After telling you all about my garage sale and that I wanted to sell a good bunch of my quilts I’ve gotten many emails and messages. Â I picked this comment from Jennifer to address….
PS: I understand that you don’t want/need all those quilts- do your children want them? seems a shame to sell all those beautiful quilts!
Do my children want my quilts?  My children love my quilts.  They all have some.  I think Kalissa has four as I was at her house the other day and I think I spied four there.  Kelli doesn’t need another quilt.  The rest all likely have about four too.  None of them have children.  They have  two quilts for their own bed and two quilts for a spare bed.
I’m not done quilting so that means they will all likely get another quilt or two before I kick the bucket. Â How many do they need?
How many do I need? Â I have 12 that are actively used here at the house. Â Kelli and I own together another 20-25. Â How many do I need? Â I have another stack of quilts likely 10 deep up in the quilting room that I haven’t brought down yet as I haven’t decided what to with them.
Everyone quilts for different reasons. Â Some love the fabric collection process…some love the finished product but don’t really like the process. Â Me I’m a little different. Â I love quilts. Â The main thing I love is the process. Â I love the can this work part of quilting.
One day I read my email and Moda Bake Shop was encouraging designers to make a project with Moda Candy packs. Â The packs are 2 1/2″ squares. Â After I read the email I hopped into the shower. Â As I showered I was thinking about what to design with 2 1/2″ squares. Â I figured everyone would design a table runner or something small so not me. Â I wanted to make a quilt. Â In a minute or so the design idea popped into my head.
I submitted the project it was accepted and I made the quilt. Â My quilting love isn’t for this quilt. Â I don’t LOVE the design. Â It’s neat and simple but do I LOVE it? Â NO.
Did I love making this…YES!! Â I loved that I came up with an entire quilt using pack of 2 1/2″ squares. Â I loved the process and the process fed my quilting muse. Â So now what do I do with a quilt that I am not completely in love with it….I’ll be honest. Â Kelli HATES this quilt. Â She teases me all the time. Â I’ll send her a quilt design and she tease and say I hope the design is more exciting than Candy Wishes is.
It’s a running joke with us and I don’t take it offensively at all.
The funny thing is. Â MANY readers have commented and loved the quilt as a modern design and for it’s simplicity. Â I would be a cheap and really fast quilt to make.
Another point to note: Â Since moving to the new house, I have changed a lot as a person. Â I don’t value things as much as did. Â Holding onto this quilt holds no joy for me. Â In fact, all of the things are bogging me down. Â My sewing room is still in boxes. Â I can’t get moved around in there because all of the things(the quilts) are in the way. Â These things are holding me away from the part of quilting that I love…the process.
I would happily take $175 for this quilt even though it was suggested that the quilt could bring $350. Â I know it could be worth $350 but to me, I’d rather have my space and see it go to someone who would love it. Â I can also use that money to buy batting and pay for shipping charity quilts onto someone who really needs a quilt.
For me…I find much more  joy in selling the quilt and passing it’s profit on to someone in need than I do holding onto it or giving a quilt to my kiddos when they aren’t in love with the quilt.
If anyone wants to purchase the quilt…$175 plus shipping will make it all yours!
I do have to say, if I get some time, I’ll try to list a few of the quilts here on the blog and you can purchase some if you’d like.
Your reasoning makes complete sense to me! I love the process of making the quilt and don’t feel like I have to keep very many of them for myself.
Jo: Which of the bonnie hunter quilts are you selling? I love her patterns and know I will never make one. Many thanks!
I love making quilts – and most of the time I fall completely in love with what I’ve made for me or for one of my kids or family members – if it’s for me it hangs around my house for a while, until I have a new fav – at that time I feel it’s alright to “gift”, and most of the time one of my kids will say to me “when you get tired of that quilt, I want it!”. I understand everything you have been blogging about with your quilts – I’m looking forward to see what you have for sale – I would love to have a “Jo & Kelli” quilt in my collection!
I agree with you completely jo!
I would love to buy that quilt you made with 2.5 in squares.Tell me where to send the check!!
How many quilts do you need? As many as you want to hang on to. Same for your kids — I wouldn’t go by numbers, I’d go by “does anyone want this one?”
I’ve got a few of my own that I could easily part with, but of course those are the ones with little boy damage.
I would love to own one of your quilts but I imagine that postage to Australia would be astronomical
well, you explained that very well, and now you have me convinced, too! I make (piece) lots and lots of quilts, too, and some I love, and some are meh. I have started letting my (six) children choose a quilt/quilt top when we’re all together. (with 2 married and 2 in the service, it’s rare that we’re all together, so we’ve made that a new tradition, no matter what the season or time of year) I do lots of charity sewing for and with my church for MCC- Mennonite Central Committee- and it’s good to get some of those beautiful quilts out of the sewing room and being used and loved. good for you- it’s sometimes hard to part with our quilts that we really felt driven to make, but I’m finding that I’m not always as attached to a particular quilt as I thought I would have been, even though I used some hoarded or favorite fabrics. I’m sure I’d love to buy some of your quilts (heck, I know I’d love to!) but probably won’t… good luck!
Had to chuckle when I got to the part about designing the quilt while showering. I brainstorm a lot while I’m in the shower!
Love quilts. They say love and time to me. i have never been gifted a quilt but have made quilts for my children. I am hoping to make a quilt for a young mom’s group that I belong to. I think a young mom would cherish it.
I think Candy Wishes is a really cute quilt and it would look great in a little girl’s room! Can’t wait to see the next quilt that you blog about!
I know what you mean Jo! I donate alot of quilts after making them just because I loved making them but didn’t love them enough to keep them. I sell some too to pay for new ones. Just the way it rolls. No matter what, I love the process of quilting. Thanks for sharing.