Pal, I am a very beginner quilter, and to be fully honest with you, I had no clue about all the work involved in making a quilt. I could see that they are pretty, and I guess assumed it took work, but never really knew what went into it, UNTIL I started learning about it and made my first wall hanging, which was a lot of work, can not imagine the work for a bed quilt.
I am so sorry that people you gifted quilts to did not appreciate it, I would immensly :-)