Before High School or After? Advice needed please!
 

I've always planned to make a quilt for my nieces and nephews when they graduate from high school. My oldest niece is in 8th grade this year and that got me thinking: should I stick with my plan or should I make them a quilt before going into high school so they could use it at home? My reasoning is that if I wait for graduation, they might not really use it until they get an apartment after college, and then it might not fit their personality any longer.

Thoughts? What do you do? Advice please! Thanks in advance!

Beth

If you love them enough to make them a quilt then you could make one when the mood strikes. If they use it and love it, they may want another one for graduation. :)

I can only offer my experience. I've made quilts for dear friends' children for their HS graduations. Both of them will not sleep one night - anywhere - without their quilts. They have both taken them to college with them and bring them home over long weekends/breaks and use them at home as well.

I've chosen to do anniversary quilts for all of my & DH's siblings. Same deal - they all use them daily.

Were it me - I'd continue with your original plan. They will be loved and appreciated - perhaps even more because of the emotional significance for them - of graduation.

Not sure how many you are going to make, but since you plan to make it a tradition as a graduation present I would stick with that. The nieces and nephews that are the age of my children, I have only made one quilt because they had either a mother or grandmother that made quilts. (The one I did make was because the family is a big Seahawks and Seattle Mariners fans so I made a quilt with those fabrics.) For their children I have been making quilts based on things they like. (I Spy quilts, Star Wars, Disney - any excuse I can think of I make them a new quilt.) I figure as they outgrow them, they can donate them.

you can make them now, and then they might want one of the schools colors. she how it goes and start now.Please show us what you do. They may love the quilt to death and use it all the time. Then when they go to college, you might want to make one for them then too. Depending of course, on how many kids you're talking about,( one or two or more.)

I think you should make the quilts now but save them until the kids graduate from HS. My thinking is: You're healthy now and able to make the quilts. While there's no reason to expect anything dire to happen between now and their graduations, there's also no guarantee.

If you make them now, you'd be wise to put notes on them to indicate your intended recipient. You'd also be wise to advise the parents of these nieces and nephews as to the quilts' existence and location.

I make quilts for HS graduation for our grandkids. 9 down and 6 to go. The first one was 17 years ago and I have had to make a replacement because it was loved to tatters. I frequently use their college colors.
I am currently trying to decide if I want to make quilts for the great grand kids. 11 so far.
Whenever you make them, they will be treasured.

You want to make them a quilt. Do it now. Another one will come when the occasion speaks to you.

Make them when you want. For my nieces, and granddaughters I made little quilts when they were toddlers, new big girl quilts when they turned 13 and graduation quilts, then a wedding quilt when that occasion comes. There have been special requests- other quilts in between but those are the milestones I try to accomplish along the way. When ever you decide to make one wil be special.

I've made the grandkids (all 8 of them) baby quilts and then as they get older a big kid quilt. I don't think I'm making 8th grade, high school and graduation quilts. But who knows.

This a good problem to have! The old "now or later?" dilemma. Spontaneous giving vs. milestone memento. I'm not sure I have an answer as to what I'd do. I tend to be a traditionalist and I work well with deadlines (like a graduation date) but I am also very mood-driven when it comes to my hobbies. I'm also TERRIBLE at waiting to give something I've made, so making it now to save for 4 years would not fit my personality. Besides, I don't want to hang on to things that could be enjoyed now.

As for colors, I'd make it in the child's favorite colorway but in a grown-up pattern. Most people who have a favorite color tend to keep it for a long time. I liked purple from age 9 to 49. I liked cool colors when I went off to college, but my aunt (who didn't know me well at all) gave me a bedspread in beige. Except for the turquoise bird on it, I hated it, but I felt guilted into using it. School colors didn't matter to me.

The older I get, the more inclined I am to give when the mood strikes, because as sushi said, there are no guarantees in life. But truly, it's a quandary. I'm sitting here trying to think what I'd do in your place.

Funny you should bring this up. I have just decided to make my little 12 year old niece two big girl twin size quilts. A purple one for her room at her dad's and one for my sister's house where she stays when there are breaks from school and has her own room. I am very close to her and she is respectful of my creations for her.

I have other nieces and nephews about the same age, but they could not even pick up a phone to say thank you for the quilts I have sent to them. So, I ponder but don't make anything for them as yet to send. I guess I need a little reinforcement to feel appreciated for my hard work. Do yo blame me?

Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. I would definitely make them as the mood struck me. Make them twin size and in their favorite colors or team. Whether they appreciate them is up to the child.

This is why I love this place so much! Thanks very much for the great advice.

