The best reaction to a gifted quilt.
 

I was just wondering. I have gifted many a quilt in my lifetime. The very best reaction came from a stranger who was good to us from our insurance office. Our house was driven into at christmas two years ago and it was a long drawn out process to get it completely fixed.

This little gal worked her butt off for us getting it all paid for by the other person's insurance company and no deductible for us! It was done by great contractors even if it did take a long time to finish. I was so grateful to her.

It took me awhile, but hubby delivered a sampler christmas quilt to her this morning. She cried, was thrilled with it and remarked no one had ever given her such a nice gift. And, to tell you the truth, I never got such a wonderful feeling from the hard work that something took to complete. It was worth every hour I spent.

I was wondering, what was your story on the best gifting experience of a quilt? There has got to be some great stories out there.

I primarily make chemo quilts for folks going through this treatment. I have taken them in the past to the Cancer Centre but for the past three years, I have been giving them to the Save the Children organization. They hold a yearly bazaar. The quilts are displayed and are offered to anyone needing a quilt. And they may make a donation to the society.
This year, a quilt was taken by a woman to be gifted to her friend in her final days. Afterwards, the woman wrote a poem for me telling how the quilt was given, touched, and provided a warmth for a nap. The poem was so touching, it brought me to tears.
I have been thanked nicely before but this was the tops.

I think the best was one I gave to my sister. I have been busily making quilts for all the sibs for their 15th wedding anniversaries. I talked to sis about it at the time and she said she didn't need one, yadda yadda. Well, come to find out shortly thereafter she and BIL were separating and ultimately divorcing. That quilt, instead, was given to her for her 40th birthday. She sat in the middle of the floor of the restaurant among all the family and friends and just petted the quilt for a long time. It's still on her bed 10+ years later. Other quilts have been very well and warmly received but that's still my favorite response.

Mine was from my granddaughter, who was finally home recouperating after a terrifying hospital stay when she contracted Lemierre's Syndrome. DH, DGD, DIL, and I were sitting on the deck and I handed her the gift box. She immediately headed straight for the house. I asked where she was going, and she said "I know this is a quilt, and I can't open it outside. It's like the flag - it can't touch the ground!" Heaven help us, we giggled for 10 minutes about that, but it warmed my heart knowing how much SHE appreciated it. Thirty-minutes later, this is what we found:
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One year I made each of my three grandsons a quilt for their bunk beds. My oldest grandson opened his first and at 16, danced around the room with it wrapped around him. The other two quickly found their similarly wrapped quilts ignoring other presents. And I thought they would be a bust as presents!😀

I made a quilt for my daughter's 26th birthday. She lives in NYC and was with friends when she opened it. She went on about how much she loved it. Her is the pic she sent.

Love these stories and hope more posters add to the thread.
Cindi - that experience was the best! You must have felt so good about her reaction!

My great nephew's reaction to his big boy quilt warmed my heart

First quilt I ever made I gave to me 4 year old grandson for his bed. It was just made from a center of fussy cut little bears, each one doing cute little things in the woods, then surrounded with scraps given to me by ladies from my senior
citizen's quilt class I was taking at the time. One day soon after I gave it to him my grandson was sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast & I was sitting nearby & he suddenly say, "Grandma, I just love the quilt you made me." But that was not all. Many times thereafter, he repeated this, even for several years. Warmed my heart every time. He is now 19 years old & still has the quilt on his bed.

I have a wonderful quilt gift story. Our nephew was deployed in November to Afghanistan. We went to a last minute family drop in for him and I wanted to take him something so I took a small quilt I had. I did not know if he would be able to take it or not but took a chance. He was overjoyed. He told me that he could take a few personal items and that he would definitely take the quilt. I showed him how to roll it small so it would travel well. His Mom cried and she never shows emotion. His dad said he slept under it that night. When I hugged him good-by I told him I would pray for him and hoped the quilt reminded him of home and family. A few days after he had gone his Mom and Dad dropped by to show me some pictures of him napping under his quilt. His Mom was crying as she told me that she could not think of anything to send with him and that I had given him the perfect gift. This is why I do what I do to give love in every stitch.

