Bicyclehobo - I agree with almost everything that you say. I don't want to go to the effort of making something for someone only to have it shoved in a closet or given away, although given away.
Froggiey - at least you received a thank-you. There are many people who don't even get that. In my family, nothing less than a handwritten thank you note was acceptable. Even if you were there when the gift was opened, you still had to write a thank you note. I was surprised once to receive a letter from my great-aunt thanking me for sending her a birthday card. My mom explained that every communication had to be acknowledged. Some people have suggested not sending any more gifts if they are not even acknowledged. This does work
We've experienced some cases where after a divorce, any gift from the estranged family is thrown away, stolen from the child, re-gifted as if from the custodial parent, returned to a store for cash, ... So, not all lack of acknowledgement is from unappreciation.
All that being said, I prefer to expend effort in making gifts for people who appreciate them. At some point, I started making baby quilts for all children born into our families. Then for some who didn't receive one as a child - a lap sized quilt before they went to college. I prefer to make bed sized quilts, so I made bed sized quilts for grandchildren, and for family weddings. I need to downsize to smaller things like table runners, placemats and such. Lately, I've been stuck i a rut and haven't felt like doing any sewing.