I have 5 nieces and nephews between my side and my husband's side of the family. DH thinks I should only make a quilt for one side as the other side won't even say thank you for birthday gifts. He knows that's not why I give them gifts (although a thank you would be nice) but because I love them and I'm a maker. I give them handmade, sewn gifts all the time (last Christmas it was book pillows; they were a hit). However, I think of a quilt as a milestone type of gift. My DS is the only nephew the parents of my nieces and nephews have and while he gets presents from them (and always sends a thank you note!) I think my giving a quilt on a random birthday would be overkill. Does that make sense? Different family dynamics I guess. I am the favorite aunt on both sides though, so I could get away with it. :thumbup:

I love the idea of making a high school graduation quilt in their favorite colors, but in an adult pattern and fabrics. I'll stick to my original plan, unless I change my mind :). The beauty of being a quilter is there are always reasons to make a quilt!

Thanks for the great advice and insight!

Just some thoughts: I have made several T-shirt quilts for family and former students who take them to college. Then wedding quilts and baby quilts following. Right now I'm making reversible quilts for my grandchildren. Different themes on each side as they have many interests. My enthusiasm and energy go in spurts so I tend to quilt when the mood strikes me and not push it when it doesn't. So i say make as many as you want, they will all be truly loved!

Consider making the quilts the kids favorite colors NOT their school colors. Many kids head off to college but don't stay at the first college they selected. Your quilt would be a reminder of their mistake.

For me I would do the quilt whenever I had the time was inclined to do it.

Good luck

I taught my children( how I was taught) that a written thank you had to be sent either in a card or just written on paper and sent. Now that my children are grown
I receive thankyou's via hand written
Or painted hand prints with a drawing...from my Grandchildren!! Love it!

Here's the graduation quilt I made for my daughter. There is a bass clarinet in the center of all 40 stars. All the fabrics are musically related, even the panto-graph that was used for quilting. She played bass clarinet all through high school. She got a letter jacket for 4 years in marching band.

http://tinyurl.com/jpd79jj

http://tinyurl.com/jlnl9ku


Sharon in Texas

I have three grandchildren. I have made quilts for them when they were young and now as each one leaves for college I make a quilt that suits them to take with them. The first two things DGS#1 packs to go back to college is a medallion his church gave him and the quilt I made him. DGD is in her first year and has her quilt. DGS#2 starts college this fall. Each time I give them a quilt I tell them every time you wrap up in this quilt, remember someone loves you - I love you. Basically, you do it when you want to. Didn't want to do it for graduation but wanted them to have a little piece of me to take with them on their new adventure as they leave home.

I came to quilt-making very late in life, although I've been making my own clothes almost all my life. I made a whole-cloth enbroidered quilt as a wedding gift for my nephew, my first pieced-block quilt was presented to the son of my very good friend who served in the US Army and was seriously injured in Afghanistan. I have finished the quilt top for a log cabin for a spread for my bed (a giant quilt--I won't make one that big again), I'm working on a quilt for my youngest sister (she bought all the materials), and I have plans for a quilt for my oldest sister, too. I also have (if it can be found) a quilt of embroidered state flower blocks, all assembled, which my cousin was going to quilt for me, but she died December 17, 2016, and thus far, my niece has not found the quilt top. I surely hope the quilt top is found, because my 89 year old aunt embroidered those blocks and they meant a lot to me because she made them! I am 71 (going on 72) and have serious back problems so it takes me sooooooo long to complete a quilt! I would love to be able to make quilts for my nieces and nephews, but there are so many I don't think I could get that many made. One of my nephews has 5 children -- to be honest, I live 1000 miles away from most of them and farther away for others -- I've lost count. And that's just on my side of the family. On my husband's side, there are 5 more, so I think I'd better stop with my son and my sisters!

I always make my nieces and nephews a quilt for a high school graduation gift. I let them pick out what colors they like and I pick out the pattern (simple). They seem to love their quilts and its so nice to see them on their college beds when I see photos of the kids in their rooms on facebook. I love it because no one else is going to have the same quilt as them. And don't worry about them not using it. All of my nieces and nephews used them in college and continue to use now. Good luck.

You're overthinking it, I make a quilt for my nieces/nephews whenever the mood strikes. ;) It's ended up being about every three-five years which is perfect cause they're still growing and their tastes have changed and they're loving them to death so they need new ones. They got their first ones as babies, then slightly bigger ones as toddlers, then as preschoolers they tell me what they're into, in elementary an even bigger size and picking out fabric together...it is worth noting that I don't have a gigantic family and I'm a insanely devoted auntie ;) I can tell you that all three of my college roomies arrived with homemade quilts that were treated like gold and well-loved.

Ditto this for sure.

If it were me, I would go ahead and make them now...no stress, no rush, no time frame. You don't have to give it to them now...wait till graduation if you choose but they will be done. With that in mind, I would choose a clean, symmetrical pattern in neutral colors for the boys and a two color only pattern...white and their favorite color for the girls because they probably already know their favorite one now and chances are it probably will still be their favorite down the road. If I wanted it to be something they held on to into college and marriage I would not choose school colors or sports logos. Like I said.....just if it were me........