I love all these sweet stories.

I've given quilts to several family members, including my SIL. He's a very quiet guy and doesn't show much emotion (at least to the rest of the family) and I gave him a modified log cabin flannel quilt a couple years ago for his birthday--he was appreciative but his usual quiet self--but he uses it daily and won't let anyone else (my Daughter, his friends, etc) use it! Always says "your Mom gave it to ME!".

A few years ago I met my Fathers sister for the first time. I soon learned what a cranky woman she was and hard to get along with. I made her a quilt for Christmas that year and when she opened it she burst into tears. She told me she hadn't been given a Christmas gift in many years and for me to make something so difficult(it really wasn't difficult lol) just for her was precious. She talked about that quilt to any and everyone right up until she passed away last year. This pic was taken just a few days before she died, still using her quilt.
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Cari

This isn't technically a quilt but when my daughter was in third grade her teacher was expecting. I made her a cute little one yard baby blanket. Ran into her two months ago, her baby is now in elementary school and she again told me how much she loves the blanket that I made, that her daughter still uses it. Best compliment ever, to have it still in use many years later. I made her baby a new, bigger blanket, I hope it will be loved as much.

I made a quilt for sis-in-law's SO last year. He's a huge Cubs fan. He said that quilt was the reason the Cubs won the World Series this year. :)

Not a quilt, but a set of homemade potholders brought a single mother to tears. She had just bought her own home and I found out she loves to cook and bake. Such a small thing meant everything.

Oh, my, word! "Like the flag...can't touch the ground!" I'm cracking up! Sweet picture. I'd never heard of that syndrome.

Zozee, Lemierre's Syndrome mainly strikes kids ages 4-24, and is quite rare. The virus resides in every person, however only raises it's ugly head to a select few children. It starts with flu-like symptoms, then a clot develops in the jugular vein. It can break off and move to the brain or lungs. Hers traveled to her lungs, resulting in two collapsed lungs. She was in ICU for 5 days, and it was touch or go for a while. If your child complains of neck pain when you think they have the flu, take them DIRECTLY to the ER. It must be treated quickly. Most doctors have never even heard of it. We were bless that she was at an advanced children's hospital that thought "outside the box" when trying to figure out what was going on with her! She was the first case of it ever seen in that hospital.

I'm loving reading these wonderful stories! So much love shared through quilts. Wonderful!

A few years ago I took a throw sized quilt top to my longarmer. She gushed over it so much that I just gave it to her! She is on a tight budget and never has time to piece something for herself. It was an attic window with snowmen in each window, i loved it but I could tell that she really loved it! And I am ok with that!

Sandy

I made a bookshelf quilt for my former librarian boss after her husband passed away. There was a picture of him on one of the shelves. I was a little irritated as she took it home sight unseen. However, 2 days later I got an e-mail from her with a picture of the quilt on the back of her couch. She sent the same e-mail to each of her 5 children, who all loved the quilt. Since then, she has gone out of her way to invite me to quilt exhibits, and her children invite quilting friends over to Mom's to look at the quilt. That's the best reaction I've ever gotten.

you were a blessing to her....I wonder why she was such an unhappy woman.....YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE!
Sandy

I gave one of my grandsons a quilt with airplane appliqued on it for his 6th birthday. I was at his house and his mother mentioned it needed repaired. The appliques were coming off. When I told him I would have to take it home to fix it, he said, "But Granny, I have slept with that every night since you gave it to me!" I did repair the applique and the binding. He was then 20 years old. I made a new, bigger quilt and mailed it to him. Love that boy!

I stayed with an old high school friend for a few days and at the time I was making this scrap quilt of 2-1/2 squares. I thought it would go with her decor and so when I got it finished up I sent it to her and she said her husband loved it and called it his Suzi quilt. He said he loved that it was hand stitched and my stitches were so good. I felt it was really a nice compliment because he was a surgeon most of his life and would surely know good stitches when he saw them. I have not gotten the feeling that one of my quilts was going to be loved and used as much as this.

