I originally started this thread rather tongue-in-cheek. I wasn't really crying, they weren't MY quilts, and I think some of you got that, and understood that I was just having a bit of fun with the topic in this post.
But I will say this. There is a HUGE difference between "use" and "abuse". I do prefer that my quilts get "used". One of the first quilts I ever made was a flannel baby quilt with appliqued animals, done in all kinds of bright happy colors. The animals had chenille trim; the lion had a chenille mane, the elephant had chenille around his ears and at the end of his tail, the tiger had chenille stripes, and so on. When I gave the quilt to the baby's mom, she wanted to hang it on the wall. I said oh no no no you don't, I made this quilt to be laid on, barfed on, loved on, dragged around, cried on, and worn out. So she promised me she would not hang it. This was a woman I knew on a professional basis only, and she and I lost touch after the baby was born and she became a stay-home mom. Then I ran into her a few years later. She told me her daughter LOVES that quilt. She picks a different colored section to curl up in her hand every night at bedtime, and will not sleep without it. That brought tears to my eyes and made me feel wonderful. And THAT'S the kind of "use" I want it to have! I think using a quilt that someone toiled over as a moving blanket, becoming shredded and tattered in the wind, not to mention rain and road dust, shows disdain for the quilt maker and the amount of love and work that goes into making a quilt.