I love how this idea started, a bunch of people hanging out packing boxes for the troops overseas. These people, while contributing their energy and love spend a fair bit of the time while there thinking up new ways to contribute more, to do more. What could be better?
The original idea comes from Oke offering up a NFTT shirt signed by Dan Choi as the center of a round robbing quilt. While this is an excellent idea there isn’t time to get a round robin project completed in time for Netroots Nation 2012. I also have concerns with using the tee shirt. Jersey cotton can make an excellent quilt but not combined with quilters’ cotton. I believe the goal is to have a usable quilt that can be snuggled under and washed. I suspect that the signature is in Sharpe which will not stand the test of time, unless of course you are trying to get the Sharpe out of your favorite shirt then it will never come out.
With the time constraint and the geographic separation I think we would be more successful contributing blocks. If 12 people will contribute one 12" finished (12-1/2" with seam allowances) square block we can have a 48”x63” quit with 3” sashing between the blocks. Everyone can mail their block to me and I will assemble the top and provide the back out of the same fabric along with enough continuous strip bias binding to finish it off.
I think the sashing, back and binding should be the NFTT blue and maybe everyone can try and use a little bit of NFTT blue and/or a little bit of Great Satan orange. The combination was suggested in the first diary and it seems like a good idea. Coincidentally orange and blue is my absolute favorite color combination for quilts.
Techniques are limited to pieced and applique hand or machine. Wash-a-way fusible is fine but no permanent fusing or stabilizers. This will need to be verified with the person doing the quilting.
Now About the Money
The original idea was to bring the quilt to NN12 and auction it off but if we do that the money will not be available to purchase items to put in the boxes for this year. It seems to me we need to get the funds freed up before the convention. In the middle of the night I had an inspiration: how about a raffle? The money would start rolling in immediately, NFTT people will have a budget and the funds would be available for this year.
I’ve never run a raffle but how hard can it be? We could set a minimum ticket price with the option of giving more. I also like the idea that someone who doesn’t have much money could be the recipient of a flat out cool quilt.
The quilt could travel to the convention and maybe the organizers of NN12 could find a spot for a bit of a show to announce the winner. We could collect a few high power signatures (in archival pen) while the quilt and the high powered people are in the same location.
If we sold 500 tickets for $5 each that would give NNFT $2500. Is that doable, could we sell 500 tickets? Is that enough, is that too much? I really have no idea.
Action Plan
We do not have much time to put this all together so we need a quick consensus on the quilt design, fundraising model and an award ceremony at the convention. Many have left comments in the last couple of diaries so over the next few days I will compile a list of everyone that wants to contribute from the previous and today’s diaries.
Ideas, strategies and volunteers are needed and welcome.