Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Postscript....and a little WIP

The MCC sale was a resounding success, raising nearly $200,000 in about 24 hours!

Amish Stars sold for $3,500.

These pictures were taken before the sale actually started.
Several quilts are featured each year, four in the front, and four facing the other way. There is Amish Stars over on the left.

I posted this on Instagram the other day, to give you an idea about the scale of this quilt. It's big.
Super cute t-shirt from Patchwork Threads
The system they use for auctioning is great. They have a big turntable, a wall that separates it in half, with a bed on each side. They stack the quilts/afghans/comforters, about ten at a time on each bed. Then an announcer gives a little bit of info before the auctioneer actually begins, while two white-gloved women hold up the quilt,
then turn it around so the back side can be seen.

When one stack has been auctioned off, the turntable swings around, and the process starts all over. It is very efficient and saves a lot of time.

I had forgotten that a few months ago, I went through some quilts I made a long time ago, knew I was no longer interested in them, so I donated them as well.
These three quilts raised an additional $1,100.

And also a piece of handpainted china on the silent auction table, something I painted back in 1984.  That probably qualifies as vintage by now...
Christa's t-shirt quilt sold for $2,600! I think I was more nervous and excited when the auctioning started on hers than with Amish Stars!
There was a lot of good food. However, I didn't get out of the gym much and didn't take any pictures. There was also some face painting going on.
Grrrrr.......
That night, the West Coast Mennonite Men's Chorus had a concert, along with another one the following night. While the concert is free, an offering basket is passed around and 100% of the money donated is also given to MCC. There are 143 men singing, ranging in age from 15 through 90+, and it is truly a phenomenal sound!
 There is Mark, on the far right.
The bottom line is raising money for the needy around the world. When I became aware this project in Kenya, I was truly amazed at this simple, yet effective relief effort. 
Here in an impoverished area in Nairobi, tables of clear plastic bottles fill the courtyard. Throughout the day, the sun's ultraviolet rays soak into the bottles of water, killing the bacteria , viruses and parasites, providing safe drinking water to the school's pupils. Isn't that amazing? Workers from MCC are in this community teaching solar disinfection, sanitation and hygiene that is changing lives.

Last week I had a little giveaway of some Oakshott scraps. Thanks to everyone who commented and told me about the charitable organizations you support. The two winners are:

#46, Pickles Quilting and

#9, Brenda

I will be contacting each of you for your mailing information.

Thanks for following along on this journey again. I already know what I'm planning to do two years from now!

Oh, and I'm currently working on "Mabel." The top is all pieced. So now...how to quilt it. Thinking of a single line of charcoal stitching through the crosses going both ways, essentially grid quilting. Thoughts?
Linking up with Lee this week.

27 comments:

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Lucy | Charm About You said... #

Cindy that's fantastic! Well done all of you!

Stephanie said... #

That is amazing!! Well done to you and all the other quilters who helped raise money for sucha great cause!

Nilya said... #

I love you for what you do!!! Glad there are People like you!

andrea @ tideline quilts said... #

Incredible! Congratulations on a well deserved success for a fantastic cause. Yiu're a special group of quilters, for sure.

M-R Charbonneau said... #

That's wonderful, Cindy! Congrats on raising money for so many great causes around the world. Love that idea of solar disinfection.

Grandma G said... #

Looks like a success all the way around! Way to go, Cindy and Christa!

Terri said... #

Love the picture of you in front of your ginormous quilt! What an amazing fundraiser. It's mind-boggling how much money people spent on these quilts. Kudos!

Brenda said... #

congratulations on the sale! thanks for picking me -- I'm looking forward to playing with your scraps.

Debbie said... #

Very very coo!

Needled Mom said... #

What a successful event!!! That is awesome and the faces are adorable too.

Marsha Cooper said... #

Lots to show!
Congrats on the success of the fundraiser.

Katy Cameron said... #

Well done to all involved in the auction! I think your quilt might cover an entire family + pets mind you ;o)

ChristaQuilts said... #

Congrats - that's so great! And I love that you got the t-shirt that matches the quilt - so clever!!

Cathy O said... #

Thanks for this recap of an amazing show of quilts and what all the money goes at the MCC Sale. You are one amazing quilter and blogger!

Anonymous said... #

Congratulations on a very successful event. Your quilts look super. Happy quilting.

Leanne Parsons said... #

That's awesome! That piece of china you painted is beautiful too.

Wendy @ Wendysquiltsandmore said... #

That's a huge amount of money to raise in 24 hours. Well done! Your Amish stars quilt is lovely and I can see why it sold for so much. Mable looks great too - it keeps playing tricks with my eyes!

FlourishingPalms said... #

That is one honkin'-big quilt that you made and gave away, Cindy! I'm terribly impressed by your generosity. The several quilts, the China-painted piece, and then Mark singing in the choir too.... well wow. You sure put yourself out there where your heart is. It's all just wonderful. Though I've attended many quilt auctions, I've never seen one that raises as much money as your event does. Congratulations!

Carla said... #

Absolutely amazing how much money the auction raised! Great job Cindy

Celtic Thistle said... #

What a fantastic result Cindy, what an exciting event to be part of too. Well done to everyone involved.

Mrs Flying Blind... said... #

Oh Cindy!!! That is nothing short of fantastic - well done xxx

Becky (My Fabric Obsession) said... #

Oh wow! Well done. What great work you do!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

I'm so glad all went so well. What great quilts offered for a good cause. Well done Cindy.

Swedish Scrapper said... #

Well done!!! So fab to hear it went so well. I was following along on IG and I jsut adore this quilt!

Archie The Wonder Dog said... #

Hurray!!

Michele said... #

Wow ! I'm impressed again by the amount raised by the auction.

Sarah said... #

Incredible amounts raised by the auction. So pleased to see your quilt raised the money it was worthy of!