I had crochet a queen size afghan for a friend of mine who was almost completely blind. The only thing she could make out at all was very bright color, so I did a wide ripple in red, yellow, blue and green, of the softest yarn I could find. I was offered quite a bit of money from others who saw me working on it, but it was truly a labor of love. When it was done, she could see it. It was everything I had hoped for.
Unfortunately, we left Missouri, and she passed away. I knew that the afghan was not her daughter's thing, so when I was informed of her passing, I did ask for it back, and they sent it to me. No amount of washing will ever remove the love from it. When I was being treated for cancer, I had them bring the afghan to me for comfort.
Yes, there are a lot of quilts out there at garage sales and thrift stores, and I have been hunting for them. I have one such on my living room couch. The only thing I know about it is that the woman who sold it is the second wife of the man whose grandmother made it, and they lived in PA. Oh...I do know it was made with an extraordinary amount of love, because even after I brought it home and washed it, I can still feel it coming out of the quilt every time I wrap it around me. There was one small place that needed repair, and I appliqued a heart over it, adding my own love.
Those quilts have a way of finding those of us who will give them a good home.