Originally Posted by IrishNY
Two things stand out from this thread to me
1. the comment that the giver assumes the recipient is so overwhelmed with joy that they are speechless and that explains why they don't say thank you. What a perfect way to re-frame the event so you aren't disappointed!
2. the person who posted that she just does Quilts for Kids now. The kids that get them don't thank us for making them and we just assume they love them. Maybe they don't but we don't know. Maybe we need to work on assuming the quilts gifted to those we know are loved even if we don't hear thanks.
I can usually tell how the recipient feels about my quilt because I make sure to give it to them in person. I do try to make sure they see me hand quilting on it and some will be told at some point but others won't have a clue until the day I present it to them and regardless of the time they first see the quilt, the faces light up and I mean light up. The eyes open wide in amazement and get a happy sparkle to them and the smiles just light up the room. When they get it, every single person has sat down right then with the quilt to look it over very carefully, touching and gently stroking the quilt. You truly can see the awe on their faces and that my quilt definitely touched their hearts. It's a heart warming experience and that quite often is the only thanks I'll get because although they can get questions out asking about the quilt, the words "thank you" are NOT always stated but I will hear "it's so beautiful, you do a wonderful job of quilting, I can see why you enjoy your quilting so much, it's perfect, you've made me feel so special," etc, etc, etc. With many you really can see they are choked up and emotional about the gift of a quilt as most have never had such a gift before. I make the quilt with love and gift it to them. Sometimes I will hear a few years later, from the recipient or someone close to them, how very much my quilt is treasured and how touched the recipient was so I feel the quilt is very worth the effort and love of making and presenting it. Being a hand quilter, my quilts to give are well spaced due to the time of making them so they are usually very loved and appreciated. I do know some who've gotten frustrated and disgusted with Mothers and grandmothers who are very prolific machine quilters and give them more quilts than they can use and store. I feel badly for all them but it appears the reality here is the quilts ARE LOVED but they don't want too many of them. As a hand quilter spreading my quilts among 14 immediate family members, each one has to wait their turn and are very eager for when that time comes.
Most of the ladies I know who are machine quilters and have overwhelmed their families with too many quilts now only give them quilts for very special occasions and the rest are now being made for charity use which allows them to be as prolific as they wish with the knowledge that their quilts are loved, used, and cherished. Yes, they do feel hurt and disappointment when their family members say "no more quilts as you've made me enough already."