I, spent nearly 200 hours making this intricate dimensional quilt for my niece. I spent so much extra time tacking everything down 3x as much as recommended to make sure the quilt was durable enough for a 12 month old. My SIL decided it was "too pretty" for a child, even though it is a crib quilt. It went straight into the closet. I was beyond heartbroken.
I almost decided not to make a quilt for the little boy they are expecting in February, but I really want all my nieces & nephews to have their own quilt (they are like my children since I don't have any of my own). So, I spent a lot of time asking questions about my brother/SIL's decor for the nursery & searching for quilt designs that would match. I settled on a white whole cloth quilt with a nautical theme (Ships Aweigh by Holice Turnbow). My SIL loves it & has been bragging about it to all her neighbors -- who have in turn asked if they could pay me to make them one. I think the fact that her neighbors have offered to pay me $3500 for a similar quilt has changed her mind about whether to hide quilts in the closet or put them out for all to see. And the fact that I can't imagine any amount of money making it worth it to me to hand quilt more than one of these things makes it all the more special. I really like doing applique, so doing something in white whole cloth is quite a stretch for me. But at least it won't be relegated to a dark closet somewhere as something "too special to use"... hopefully.