Too Many Quilts?

Submitted by Linda G.

Are your closets and surfaces spilling with quilts?

If you are reading this, you probably have a passion for quilting and all it brings to your life: creativity, sense of accomplishment, friendships with other quilters, and comfort.  But with this passion comes a few problems like overpacked closets and surfaces filled with quilts.  Most of us are not giving up quilting, so what to do with the home that has quilts spilling out everywhere?

While trying to pack away my summer and patio quilts and get out my Fall quilts, I faced reality. I had too many quilts.  And this was despite gifting many quilts to family, friends and charities.  What to do?

A thought began to roll around in my mind. For centuries Indigenous peoples of the Pacific NW Coast held Potlatches for a variety of events –   weddings, births, deaths and even political gatherings.  Potlatch means ‘to give’ in a festive event with food, song and celebration.  The gifts are usually homemade arts – made from the heart as a token of love, respect and appreciation.

I was drawn to the idea that a ‘Potlatch’ could morph into a ‘Quilt-Latch’.  Wouldn’t a gathering with refreshments and gifting my quilts show my appreciation for my friends while also emptying my closets?  So, I launched my Quilt-Latch with decorative invitations, fresh backed oatmeal cookies, fruit from the farmer’s market, and a stack of 23 quilts that needed new homes.  My friends did not disappointment and joined me on a Sunday afternoon.

I arranged all the quilts, small and large, in the dining room and initially everyone wandered from one quilt to another holding and shaking out each piece and asking questions about the designs and techniques.  Friends drew numbers from a wooden bowl to determine the order of selection with the understanding that all the quilts needed a new home. There were quick decisions as a quilt spoke to a friend. Others had debates with themselves about which one to pick.  The atmosphere in the room was exciting and joyous.  The Quilt-Latch was a grand success.  The quilts found new homes, my closets are more manageable, and we all enjoyed the conversation, smiles, laughter and those oatmeal cookies!   A friend commented, ‘I returned home with arms full of treasures after a fun Sunday afternoon.’

Will another Quilt-Latch be in my future?  Probably, as my passion for quilting has not diminished and my closets are not getting bigger. And I’ll keep the NW Pacific Coast Indigenous people in mind:  Giving gifts made from the heart as a token of love, respect and appreciation is good for self and others.

Thanks for the great article, Linda!  This has been an inspiring read.  What do you think about the Quilt-Latch idea?  Let us know in the comments below.