mountainwoman

Iona D. posted a question in which she inquired about how one chooses fabrics for projects, including quilts to be gifted vs. utilitarian ones, which brand fabrics are chosen, and where does one purchase said fabric. Certainly, it was an interesting question, and several, including myself, responded. It was, however, her statement that she no longer makes quilts as gifts because, given the time and expense involved, she felt her gifted quilts were not appreciated. First, I find that to be a sad thing that one who receives an item, any hand-made item, but especially a quilt -something that requires so much thought and effort, would be unappreciative. So thinking, I reflected upon how I go about gifting a quilt. First, each of my quilts are designed specifically for the individual -his/her interests, preferences, etc. as well as possible function. In short, each one is unique to the individual. The fabric chosen must represent the receiver's interests, tastes, etc., as should the design -a known pattern or one I've come up with myself. Certainly, I use quality fabric and thread. I only make lap quilt/throw sizes for adults (except for a queen-size Star Wars quilt I made for my adult grandson -he's an avid fan!). This "personalizing" of the quilt to be gifted creates that "Oh, wow..." response I've been fortunate to receive from those who have received a quilt from me. I have only been quilting for close to three years, so I don't have a "stash" of quilts to choose from whenever I see a reason or need to gift a quilt. I repeat, personalization is essential. The individuals to whom I've given quilts may very well never receive another; then again, circumstances change, so something may come up in the future that makes me think, "Oh, he/she would like really like..." Up until now, any quilts I've made that were not for a specific person I have donated to my church quilting group for distribution to the needy. I am, however, now actually saving some of these quilts; maybe one of them will be perfect for a spontaneous gift (such as the baby boy rag quilt I had on hand that I gave to my physical therapist who is pregnant with a boy; she's such a sweetheart and near delivery, and it seemed like a nice thing to do). Also, I've toyed with the idea of creating a "Hope Chest" of quilts/quilted items (don't know what they call them these days) for my granddaughter -or something to specifically pass on to her when my time upon this earth is over. It's a thought, anyway. Iona distinguished between, I guess, high-quality quilts and utilitarian ones and the hassles involved in storing those of higher quality. I guess I'm just too inexperienced as a quilter to differentiate -each is made as best I can, and I tend to use good quality fabric and thread - and each would be given equal care for storage purposes. So, I have a few questions:
(1) Do you give your quilts as gifts; if so, are they specific to the individual or do you use some other selection process? (2) Do you have a "stash" of quilts specifically for gifting? (3) What method(s) do you use for storing quilts?