Quilting is a beautiful craft people have enjoyed for centuries across different countries and cultures. However, quilting uses a lot of fabric; in fact, vast amounts of fabric are left unused while quilting.
Donating your used and unused quilting fabric is an excellent way to showcase your talent while helping those in need by utilizing your waste fabric.
But, finding a genuine place to donate your quilting fabric can be challenging, and you must research the places before donating. This way, you can rest assured that your effort and resources are put to good use.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the top destinations for quilting fabric donations, connecting you with charities and organizations that make it their mission to spread warmth and love through your generosity.
Places Where you can Donate Quilting Fabric to Those in Need
You can donate your quilting fabric anywhere, from local charities and churches to national organizations. Donating your quilting fabric is a great way to give back and help those in need while reducing the significant amount of waste going into landfills.
All set? Let’s uncover the best ways to give back to your community while ensuring that your precious quilting fabric finds a deserving new home!
Here is a list of places and organizations to donate your quilting fabric.
1. Local Quilting and Sewing Groups
Donating quilting fabric to local quilting and sewing groups can help support the community and promote love for the craft. Many groups rely on donations to keep their activities going and to provide quilts for those in need.
Wondering how you get in touch with them? No worries; we have a solution for you.
How to Find These Groups?
To find local quilting and sewing groups in your locality, ask around at local fabric, quilting, and craft stores. You can also check with community or religious organizations and search on social media.
Now talking about the online methods, you can visit Quilter’s Guild website to find out who runs your local quilter’s group and how to contact them.
Alternatively, if you are searching for a local sewing group, simply type “Local sewing groups” followed by your nearest town or city on Google.
Popular Sewing and Quilting Groups
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- The Quilting Bee – Located in Atlanta, GA, The Quilting Bee is a popular sewing and quilting group. They frequently organize charity events and gladly accept fabric donations for their projects.
- Sewing for a Cause – This Portland group is dedicated to donating handmade quilts and other fabric items to those in need. They also welcome fabric donations and often provide descriptions of the recipients so you know who your donation is helping.
- The Quilters’ Guild – Based in Houston, Texas, The Quilters’ Guild hosts weekly meetings and events for all quilters. This quilting group frequently organizes donation drives for fabric and other quilting supplies.
- The Sewing Circle – A popular sewing group in Chicago, Illinois, The Sewing Circle welcomes quilters, sewists, and anyone else interested in working with fabric. Apart from this, they regularly organize community service events and donation drives.
- The Fabric Stash – This group in Denver is dedicated to repurposing fabric and other textiles to reduce overall waste and promote sustainability. They accept fabric donations and frequently organize projects and charity events to benefit local charities.
- National Sewing Circle (NSC)- This Minnesota sewing group is one of the oldest and most popular sewing groups. They accept all kinds of donated fabric, including quilt fabric.
- Sewing Mamas- This New York quilting group focuses on upcycling and repurposing donated fabrics into unique items such as bags, clothing, and accessories.
2. Charitable Organizations and Nonprofits
Many charitable organizations and nonprofits accept donations of quilting fabric and use it to create beautiful handmade items for those in need. From blankets for the homeless to clothing for refugees, these organizations are doing fantastic work with the donations they receive.
How Are Charitable Organizations Making a Difference with Donated Fabrics?
Charitable organizations and non-profit organizations use donated fabrics in a variety of ways. They use the fabric to make:
- Various crafts and soft toys that they later sell to raise funds for the organization and charity.
- Blankets, clothing, and other items for people in need.
- Costumes and props for theaters and movie sets using donated fabric. The money they earn is later used to fund charities.
Top Charitable Organizations that Accept Donated Quilting Fabric
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- Quilts of Valor Foundation – Quilts of Valor, located in Iowa, is an international organization distributing quilts to military service members, veterans, and first responders. They even accept donations of quilting fabric and sewing notions.
- Quilts for Kids: Quilts for Kids, working from Pennsylvania, provides quilts to needy children. They accept donations of quilting fabric and other sewing supplies.
- Project Linus: Project Linus, Tennessee, is a volunteer organization providing handmade blankets to orphanages. They accept donated quilting fabric, cotton batting, and sewing notions.
- Quilts Beyond Borders: This non-profit organization working from Washington collects handmade quilts and distributes them nationwide to those who are less fortunate. They accept donations of quilting fabric, batting, and sewing supplies.
- Operation Homefront Quilts: Founded in 2003, this national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization is based in San Antonio, Texas. Their mission is to send handmade quilts to every American family that has lost one member in Afghanistan or Iraq.
- Habitat for Humanity: This California-based charity accepts donated quilting fabric and provides families with warm blankets and other essential items to make their homes comfortable.
- Make-A-Wish Foundation- Donating quilting fabric to Make-A-Wish can bring joy and hope to children with life-threatening medical conditions, making a lasting impact on their lives.
