Thursday, April 7, 2016

Really Random Thursday, 4/7/16

It's that time of the week again. Really Random Thursday, where I post things that may not having anything to do with quilting....or with each other.

That being said, I will actually begin with quilting. The quilt auction for Third World relief was held last Saturday. Prices were really low this year. And by that I mean, really low. Quilts sold for prices that didn't possibly cover the cost of the fabric.

I had three quilts up for auction.

Moccasin, the quilt on the left, sold for $2,250, the second highest of all the quilts (the highest sold for $2,500). Cherry Baby (top right) sold for a disappointing $250. It was 78x78", tons of half square triangles, gorgeous fabric by Holly Holderman for Lakehouse, and beautiful quilting by Darby Myers. I had considered not donating it, but then again, I need to remind myself that even though it went for such a small amount, collectively all those pennies add up and much good is done with whatever is raised. And Curvy Critters (bottom right) sold for $375. So all in all, I'm pleased with the amount raised.

In kind of an interesting side note, quite a few years ago I had won the bid on the cutest quilt made by my friend, Jennifer. She had paper pieced every kind of vehicle she could think of, used cute buttons for wheels and hand quilted it. It was a fun quilt that hung on the changing table wall through three of our grandchildren at Aaron and Christa's house. They outgrew it, gave it back and I decided to donate it back to the auction. Then in one of those sad twists of life, a good friend of ours lost a grown son during the very same week that his newborn son was diagnosed with a couple of challenging problems. Mark felt very strongly that he wanted to buy back the quilt (which we had just donated) and give it to our friend. We hope her grandchildren get as much enjoyment from this cute quilt as our grandchildren did.
Jennifer, Sharon and me
There are always varying theories on why some years a lot more money is raised than others. Naturally, during the quilting auction, for any given quilt you really need two people who want the same thing. But another thing I hadn't thought of is that weather plays a big factor. On years when the weather is cold and stormy, people are inside the gym bidding on quilts. This year the weather was perfectly warm and beautiful. So people were outside visiting....and eating. I'm sure the food booths saw a rise in their sales this year. 

Charlotte was helping out in the zwiebach booth. 
All the zwiebach are baked right on the premises so you can get them warm out of the oven, just ready for melty butter and homemade jam. I wish I knew how many were made, and eaten, during the sale, but I'm sure it is countless dozens.
photo grabbed from Caty's IG feed (@catyp24). Thanks, Caty. :)

In other news, March Madness is over for another year. Mark and I always fill out the brackets, but in a rather unconventional way. We choose round by round (that's the only way I stay interested through all those weeks of basketball). Then after the championship game, we count up the number of winners we chose correctly, and the loser pays the winner a whopping....$1. High stakes. And I was the winner this year. Which is always funny, as I choose my winners based on mascot, sentimentality for states I have lived in, etc. That undoubtedly drives any true college basketball afficionado nuts.

These started blooming. The best rose EVER. If you can have only one rosebush, make sure it is a Double Delight. They are not only gorgeous, but they smell divine.
I'll close this week with a picture of a new tree in our neighborhood. Obviously fake. But why? My friend, Debbie, actually got out of the car to touch it when driving by. You know, just to absolutely verify that it was fake. Turns out, it comes from the choir stage in her church. You just never know...

Anything random happening in your life? Do tell.


9 comments:

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Robby said... #

I know it can be disheartening to see beautiful quilts go for so little. This sometimes happens at our church, too. I quietly commented on it at one sale and the woman working next to me said, "I know, but the lady that just bought that can't quilt anymore and now she has a quilt for a new grandbaby that will arrive soon." It was a great reminder that sometimes God's economy operates differently than we expect. And I so enjoyed your posts about "Moccasin".

Julia Graber said... #

I know the feeling of donating a quilt and then being disappointed that it didn't bring more funds for the charity. May God bless you for your efforts. I really like the "Moccasin" quilt. It's beautiful!

Debbie said... #

Very interesting about the quilt auction, but good to see the one go for a good price! SO funny about the tree! what???

Celtic Thistle said... #

It must be frustrating to see quilts sold for way under the cost of the time and materials Cindy, but at least you know that if they hadn't been there the charity would have even less funds to spend.
That plastic tree is a very strange addition to a garden :)

Afton Warrick said... #

I'm sorry not all the quits made as much money as you hoped; they are all amazing quilts. It's hard to tell how fundraiser will turn out. Maybe someone who would be willing to pay a better price for Cherry Baby, just liked Moccasin more. You never know how things will turn out, but I understand how that can be frustrating. A quild I previously participated in had a committee with the purpose of making quits to donate to non-profits for fundraising. Very few (maybe one out of ten) ever made enough to cover the cost of fabric, let alone time and quilting costs. That also didn't prevent specific custom requests such as an appliquéd dime quilt for March of Dimes or nothing under king size. The underlying issue might be the under-valuing of handmade, and the under-represented perspective of quilting as an art form rather than a craft. Rant aside, the zwiebach and roses are incredible, though I can't say the same for the plastic tree. That could more accurately be described as incredibly funny.

Anonymous said... #

I agree with you that the Double Delight rose is the best ever! I had one in front of a house we used to rent. That bush bloomed and bloomed and bloomed! It was still blooming when I cut it back in January. I sure miss it since I moved away.

I love your quilts and I think you should have gotten a whole lot more for charity for them. The Transportation quilt is adorable, and I hope it gives your friends comfort.

Mary Marcotte said... #

Oh, my the quilt that earned 2,000+ did beautifully, but I'm sure you were disappointed with the others. I know I'd have been, except as you noted, all the pennies add up. Perhaps the people in charge should consider setting a minimum amount for each quilt. Those that do not sell can be saved for the following year. Or just pray for the right kind of weather.

I love the roses! I had Double Delight years ago when I did more gardening and kept a rose garden. Now I prefer to quilt, but your beautiful photo sure has me wishing I'd kept a couple of bushes. They are gorgeous!

lindaroo said... #

I pray that each quilt that sold will bless the people who bought it and use it, and that their willingness to be generous in giving will increase! How's that?
My roses are looking beautiful this year, and my damaged sense of smell (from a serious sinus infection years ago) is finally recovering enough for me to catch a whiff of their goodness. Roses aren't as complicated as I'd thought, and they're so gratifying!
I had a friend who put silk flowers all over her backyard slope. Even when asked about how faded and obviously fake they were, she only saw color and blooms. I wasn't sure whether to applaud her confidence or sneak into her yard and throw them in the trash!

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

I'm sorry the auction wasn't as good this year. Your work is always so amazing. Your roses are just gorgeous but I do not understand a fake tree outside.