Stitching for Charity! (brainstorming)

[crabbyman]

Good idea Lord Libidan! I guess we'll have to hear back from the quilters for the best size of the quilt and number of squares. I also added a column to the doc to gauge interest in those that would be willing/able to quilt these. Just a simple Y/N if you're willing and able for now should let us know what we're looking at quilter wise.

I'm going to assume that quilts don't happen overnight too, so maybe a rough estimate of a deadline from a quilter would be good to have and we can figure out the exact date when we have a better count.

[ezsebeth]

I'm in too!
This is going to be soo awesome!

[DMLC]

Here are some finished quilts from a charity site.
http://www.stitchesofloveandkindness.com/index.html (I stitched a square for the first butterfly quilt--cartoon butterfly above the moon)
You don't need to completely fill them in.
Just make sure you have a new fresh piece of white Aida to stitch on.

[corbin]

I added columns for series themes that have been talked about and also a misc one to see how many squares people would want to contribute to each quilt that way if we get 12 (or however many we decide per quilt) we could worry about starting to work on patterns for them. As for count I think working space might be more useful since 14 count would give you: 56x56, 16 count: 64x64, and 18 count: 72x72 each way (using a 4in work space). Using a standard nintendo screen size the 64x64 is about 1/12 the size which I think would be a good space size to use without feeling cramped and is a happy medium count wise. Maybe adding a column for preferred count might be something? that way we can see what size everyone likes?

[SephreniaMusic]

Another objection to send a larger project around is that the cost for sending it around will be high so that pretty much exclude us non americans.

[crabbyman]

I was hesitant to put any kind of game count or anything so that people don't get upset. I thought that might be an argument better saved for later when we have more of a lock on how many squares we'll need, as it looks like we'll have plenty of volunteers. If we get 18 people that want to contribute to the mario theme, what do we do then, ask 6 people not to do it(assuming a 12 square quilt, maybe we can just make it an odd size)? Personally I'm really flexible with everything, so I don't mind getting bumped, or doing a square or two extra, but some people might really have their heart set on a mario square and I don't want them to not contribute if they can't. Just a thought, we might have to work out some kind of lottery system for the game selection and leave it for now.

The way its going we're going to end up with quite a few quilts, so maybe we want to think about actually limiting the number of squares people make to keep the number down? Its great that everyone's so psyched, but we have to be realistic.

Another question is, are we just doing characters/items, or should we also be able to do scenes or screens as well. I'm partial to just doing characters, but since its a quilt we can probably pull off both.

[corbin]

If we end up with a few over the count for a certain theme we can always add one or two to the misc quilt or make a smaller decorative quilt out of the extras and people can always express how much they want to contribute to a particular quilt and some people might be fine with not contributing to one if they are doing multiple squares.

Also it might be an idea to get some votes to get closer to a final sort of guideline for the quilts then we can worry about finalizing themes and such. Such as votes for what count of aida to use and quilt size for example if we do 12 4" squares with 2" inbetween squares and around outside of squares and 2" of binding we would be looking at a 24x30 inch finished quilt. As far as how it would look here would be a scaled down version:

Spoiler

Obviously whoever quilts it can make changes to how much is between or around it but I think that should give a good idea of how many squares we'd like to have in each quilt. As a guide most sites list between 40x60 to 50x70 for lap quilts or about 36x36 for kids quilts so I think we should decide if the quilt should be a usable lap quilt or more for show. If it is for show we could do the 12 squares if it is a lap quilt we are aiming for we would probably need closer to 30-40 squares per quilt.

[TristaKatagata]

If this is at the beginning of next year, I would more than love to contribute! I agree about sending in pieces or just using a blanket and making a round robin. 40 patches per quilt is big, but it's possible people could do a piece. I myself would love to help with this idea, I've always wanted to make something like this for charity.

[crabbyman]

I like corbin's idea of a 16 count fabric with a 4"x4" work space. I don't care if its a usable quilt or just a decorative one personally, I'll just crank out a few squares and be happy with whatever people that have any clue about quilts decide.

Here's a repost of the googledoc to sign up for a square(s) for people late to the party. Feel free to add yourself. https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key ... y=CMr5xrAJ

[tnitnetny]

Corbin is absolutely correct with the layout and the quilt size. I don't mind quilting them all since I have a system down and it will only take me a week to piece and quilt a lap quilt. It is only the cost of the fabric and the batting that I would deal with (so of course I love the idea of sending a few dollars with each piece).

If this is going to happen, we need to elect someone to organize who stitches what and the sizes. Whatever space we use as a stitching space (we could go as high as 7in x 7in honestly) please make sure there is at least 5 inches around to make it easier for me to sew.

If we have "extra" I can turn them into a wall hanging so the number of people isn't an issue. Also, some people stitch faster then others and could make more then one square if they like.