doxieloverred

Has anyone contributed to or made a quilt to donate as a fund-raiser? If so, did you make it entirely yourself or ask for donated blocks? If you used donated blocks did you have a theme or color scheme or just use whatever came your way?
I'd like to raffle a quilt for a friend who is about to lose everything as a result of both her and her husband's cancer treatment costs. I know the legality side of selling raffle tickets and the permits required, I'm just trying to figure out the best and quickest way to make the quilt. Any suggestions?

debbieumphress

I handquilt one every year for Project Linus to raffle for our funds. I do machine quilt the top and handquilt the quilt. I did it alone. However, we had a member take a completed queen size quilt to her guild /church and in two days they had it hand stitched. SO having people help works. Having the donate the same size blocks works well too. I hope you friends know they can contact each lender and work out because of "Hardship" Most companies have them. I wish them the best. YOu can also apply to each hospital and they have a board that you turn in an application with and they decide if they will write off the whole thing. I went thru this with my hubby who had a massive heart attack 4 years ago.
Good luck with the raffle quilt. Something else I have done, of course I live in a midly small town...I took the quilt to the Volunteer fire dept adn when they had their next auction, they auctioned it for me after I explained Project Linus to them. Several people went in together and paid 650.00 for it then gave it back for us to continue the raffle. Good luck and make lots of money.

mrspete

I've done a few of them through a club to which we belong. Under their umbrella we did quite well. I did one called a signature quilt for cancer and sold blocks and their names went into a drawing for the quilt. We raffled one off and made enough money to feed four families of four for an entire month plus Christmas dinner each with the trimmings. It can be done but better if you are a member of something. Get an organization to back you, unless you want it as a personal campaign. Then I don't know what to say. Having donated blocks helps with the work, again, an organization gives you a pool of people from which to draw. Bless you for your good heart and I pray your efforts are fullfilling.

Ruth

Prism99

I made a bed-sized quilt for a raffle. I think it would be harder to use donated blocks because no two people sew exactly alike, plus somebody is likely to sew a really wonky block and then you have the problem of fixing it.

The quilt I made went together really fast once I had decided on the pattern and fabrics. (I guess because it wasn't made to satisfy my "creativity", I felt more free to just go with the flow, do the next thing that needed to be done, and not second-guess myself every step of the way. It helped having a short deadline too!) I first found a pattern I thought would go together pretty fast, and then pulled a few fabrics from my stash that seemed to work together. It was actually the fastest, easiest quilt I ever made! Looked great too.

My one suggestion is to make sure there is ample time to sell plenty of tickets. I think my quilt would have made twice as much money if more time had been given to sell tickets.

CarrieAnne

I finished one a while back for the no kill cat shelter, I made it myself, but it was a super easy one, all squares, just with really great fabric. I used 30's prints. I hand quilted it, so it took a while, but I had a few months to do it.
Good luck, hope your quilt makes ALOT!!!!!!!!

janRN

I've made a few raffle quilts. If you live in a sports-oriented area these are big winners. I'm not far from Pittsburgh and the 2 Steeler quilts I made sold tons of tickets. (Around here you can paint a rock black and gold and sell it LOL). I prefer to piece my quilts myself because it's all I can do to get my own blocks the same size. I'm afraid if I tried to work with others blocks I wouldn't get them to match up.

As Prism suggested, leave time to sell tickets; also have the quilt in a highly visible area and move it around the area. Get permission from a mall or grocery store or discount store to set up a table and display and sell tickets. Most are willing to let you do this for a few hours at a time.

Good luck to you and your friends.

seamstome

I have made three. janRN is spot on. It is important to leave time to sell tickets. The second group did not do that and did not do as well as the other two. I made two of them by myself....sports oriented/teeshirt quilt did really well. One I paired up with a friend and did a twin crazy curves in batiks. It raised about 1000. Some of it will be the cause.

gollytwo

I'd enlist other people; tell them the unfinished block size (e.g. 12 1/2"), any pattern they choose, give them each a piece of the same fabric that they must use (to have some block consistency) and specify the background, if the block has one
(e.g. white, unbleached muslin, bleached muslin). Stay away from coloured backgrounds - too much variation

I have no idea where that little face came from and can't seem to get rid of it.

dkabasketlady

Good luck with your quilt & raffle! I'd do as Debbie suggested contacting the hospital, cancer treatment center, doctors & anyone else they received a medical bill from. These charges CAN & should be written off, you just have to fill out paperwork for them to consider each bill. It's more doable than one thinks. My DFH did this when she received cancer treatments & couldn't pay the $$$$$$$ that they charged.

quilting memaw

When RSVP does one to raffle every year, they pick a color theme or a block theme. This past year it was navy, hunter green and burgundy. Ayn one could do a block as long as it was 12 1/2 X
12/ 1/2 inch blocks. Then they take the ones that are the best and put them together. It is then hand quilted and tickets are sold all year round. Who ever gets the winning ticket gets the quilt. It is really fun to do. Good luck! pic below was last years..Basket theme.