It really seems like a lot of non-quilters don't understand or value quilts or understand quilters and our values. Maybe the best thing to do with someone we think would like a quilt or should have one because we're related to them, is find out first, and also whether or how they understand they should look after a quilt. Receiving some things mean taking responsibility for its care. Getting this bit of clarity would take away the surprise, if that is part of the gifting plan, but maybe it would prevent surprise disappointments for the quilter, and we do have to look after ourselves too. Imagine something in men's worlds with the same value as a quilt. I think a quilt, especially hand made, has about the same value as a car in design, materials and labour. (Think of the breast cancer auctions and the thousands of dollars people paid for each quilt sold in that auction). What if we gifted someone with a car and they bashed it around and wrecked it, what would we think? It wouldn't be reasonable to give a careless person a nice car, so why a nice quilt? First help them learn to be responsible, then gift them.
I love that set of care and instructions - maybe asking someone if they had the time and interest to do all that care before thinking of making them one.
Am I giving quilters and quilts with too much value? I know I have so little time to quilt what with working on my products, marketing and just surviving as a single woman (was a single mum from the time my sons were 6 and 4, absolutely no support at any level from my ex), the time spent to make a quilt was so precious I wanted every stitch to stay safe. Of course we all know that isn't desirable or possible if the quilt is to be snuggled in or bounced on a bit, but in general, we as women and quilters (most quilters are women but of course men quilters and their quilts deserve the same) deserve respect and our work does too. Quilting is such an important combination of art, love, hope, caring, labour, practical comfort creation and heirloom, to say nothing of history, especially family history it and we deserve very high symbolic and real value. If that sounds too feministic, it really is just a search for balance in the appreciation of men's and women's work and of art.