ptquilts

Only one quilt recipient (MIL) has passed on, and she gave away my quilt long before she passed. But that is OK, cause she gave it to my SIL who cherishes it.

LadyElisabeth

The ones I have made for friends at church have been used on the caskets at the funeral and then folded like a flag and given to the spouse or another family member. I feel very honored.

Cornerstone quilter

When I first began quilting, I made a quillow each for my grandma and step-grandpa (we called him Dude). They married when in their 80's. He passed away a couple years later, then she passed a couple months after him. When my mom asked what I would like to have while we were distributing their belongings, I asked to have them both and she gave them to me. I still have them in my closet, in need of repair. That was almost 15 years ago-my how time flies!!!

Cornerstone quilter

That really is an honor!

justflyingin

In answer to your original question, the answer is no. I figure if was used for a while, then great--it can go to some closet somewhere or passed on to a kid or sent to a resale shop. What other kinds of gifts that we give (even if costing big bucks), get sent back to the original giver after the receiver dies?

I just figure if they had fun opening it, I had fun giving it, then what happens after that is...??who knows?? I'm off to another project and don't really want to spend my time considering the matter.

My time

I think you should let it go. Gifts should not have strings attached. Someone out there has it and is probably loving it. This of course is just my humble opinion.

skydiver70

I know what you mean when things are just picked up by someone who may think it is their own. We had that experience in the nursing home where my MIL was for 10 years. She lost her dentures and we couldn't find them anywhere. One day another resident was complaining to her family that her teeth were hurting her mouth. They told her they would take her to the dentist and have them adjusted or whatever they needed. When she took them out to show them, they realized they weren't her teeth. My MIL's name was on them. The nursing home had put her name on them when she arrived at the home. Both families got a big laugh out of it. The resident hadn't known they weren't hers.

Havplenty

i know for some of us it is hard to give our guilts to others without expectations (i.e. that they will love is as we do, that ot wo;; be taken care of, that it will be cherished, that it will be used, etc) but the fact is that once we give our quilts to others, they are no longer ours. i give my quilts without any further expectations from the receipients.

i made a quilt for a really close dear male friend of mine that he had displayed on his sofa. he passed away quite unexpectedly about a year later and i mourned his passing for almost 1 1/2 years. i have no idea where the quilt i made him ended up. even if his siblings did not keep it, i would not want it back because every time i look at it, it would remind me that he is no longer here sharing his friendship with me. i cant imagine that they threw it away so i can only hope they kept it or gave it to someone else to enjoy. in another situtation, one of my uncles was in the final days of life with cancer, when he came home from the hospital i had made a quilt for him which he wrapped himself in every day until it was time for him to leave us. i dont know where that quilt ended up either but also i would not want it back. i believe his fiance has it and can only hope that she is finding comfort from it.

quilts have a way of making their way around to find someone to love and/or use them. we see them at estate sales, yard sales, thrift stores for sale all the time. my only desire is that my quilts be used and loved by someone if other than the original receipient.

mpeters1200

I made a sampler for my grandmother in 2009. She owned it almost 2 years when she died in December 2010. My family had no idea what to do with it. There were never quilts in our family, just store bought comforters/bed in a bag. It was a 9 patch of 9 different blocks. She always folded it differently to showcase a different block. She brought it off the couch whenever someone asked about it so they could see it all. I don't think it ever covered anyones physical being until it covered my lap and Gramma's funeral. I have it with me every day as it is now my quilt at work to keep my legs warm. At first, I didn't want it back; but now I love to have it back. I stitched my heart and soul into that quilt. You can see it for yourself here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...-a-t14807.html

auniqueview

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.