Our very own double ugly

March 13, 2009

Our library is having a fundraiser right now. During last week's visit we noticed various gifts, trinkets, crocheted do-dads and gift certificates displayed in the silent auction.

The children's room had their own fundraising table set up. I was stopped in my tracks, quite literally as I made my way to the return desk, by bold and beautiful colors.

There on the table were double ugly quilts. The seamstress herself made up the name, don't look at me. A library patron and anonymous donor made the blankets and donated them to the library to raise funds for the children's room programming. Apparently she uses fabric scraps and yard sale finds (isn't that how quilts are supposed to be made?) to piece together these quilts and the colors are sometimes less than pretty when paired together (but funky to be sure) so the seamstress calls them Double Ugly.

But I think they are hardly fit to be called that. And at $25 a piece I couldn't help but buy one although I rarely make impulse purchases. The kids and I choose this blanket because the one side best matched the color scheme in our house. Brienne's favorite side of course is the one with the non-matching purple, mustard and red diamonds.

This blanket isn't a thick quilt but it is very sturdy and well stitched and could be used for a summer bed spread. But I think we're happier using it for snuggling on the couch, making indoor tents and as a magic carpet to pull siblings around on the floor.

Have you made any impulse handmade purchases lately? If it's handmade and the money goes to a good cause (supporting a family or a local charity) it doesn't matter if it wasn't in the budget - right??