Charity Quilts Part 2 in a 3 Part Series

Hello and welcome to our brand new blog “E-Z Kawilting” on all things related to QUILTING!

We are very pleased you have taken time from your busy day to read our blog post. If you have additional ideas for future blog posts please email them to quincysquilting@shaw.ca

Charity Quilts Part Two

In Part One of our series on Charity Quilts we discussed some of the many reasons “why” people make charity quilts. In Part Two we are going to talk about the “what” and the “who” of Charity quilting.

What is charity quilting? Let’s briefly examine the meaning of the word “charity”.

Charity is the act of giving help / assistance freely to those in need without the expectation of getting anything back in return. It can involve giving money, goods or time and effort.

Is charity the same as kindness? The answer is yes and no. The key difference between charity and kindness is that charity is focused on giving to those in need, while kindness is focused on being considerate and compassionate towards others. Charity is about recognition of a need and then intentionally helping those who may be struggling or in need. Kindness should be an everyday act as it is about treating everyone with respect and empathy. Notwithstanding this difference, kindness matters in life. 

It is unfortunate that to some the thought that others would need help or assistance is looked down upon. With that, in mind it is also very difficult for some to accept the fact that they could use help whether from friends, family, church or any kind of organized charitable assistance. A few well known organizations that provide “charity” at this time of year are Santa’s Anonymous and the Food Bank. It takes a lot of character to recognize the need for assistance and then to overcome any personal pride that might cause an individual not to accept a charitable act or gift.

Who can provide charity? Anyone! Some may provide money, tangible goods, and for others the gift may simply be their time and effort. Charity contributions do not need to cost anything out of pocket. What matters is that you give the best that you can give with the spirit of kindness. Providing your personal time doesn’t cost anything – eg. teaching others to read, driving someone to an appointment, or teaching someone to cook. By teaching someone to read or cook, you are helping them gain life skills which may help them get out of needing assistance in the future.

For us quilters, we often make quilts to donate. There are many organizations that collect quilts year round for various target groups such as children or veterans. At other times when there is often a natural disaster – think Fort McMurray and most recently the Jasper fire there is a call to action where individuals or specific organizations ask for help.

When making a quilt to donate to charity, you should never think to yourself that “it’s only for charity, so it doesn’t matter the quality or act.” The truth of the matter is that it does matter. Always give the best that you can afford be it your time, money or effort because to the person who humbles themselves to receive the gift of your charity it does matter. More than you will ever know.

Question of the Week ~ What if any new skills are you hoping to learn this year? For example, applique, foundation paper piecing, or mastering a new ruler. For myself, I love the look of English Paper Pieced quilts. The thought of sitting down and doing some hand sewing appeals to me. I’ve got a simple hexi kit and another more complicated one waiting for me. So, my goal for this year is to just do it! Take the time to learn the necessary skills.

In response to our last question, the overwhelming response was that it is more important that the quilt get used. Even if that’s for something that we don’t necessarily agree with. Once it’s been gifted we have given away our power over what happens to it.

P.S. Our blog name is named after our Dachshunds Elphaba, Marley, Oakley, Piper, Quincy and Zoey (E-Z) and Kawilting is a fun spelling that caught on from a mispronunciation of quilting. Let us know if you know where we got the name Elphaba from.