Zero Waste

Have you watched the new documentary on Netflix –The Quilters?

It is a 30 minute film about a group of men in a Missouri prison who make quilts to donate to foster children and special needs persons. These men certainly do not match the stereotype of quilters–“little old women”. These men are doing long or life sentences for serious crimes. They are tattooed with long hair, beards and some are lacking teeth. The men earn the right to spend 6-7 hours each day making quilts from donated fabric that they give away. The men, who will admit that they wasted much of their lives or made bad choices, now have found a purpose.

Their fabric is donated, so they use what they have. Most of the quilts do not follow a traditional pattern. The majority quilts are “free form” or “improvisational”. Most of the quilts are not from the same “design line” Most traditional quilters would never combine the prints and colors used here. But the quilts speak. The random collection of butterfly prints is a message. The colors and piecing create motion.

The film shows a couple of foster children receiving their quilts. In just the few seconds of video, one can see how important the quilts are to children in a less than “Instagram” perfect homes.

In addition to seeing how important this project is to the children and to the inmates, I was reminded again of the importance of using up or donating fabric.

The EPA estimates that 11.3 million tons of textile waste is sent to landfills each year. The dyes and chemicals used to manufacture fabric are polluting our world, especially the water we use. Using donated or scrap fabric may not have much of an impact, but it is a start.

The Quilters at First are on a crusade to “use up” fabric. Because we have had so much good fabric donated to us-and we gladly take it- we challenged each quilter to make something for the Quilts Etc Sale solely from fabric in our stash. We are planning on a “Stash Gallery” at the sale. Here are some of the quilts/projects already finished that are 100% stash!

For a quilter who donates several projects to the Quilters at First for our sale, it makes so much sense financially to use “free” fabric. According to Jittery Wings Quilt Co.based in Newberry, South Carolina, the material cost of a 60″ x 72″ quilt is —-

Fabric for Top (7 yds x $12.95): $90

Fabric for Back (5 yds x $12.95): $65

Fabric for Binding (.5 yds x $12.95): $7

Batting: $35

Thread: $18

TOTAL MATERIALS: $208

This does not include the cost of machine quilting – approximately two cents per square inch for side to side. For that 60″ x 72″ quilt, the professional quilting cost would be approximately $86.

Quilters love quilting–so the 20-35 hours spent creating a quilt doesn’t even go into the formula. So that 60″ x 72″ quilt donated to the sale, cost the quilter approximately $290, not counting their time. I am afraid if we had to pay out of pocket for all the fabric, most of use could not contribute many quilts.

Not only does using donated or scrap fabric save money and keeps textile wastes out of the landfill, but quilters have a long history of using what is at hand, it is in our blood. Our pioneer mothers used worn out clothing and scraps from making garments to create masterpieces and/or quilts to keep their families warm.

One outstanding and well known example is the Quilters of Gees Bend, Alabama who have become famous worldwide for their “improvisational” quilts made from feed sacks, worn clothing and scraps from a Sears Roebuck homeware factory. The women from what is called the “black belt of the South” lived in poverty and were isolated. But it did not stop them from making quilts to keep their families warm and to express their creativity.

The quilts of Gees Bend are seen “as some of the most significant artistic contributions to American art history”. Click on this site to learn more and to see quilts that have been exhibited all over the world. https://www.soulsgrowndeep.org/gees-bend-quiltmakers.

Not all quilts made from scraps are “folk” pieces. Current quilters are championing “zero waste” quilting that are very contemporary.

This is one of those weeks most of the Quilters at First were in the middle of projects. We only had a couple of new items.

Judy finished her holiday table runner in traditional colors. The feathers machine quilted in the white setting points add a festive touch. The backing is the same dark red fabric as the border. It is 16 inches by 49 inches. $45

There is so much amazing fabric — some lovely, some interesting–but fabric is meant to be used! This web site offers some great ideas- https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/how-to-quilt/organization/where-to-donate-unwanted-fabric or contact me if you have fabric to donate!