3. Schools and Educational Institutions
Art education can help interested students learn about various life skills such as self-expression, confidence, and teamwork. They can further use this skill to earn a living too.
How Donating Fabric Can Support School Art Programs
- Students can choose from various fabrics when creating their quilts, which can help inspire creativity and encourage experimentation.
- Students can also create quilts that they can later sell to support several charity art programs.
- The students can also use the donated fabric for art projects, such as fabric collages or fashion design.
Popular Schools and Educational Institutions that Accept Donated Quilting Fabric
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT is one of the top universities in the United States. The art department accepts quilted fabric in the form of quilts and blankets to teach the students various sewing and quilting techniques.
- Yale University– Yale University is another famous university. They accept quilted fabrics for classes as well as for art projects and decorations.
- Stanford University– Stanford University is a top school in the US. Quilted fabric is accepted at Stanford for classes, projects, and decorations.
- Harvard University– Harvard University is among the most prestigious art schools. They also accept fabric in the form of quilts and blankets for decorations and other charitable events.
- University of California– UC Berkeley uses donated quilt fabric to make blankets for patients at their Ronald McDonald House.
- The Utah State University– This university offers an extension 4-H Program in Logan, Utah. This project relies on fabric donations to help with their sewing projects for kids.
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln– The International Quilt Study Center & Museum at this university accepts donations of cotton-based fabrics that are at least 20 years old.
4. Online Platforms and Communities
Many online platforms accept donated fabric, ranging from traditional quilting websites to social media sites and even crowdfunding platforms.
Each platform has its unique set of rules and regulations. So make sure that you go through their guidelines thoroughly before making any donations.
Top Online Platforms That Accept Donated Quilting Fabric
- Quilting for Charity– Quilting for Charity accepts donated quilting fabrics and materials to create quilts for those in need. They are later donated to children’s hospitals, homeless shelters, and other organizations.
- The Quilter’s Trading Post- The Quilter’s Trading Post accepts donations of quilt fabric and redistributes them to quilters across the nation in need. It also sells the fabric through its website and retail stores, donating a considerable portion of the money to local charities and NGOs.
- Fabric for the Cause- Fabric for the Cause sorts through donated quilt fabric and sells it in their online store. The earnings are later used to fund various charities.
- Quilt Alliance- Quilt Alliance uses the donated fabric to create new quilts that can be given as gifts or auctioned off to support the organization.
- All People Quilt- The quilted fabric donated to All People Quilt is stored and inventoried. Next, they are sent to local charity shops to be sold and used to help others in need.
- Warm Up, America!- This national nonprofit organization provides warm garments to people in need. They accept donated quilted fabrics from individuals and groups.
- The Snuggles Project- This international nonprofit community provides blankets and other items to animals in need and accepts old semi-used quilted fabric.
The Advantages of Donating Quilting Fabric Through Online Platforms
There are many benefits of using online platforms for quilt fabric donations.
- You can connect with several organizations, both nationally and internationally, that are interested in accepting donations.
- You will also receive a tax receipt for your quilt fabric donation.
- You can also track when and from where the organization members will pick your items. This can be done via the official platform, so you don’t need to worry about that.
Tips for Giving Away a Quilt Fabric
- Make sure your quilt fabric is clean and in good condition.
- Ensure the person who receives your quilt has enough time to enjoy it—don’t give it away when you absolutely need to get rid of it!
- Whenever you donate a quilting fabric to an organization or charity, we recommend storing it in an air-tight ziplock water-resistant bag to protect it from damage during transportation and storage.
- Pick the recipient carefully! You want to ensure they’ll like the quilt as much as you do.
5. Consider making a unique gift tag that includes instructions on caring for the quilt, such as washing or ironing instructions—you never know when these might come in handy!
Conclusion
There are several places to donate your quilting fabric, including charities, quilting groups, and secondhand stores. Donating your fabric can help support the quilting community and reduce waste.
Additionally, donating fabric can provide a sense of fulfillment and purpose as you contribute to a good cause.
So if you have unused quilt fabric, consider donating it to one of these organizations. Your donation, no matter the size of it, can profoundly affect another person’s life, bring a moment of joy and make someone else’s day brighter.
Where are the places to donate your quilting fabric?: FAQ
Q: Where can I donate fabric in Portland, Oregon?
A: Goodwill of the Columbia-Willamette is one organization that accepts fabric donations in Portland, Oregon. Other organizations that accept fabric donations in the area include Dress for Success, the Salvation Army, and the Portland Textile Month Exchange.
Q: What do I do with all my quilts?
A: You could hang them on a wall, take them to a quilt charity show, give them as gifts, sell them to raise funds, donate them to a charity, or even make a quilt for a special occasion.
Q: How to prepare your quilting fabric for donation?
A: Sort fabrics by color and type, wash, dry, iron, cut into manageable sizes, label them, and contact a local quilting guild or charity organization for donation.
