I haven't made a ton of quilts but I have given a few of them away. I like to make them for baby shower gifts because new moms can always use quilts (besides keeping a baby warm on a cold day they are also good for wall hangings or play mats). I find that most people are pleased to receive a quilt for that kind of an event, though I don't know if I would make one for, say, a birthday or Christmas gift without checking first to see if the recipient would like something like that.
The quilt I just finished is going to be a surprise gift but it's for someone who has been very admiring of other quilts I've done so I'm pretty sure she'll like it. I do think it's a gamble in a lot of cases to make a quilt as a surprise though unless you know the person and his/her tastes really well before you start. It's not like blowing $20 on something you bought at Target that the person ends up not liking--you put a lot of hours and love and care into a quilt and it can be really heartbreaking if it isn't appreciated.
That said the very first quilt I made was for my daughter, who was about 4 at the time. She told me she wanted "purple ponies." So I looked everywhere for purple pony fabric which no one seemed to have at the time, and I finally found some on eBay and ordered it. Being my very first quilt I made a lot of mistakes, didn't bind the thing properly and didn't tie it in enough places and ended up having to rip it apart and redo it all and then when I was finally finished like a year later I gave it to my daughter, and she said "No, Mom, I wanted purple *unicorns*." So sometimes you just can't win.
