There are many unsung heroes quilting for charity, from helping refugees, to helping children in foster care and veterans, to name just a few.
Some create a quilt specifically to raffle then donate the funds to charity.
Project Linus Quilters Comfort Children in South London, UK
In South London, a dedicated group of volunteers connected with Project Linus UK donates lovingly handmade quilts to children and young people supported by St Christopher’s Hospice and its “Candle Children Bereavement Service.” The area coordinator, Liz Powderham, works with over 100 local quilters—students to retirees—who create around 1,500 quilts and blankets each year. Their goal is to bring real comfort, not just warmth: many quilts have been treasured by children for years; one 16-year-old leaving care still kept hers as a prized possession.
Quote from Liz:
““As well as the significance for the children and young people receiving the quilt, it’s also an opportunity for our volunteers to support distressed and disadvantaged children in our local community. Many are older people with great skills and experience who gain so much from being part of the Linus team.”
You can read the full story here
Lorain County Quilters Support Children in Foster Care (USA) – (quilts for foster children charity)
In Lorain County, Ohio, a network of quilters (My Very Own Blanket) from several U.S. states gathers annually—not just to sew together, but to create quilts with a mission. Originally aimed at making quilts for one foster child, their tradition blossomed into a shipment of 30 quilts delivered to Lorain County Children’s Services. The quilts provide not just warmth, but a sense of belonging and love to children experiencing upheaval in foster care.
There are some heartwarming stories and I particularly like the one of the 2 sisters bought into foster care. You can read the story and more at My Very Own Blanket website
Gloucester’s Quilt SOS Brings Comfort to Refugee Families (UK)
In Gloucester, England, the Quilt SOS project organizes community quilt-making and delivery days. Quilters from the Cotswolds and beyond handcraft beautiful quilts throughout the year, and on “Delivery Day” they bring them to GARAS (Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers).
The resettlement officers there—people like Debbie, Sophia, and Carys—meet families arriving in Gloucestershire with these quilts in hand, making their new homes feel warmer and more personal in a very difficult transition.</p>
A perfect example of a quilt being raffled was this Nautical Quilt Raffle for RNLI
In Workington, Cumbria, librarian Anne Nichol spent six months hand-making a stunning maritime quilt.
She was inspired by the UK shipping forecast and lifeboat themes.
She raffled it to raise money for the Workington RNLI Shannon appeal in memory of her father. Her father loved sailing and spent many happy hours on his own boat. When he passed away in 2015, Anne made a promise to commemorate him by creating a quilt to donate to the RNLI.
Charity Raffles Around the World
Quilting for charity by using a raffle is very effective AND popular! Here are a list of projects around the world if you want to get involved:
- 🌟 2025 Stardust Charity Quilt Raffle — Annual raffle benefiting Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas. You can buy raffle tickets here and see the quilts featured this year. 👉 2025 Stardust Charity Quilt Raffle
- 🎟️ Opportunity Quilt – Quilters Etc Guild (2025) — A traditional guild raffle quilt, pieced and hand-finished, with ticket sales year-round and a drawing in October. 👉 Opportunity Quilt – Quilters Etc quiltersetc.org
- 🧵 Handmade quilt raffled for FORCE Cancer Charity (Devon, UK) — A quilt is on display and raffle tickets can be purchased at local events to support cancer services. 👉 Handmade quilt raffled for charity (Crediton) Crediton Courier
- 🧸 Getty Sew & Sews Quilt Raffle (Los Angeles)— A longstanding community quilt raffle that has raised over $54,000 for food bank and shelter organizations. 👉 The Getty Quilt Raffle Raffle Creator
- 🎗️ Susan G. Komen Charity Raffle Quilt (US)— Quilt raffled to benefit breast cancer awareness and support efforts. 👉 Susan G. Komen Charity Quilt thequiltshow.com
🧵 Patterns & Inspiration for Your Own Charity/Raffle Quilts
If you want inspiration or patterns to design your own raffle quilt, these resources are packed with ideas:
🎨 Large Pattern Collections
- 💡 Raffle Quilt Ideas on Pinterest – 16+ quilt design ideas perfect for raffles and fundraisers. 👉 Search “Raffle Quilt Ideas” Pinterest
- 💡 25 Raffle Quilt Patterns & Inspiration – another great visual board with a mix of rough & refined designs. 👉 Search “Raffle Quilt patterns” Pinterest
- 💡 Charity Quilt Inspiration – broad charity-quilt ideas (blocks, layouts, themes). 👉 Search “Charity Quilt Inspiration ideas” Pinterest
- 💡 Charity Quilt Ideas (UK) – 42 creative theme + block ideas specially curated for fundraising projects. 👉 Search “Charity Quilt ideas UK” Pinterest
You can also checkout this article with instructions on how to find free quilt patterns
📥 📄 Direct Downloadable Quilt Pattern PDFs
🧵 1. AllPeopleQuilt: Free Charity Quilt Patterns
AllPeopleQuilt has multiple downloadable quilt patterns (PDFs) that are easy enough for charity quilts and project quilts of various sizes. Great for charity raffles or group sew-alongs. AllPeopleQuilt.com
👉 Download here: Free Charity Quilt Patterns (Various Styles) – AllPeopleQuilt.com
Patterns include:
- Positive Effect
- Inside Out
- Make the Connection
- Square Knot
- I-Spy (great for kids’ quilts!)
- Rail Fence
- Pinwheel Pals
Each has a direct “Get the free quilt pattern here” PDF link you can click.
🧵 2. BaltimoreQuilters: Community Outreach Quilt PDFs
This guild page lists free quilt patterns in PDF format that you can adjust to any size — ideal for making quilts for charity events or raffle prizes. baltimorequilters.com
👉 Download here: Free Quilt Patterns – BaltimoreQuilters.com Community Outreach
These patterns are designed for outreach quilts, meaning they’re intentionally easy and flexible.
🧵 3. Fat Quarter Shop: Free Downloadable Quilt Patterns
This huge library from Fat Quarter Shop lets you download dozens of free quilt pattern PDFs — many are beginner-friendly or great for large quilts you might raffle. fatquartershop.com
👉 Browse & download: Free Quilt Pattern PDFs – FatQuarterShop.com
Examples you might see when you scroll:
✔ Star of Wonder quilt PDF
✔ Glow quilt PDF
✔ Americana Flower Farm quilt PDF
✔ Many others (just look for the little “Free PDF” button)
💡 Bonus Pattern Ideas You Can Download
⭐ LoveCrafts Free Quilting Patterns
A huge collection of free downloadable quilt block & quilt pattern PDFs — suitable as inspiration or directly for charity quilts. lovecrafts.com
👉 Free Quilt Patterns: Free Quilting Pattern PDFs – LoveCrafts.com
Have you got any quilting charity stories you’d like me to share? Contact me or leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!