts as you do into any other quilt you make.
Better to find another group that make charity quilts in a more positive manner - or maybe we should start one!
Post a Comment