Looking For Suggestions For FAST Quilts
 

I need suggestions for quilts that can be made very quickly.

My brother's MIL is battling cancer again. In the past ten years she's battled breast cancer, more than once. She felt a lump last summer and went back in for a check. In checking they found that her breast cancer has returned again, but also that she has bladder and lung cancer. They felt that her lung cancer needed attention first, so they went in to remove the cancer they found, in her left lung. Six weeks later they scanned her again and found a new batch of cancer cells in her right lung. She opted to do a cyber-knife procedure. They took her to the hospital to insert the "gold seed" and in doing so, collapsed her lung. She remained in the hospital for another week. The doctor's feel that the radiation/chemo treatments that she faces post-op will remove the bladder and recurrence of breast cancer, since it is pretty early.

In the past her medical insurance has covered all medical charges, but she's recently stopped working and her medical bills are piling up, fast. My SIL has set up a benefit for her, and I'm donating a quilt I'm going to finish (the top has been a WIP for far too long, lol). I'm hoping to donate more than one for the silent auction, though, so I'm looking for nice, lap sized quilts that I can accomplish in the next month before the benefit. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Warm Wishes comes to mind as well as friendship stars.

http://www.quiltmaker.com/patterns/d....html?idx=5185

http://www.quilterscache.com/F/FriendshipStarBlock.html

So sorry about your brother's MIL. Perhaps a visit to the Affordable Care Act web site is in order if she doesn't qualify for Medicare or Medicaid? There's nothing to lose by looking.

A 'checkerboard' quilt is both quick and easy and can be quite striking when done with a good fabric combination. Fence rail is also quick and easy.

I'll say a prayer for your brother's MIL.

A disappearing 9 patch is also fast. My prayers and thoughts to her.

It usually brings in *significantly* more money if you hold a raffle instead of a silent auction for a quilt. Check to see if raffles are legal in your state; if they are, there may be some requirements regarding ticket sales. It depends on your area, but it usually works to sell tickets for $1 each, and 6 tickets for $5. A lot of people will pay $5 for raffle tickets, but not many will bid several hundred dollars for a quilt.

Falling Charms is pretty fast. There is a Youtube video for it. I would suggest making the sashing strips thinner, though (2" instead of 2.5") and/or increase the square size from 5" to 6.5".

As another thought .... often times people do not pay what a lap or full sized quilt is worth. Whereas smaller pieces often bring in as much or more.

For example, wall hangings, table runners/toppers, etc.

You might want to consider the novelty minis that could be used as small wall hangings or toppers .... it really is amazing what some will pay for these.

I have to agree that for a fundraiser your best bet is to go in the raffle direction over an auction. Here in New York they have alot of what we call Penny Social's ( even though the cost of tickets is more than a penny ! ) Not sure what they may be called elsewhere. There are different " Levels " of prizes so to speak. So tickets for the " smaller items " cost a lower amount than the tickets for the " larger " prizes. The fundraisers I have participated in locally have done far better using this setup than they did for the auction items, especially on handmade items. Remember, many non-quilters think that the price of a " blanket" is about $35 for a twin size one since that is what they could get a pretty one for at a big box store !

Thanks so much for the suggestions! I'll tell my SIL the idea of doing a raffle instead.

I agree. I would sell $1 Raffle tickets as they are very easy to sell. Our Quilt Club does a Raffle Quilt every year for our Quilt Show and we easily sell 1000 tickts. We sell the ticets for $1 each. If we were to auction a Quilt, we'd probably
only get a few hundred dollars for it.