A "gift for friends"? ! .... wow .... can I be your friend?
I'd have to live with it at my house for quite a while before I could part with it. Your friends better feel amazingly blessed when you present it to them.
All aspects (color choice, piecing, FMQ) of this quilt are wonderful ... You did a great job .... Perseverence really paid off.... What a sense of accomplishment you must feel ....
Be Proud!