Does anyone else do the post-Christmas purge? After cranking out Christmas gifts for most of December, the urge to purge and organize was strong in my sewing room.

This is my sewing table (circa summer 2016), and you can see I have three baskets of fabric- "the good stuff" top left, apparel and home decor fabric bottom left, and all of the crazy stuff I bought when I first started sewing bottom right. The "good stuff" basket now overfloweth, and the bottom right is shrinking as my tastes change- I use much more solid fabric now, and a lot of the cutesy prints and cheap, cheap cottons are just taking up space. And THEN, I found a whole rubbermaid tote of scraps from a former boss when I first started quilting that again, just aren't my current style, and my heart sank. So much to scrap, so little time! And, what to use them for? I knew they wouldn't go in my house, and I knew I probably wouldn't sell anything with them, so I started looking to charity.

It seems silly that fabric, even stuff I may not like anymore or that is decidedly "off-brand," as my husband put it, should feel like such a burden, so I really wanted to find an impactful way to use it. I've been teasing Alex about getting another cat (we're on about a two-year cycle) and, since we are one cat away from crazy-cat-couple, I started looking for ways to make them a little more comfortable wherever they are before their forever homes. I've linked to two projects below, and have a list of a few others at the bottom of the page if you are interested in seeing where else you can contribute!

Snuggles Project

Evie, our fierce rescue cat, would like to tell you all about this one! This is the one I'm signing up for, and is an initiative run by the Hugs for Homeless Animals group. There are two major things I like about it:

They list specific dimensions for quilts/knit or crochet blankets (14in, 24", or 36"), and there's several sizes, so I can use up all of my scraps without having to guess what they need or piece a lot of small scraps into big quilts.
They affiliate with local shelters internationally, so instead of sending your quilts off to a national organization for dispersal, you can donate in person and make an immediate impact in your community. You can use their finder to see what's close to you.

I've already started making these, and they crank out SO FAST. It's been a great way to use big pieces of old fabrics, or even all the orphan blocks from when I first started quilting that I know aren't technically good enough to want to use for other projects. Some of these are pretty crazy, and totally not my usual style/aesthetic, but they look so cute under the cats that I don't think fuzzy benefactors will mind. It looks like there is a small #snugglesproject on IG, and I'll be posting periodic updates under #khqsnugglesproject. If you want to join for some company, tag your posts with both so everyone can see them all together!

The Quilt Pattern Magazine Kennel Quilt Team

This charity effort is very active and affiliated with the Quilt Pattern Magazine. They focus on getting crate liners to shelters in areas recently affected by natural disasters- think California post fires, or Houston/Florida/Puerto Rico post-hurricane. They also provide good guidelines on what they're looking for, and have partnered with a lot of big names in sewing and quilting. Their website says they've sent out almost 20,000 quilts, and provide shipping information so you only have to stuff a flat-rate shipping box and send it to the listed addresses for shelters in the area you would like to help. They also link to resources to help you find shelters in your area to support.

People charities!

There are charities for every interest! I've listed a few more below, and if you have a favorite quilty charity that I haven't linked, let me know in the comments and definitely share them on your own blogs and IGs!

Quilts for Kids: patchwork quilts for kids with illnesses or who are recovering from abuse or living in poverty
Project Linus: chapter-based US quilt project to provide quilts for kids in need
Quilts of Valor: quilts for veterans (almost 200,00 quilts awarded!)
Victoria's Quilts: quilts for cancer patients