Two stories here with very different endings. My sister-in-law passed away and my brother did not know what to do with her "stuff". It sat for a year and then I became the owner of nearly all of her "quilty" things. Some I did not even know how to use but over time I learned. I am keeping some items for her children and have made baby quilts for each of her grandchildren to date with a square she made for a quilt but had left over. It has been a thrill to work through her stash and learn to use her tools.
A friend remarried a a widower a year ago and her soon to be spouse needed to clean out all of his wife's quilting materials and tools. No one in the family wanted it and it all went to... Goodwill. I would have been pleased to carry it all away but the offer was not made. More than once when I have brought in one of my quilts to show, I hear the sadness of in my friends voice when she says "I wish I had known how you would have used those things. You could have had them all." All I am sure of is that some else must have needed the fabric, tools, machines, books and so on more than I did. I have been blessed with plenty, but plenty more is nice too! Tee-Hee.
The moral of the story is ... speak you desire to those who will be caring for you quilt items after you are gone. Let them know your wishes.