I love bedding anything, to be quite honest. I received the best set of pillowcases ever made by a member here a few years ago, I sadly do not remember her name, but they have been on my pillows ever since. I do need to patch a hole in the one, but other than that, I love them.
If you go with a neutral color scheme, you should be fine. If you're making them, it's coming from the heart, and that is what truly matters in a gift. If they don't like them, then that's on them.