When my grandmother passed, they tucked one of her quilts into the casket with her, and another one that my aunts made (that showed my grandma's life story) hung behind it during the service. I thought it was beautiful and appropriate, and this was before I was "into" quilting.
Personally I strongly dislike flowers as an expression of grief over a death. When my dad died suddenly people sent me all kinds of flowers, which was a very sweet sentiment, except that I was too depressed to really appreciate them and then as they all died and wilted it just added to my sadness. Seemed way to symbolic of HIS death and just reminded me that I'd lost him so suddenly, and I felt ungrateful and wasteful throwing them all away. I would much rather have had people plant a tree in his memory instead, or donate money to a local park or other charity in his name...something like that.
At least nobody gave me a live plant...I have the blackest thumb ever and can kill a plant just by looking at the poor thing!