so very glad that you shared this. I've shared it with my quilting friends now, too.

Just remembered reading many years ago about a quilt someone made for her grandson. When she arrived to visit one day it was being used as a football in the yard. There's a vision I've never forgotten. We can all relate to how she must have felt.

Great article, thanks for sharing.

I leave next week to go to Oregon to take a 1st anniversary quilt to my son and his wife. I made the quilt from fabric I bought while there last year for the wedding and it took me 11 months to complete. It is just my second quilt, but I think a did a pretty nice job. Every one that has seen it says it is beautiful. I need for them to appreciate it and realize all the work that went into making every little stitch by hand, and to know that every stitch was made with love.

If I get a ho hum reaction I am going to be extremely hurt. I'm not sure how I could feel anything else after putting my heart and soul into it. I did tell my son I was making it, and have kept him updated along the way, so they are not going to be surprised.

Thanks for sharing the link. I enjoyed reading her blog.

What a great article. I have a spirited grandson so I could understand what she was saying.

The way I feel is once you give it as a gift, it is out of your hands. Most people will be polite and say I love it, but who knows. I also tell people if they don't like it, pass it on. Years ago I knitted a sweater for my brother. He wore it to work in a foundary. I learned my lesson there and there. I'm sure he didn't know the hours that went into that sweater. I am very careful who I give handmade gifts to now. Once you give it as a gift, you have to let know. It isn't yours anymore.

That is why I think it best for the grands and great grands to pick out the quilt they would like, in that pile of completed quilts. Another thought is one where I listened to a quilter talking about her storybook quilts she made for her class, which got me thinking that if I give a child a quilt it would have more meaning if a story were attached to it. So a rocket ship quilt would also come with a story book of a rocket ship, etc. This is an idea I will use when I do my great grands quilts.

Wow. These quilts are made with our hearts. Same goes for other handmade gifts. I made a crocheted throw for my new granddaughter. When I visited the throw was tacked up at the window as a curtain. The same DIL asked for kitchen towels for Christmas and I saw her using them to mop the floor. Just those things make you cry. And causes a bitter taste in your mouth for that person.