Originally Posted by
Peckish
Okay, I have a conundrum that hopefully everyone here might have a suggestion for. I have a dear family member who regularly swaps her decor every 2-3 years, and either donates or sells all of her previous decor. It is a well-known but unspoken rule in the family to not give or loan this family member anything of value, because it will go out the door in a garage sale. She does not seem to have sentimental attachments to things and is more interested in keeping her house sparse and clutter-free (which I rather admire, quite honestly!) Lately, she's been hinting very strongly that she would like a quilt made by me, and my heart would love to give her one, but my head says it will be gone, sold at a garage sale in a couple of years.
What should I do? I believe once I give it to her, it's hers to do as she wishes, but I cringe at the thought that she would discard something that I created with love for her.
Have you explained all that goes into making a quilt? Maybe have her pay for the cost of the materials, at least?
Or have you considered having her help with the making of a quilt? Perhaps, if she sees how much money, effort, and time is involved in the making of one, she might consider keeping the item longer.
As long as she is "just hinting" - you could play dense and act like you "never got the message"
Or - you could just explain that you've observed over the years that she doesn't keep anything for very long - which is fine - but that when you give some items away, it's almost like giving up a child for adoption - and you want it kept and cherished for a long time.
When people see quilts advertised for $99 or $39 for "any size" - they probably think a person can make one for $15 and 2 hours of work.