Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Lindsay McKinley of Lulu Belle Quilts Has a Heart for Animals


Quiltsy Team member Lindsay McKinley of Lulu Belle Quilts has a heart for animals in need. Her favorite charity is the Charleston Animal Society. Here's my interview with Lindsay:

Why is the Charleston Animal Society special to you? 


As far back as I can remember I have always felt a special bond with animals of all kinds. I have been bringing home unwanted and abandoned animals since I was a child. Helping a sick pet heal or finding an unwanted animal a loving home is such a wonderful thing to be a part of. The Charleston Animal Shelter recently launched No Kill 2015 which is an amazing program and such a great way to educate the community while saving the lives and offering a second chance at happiness for so many unwanted pets. 



What do you donate to the Shelter? 

Making Crown Royal Quilts is a pretty scrap intensive process. The majority of the bag ends up in my scrap pile, and like most quilters, I never want to throw anything away. My Aunt Nean suggested that we could use the crown royal scraps to stuff dog beds for local shelters. For about 2 years my Aunt and her quilter friends have been using my crown royal scraps (a car full at the time) to make dog beds for local shelters. She said that the Charleston shelters were particularly appreciative of the beds and I started making them for shelters as well. I also want to give a shout out to Donna from DWJ Quilts, a fellow Etsy team member who donated leftover fleece from a recent project to me for the dogbeds. Quiltsies helping Quiltsies is just another reason I love being a part of this team.




Tell us about yourself and Lulu Belle Quilts. 

My shop, Lulu Belle Quilts is named after my sweet bulldog Tallulah Belle. I make all sorts of quilted items but my Crown Royal quilts and coasters are by far my most popular items. When I am not sewing I am tending to my farm. We grow the majority of the food we eat and we have chickens, ducks, rabbits, a mini cow, pot belly pigs, a dog and 5 kitties. We are one big happy crazy family. I recently got married in Oct 2014 and I love our life!



Where do you live? 


I live on Wadmalaw Island right outside of Charleston, SC. 

How long have you been quilting? 


I made my first quilt almost a decade ago!

How long have you been a member of Quiltsy Team?


 I joined Quiltsy about a year and a half ago and just this last week I was promoted to leader. I am so honored to be a part of such a great team!




What is your favorite thing to make in your Etsy Shop? 


As much as they are a labor of love I actually love making my Crown Royal Quilts. They always come with an interesting story as to why the customer wants one and they seem to really mean alot to the recipients and the customers I make them for. 




"Where do you get all your crown royal bags from?" 


EVERYWHERE! Friends save them for me. Customers send them in. Bars and liquor stores save them for me, I buy them online, neighbors put them in my mailbox. My mom's next door neighbors save them for me and people stop by my dad's work and drop them off. Recently someone contacted me on Etsy asking if I wanted her collection since she wasn't going to use them. It's kind of a constant crown royal bag scavenger hunt!

Find Lindsay online here:
LuluBelleQuilts Facebook 
Farm Facebook 
Etsy Shop 
Pinterest 
Blog


This post was prepared by Quiltsy Team member Karen Griska (KarenGriskaQuilts on Etsy).

17 comments:

djw quilts said...

Great job Lindsay! Worthwhile cause and your pets look well loved. Thanks for the shout out too 8×))

Kathy Kinsella said...

What a great charity ... And a wonderful way to use those little scraps of fabric! Thanks for all you do for Quiltsy Team, Lindsay!

teachpany said...

Great cause, Lindsay! Thanks for sharing.

StephsQults said...

Fabulous blog and so interesting to read about how you get hold of all those Crown Royal Bags, great charity too.

Selvage Quilter said...

I'm glad I got the chance to "meet" Lindsay and write this post. I've wondered where she got so many Royal Crown labels to make her quilts, so this task gave me the opportunity to ask her.

It's just like selvages. Once people know that you have a use for something that they have and don't need, watch out! You have to build an addition to your house to store it all! Now please don't send me your selvages. Haha.

Barb said...

What an awesome cause!! Great getting to know you Lindsay

Barb Neiwert said...

That was fun reading about your collection. I've been thinking of doing something similar for our no-kill shelter, and now I think I will just have to get 'er done! Thanks :)

sallymanke said...

Thanks for all you do for the animal shelter and our team!

Unknown said...

Thry are so appreciative to recieve them and it gives the dogs a chance to get off those cold kennel floors. The hardest part about the whole project is not wanting to bring all the dogs and kitties home woth you when you drop them off.

Unknown said...

Thank you for doing such a great write up for my charity day! You make me look good! :)

Lauren/CactusPenguin said...

What a wonderful thing to do with scraps from your beautiful Crown Royal Quilts! Thank you Lindsay! I'll start collecting today.

Hazel Donovan said...

You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be really something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely broad for me. I’m looking forward to your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!
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