When I take the time to make a quilt for a family member, I expect a 'thank you'. My husband's family all took quilts home for Christmas one year - not even one thank you. As a matter of fact, I found the quilt my mother-in-law took on a shelf in her spare bedroom closet after she died. I took it back and it is on the back of the sofa in our family room. I have to admit I was hurt.
My brother's sons all sent me thank yous for their quilts I made one Christmas - and they were young! I treasure those handwritten notes and they are safely tucked into the scrapbook with the pictures of the quilts. I just wish I had taken pictures of the kids with their quilts. That was the Christmas that my brother had called to ask me what I would charge to make his youngest son another quilt since the one I had given to him when he was a baby had been 'loved to death'. What a compliment! A member of their church had taken what she could salvage and made a special 'lovey' for Jacob.
My daughter has so many of my quilts stashed away for when she moves out - I think she sneaks them out of my pile when I'm not looking. On the other hand, my son has one of my quilts - made especially for him when he was a teenager (he's 29). It is falling apart and definitely has been loved. It went on many sleepovers when he was growing up, has gone camping, on a trip to California and he still uses it on his bed. Someday, I will get it back and see if I can do any mending on it. I have to admit, he tends to be a little 'picky' about what he likes so I haven't made him a second one - not because he doesn't want one, we just haven't taken the time to select a pattern and fabric together. Maybe I should make that a 2013 project.
Gifts of fabric are always accepted. I love to make scrappy quilts so I get a lot of those little triangles from corners - I sew them together and trim to 1.5" squares - they will get used! If it is something I don't think I can use, I always say thank you and let them know that if I can't use it, I will find a new home for it. Most of the time, the giver just wants to know it will get used for something.