I agree that most of us have had varying degrees of thanks expressed for our quilt gifts, from tears of gratitude to utter silence. The recipients who fail to acknowledge may be the type of people who never express thanks, written or oral, no matter what you gift them. The quilting process is so enriching and fulfilling. We shouldn't let the rudeness of people spoil our pleasure, but we should be very, very selective for whom we labor all those hours. As Mary Quite Contrary pointed out, it is often much more satisfying to just donate to our favorite charities without the expectation of a thank you.
Sometimes the recipients who are the least vocal are the most appreciative in their own quiet way. I handmade an applique quilt for my nephew over thirty years ago when he was born when Pac Man was all the rage. It was a crude, whimsical, cartoonish quilt before rotary cutters were introduced and machine quilting became the standard. He has never mentioned it to me, but his mom said he loved it to death growing up, left it in his bedroom when he went off to college and [/u]he still has it!!!