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I hope more folks will post stories; this is a wonderful thread. Thanks to all for sharing.

Probably the best reaction was from my daughter and son-in-law.
SIL was undergoing chemo for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and I secretly worked with his mom to get signatures from all their friends and family (they live 3 1.2 hours away) into friendship blocks.

They both cried, and my daughter just kept saying over and over again, "This is just so awesome!". And I cannot tell you how many quilts she's been given in the past. But this one... well, I don't think there was a dry eye in the house when they received it!!

This is the best 'feel good' thread I've read in a while.....thank you all so much for sharing. Great way to start the day!

We were invited to our dear friends' daughter's wedding, and I had not planned to make them a quilt until my DH brought it up. I only had 3 weeks to get it to my longarmer. I kept thinking about rainbows and ended up making a relatively simple design using those colours (it's on the board here somewhere) At the reception the groom's mother talked about how, as a child, her son had always loved rainbows. I got goose bumps. A few days later I got a call from the bride. She was almost in tears, could not believe that I had taken the time to make such a gift for them. More than a year later, it has not been off their bed. May it keep them warm for many years to come.

Reading through tears. What a perfect thread for the Christmas season of giving. Quilters are so generous throughout the year and touch so many lives we never even know. Love ALL the stories..........thank you.

My story is about a quilted name banner to be hung over our granddaughter's bed. She knew her letters pretty well but I thought it would help her to spell her name. When her daddy was tucking her in after the first night he hung it, he went over each of the letters: What letter is this? "E" and such, touching on each of the letters to spell Emilia. After she said the last letter "A", he asked, "Do you know what that spells?" Her reply, "Nana loves you very much!" I couldn't have asked for a better response from a two year old! Her next quilt label said, " Becuz Nana loves you very much".

My story is about a pillowcase, not a quilt. Our elderly neighbors were like our parents living right next door, and when the wife fell and broke her hip, she ended up in rehab right after Thanksgiving. So, my grandson and I made her a beautiful Christmas pillowcase with Robert Kauffman's metallic Christmas ornament fabric to help perk up her room at the facility. We put it on her pillow right away and she was thrilled. Soon after that I came down with a terrible flu that hung on for weeks, so when she returned home, I didn't dare go to see her for fear of spreading the virus. She had a heart condition, and her health went down quickly, until one day she passed away, quietly in her bed. Her daughter called and asked if we wanted to come by and say our goodbyes. As we walked into the house her daughter warned me that she was on her pillowcase, so I wouldn't be shocked, as it was in in early spring. I was amazed when she told me that her mom wouldn't let them take her pillowcase off...only to wash it and put it right back on! Apparently she was so in love with it, she wouldn't part from it! Later, during her funeral I discovered that the pillowcase was still holding her at her eternal rest! I still miss her! I was never so touched by the effect such a simple, effortless, tiny gift could mean so much to someone! You just never know!

The best reaction to a gift of a quilt was from my 8 year old grandson. I made him an I Spy quilt. When I asked him what he liked best on the quilt he replied "I love that YOU made it for me."

Grandma Mary....you had me in tears..what an honor!

I have made several quilts that people treasure. Three years ago, my favorite brother in law passed away unexpectedly. After the funeral I offered to make tee shirt quilts for them from his tee shirts. Several months later, I received a box in the mail full of his tee shirts and was asked to make 3 quilts, one of each of his sons. I finished them all and shipped them back to Virginia. Within a week, I received 3 tearful phone calls from my nephews thanking me for the quilts. Mind you, they were in their late 40's and they were in tears and letting me know how much the quilts were treasured. They lost their mom 2 months ago. We were in Virginia for the funeral and each quilt has a place of honor in each of their homes.

A year and a half ago, I lost my brother. I made a sweat shirt quilt for his partner and with a few left over pieces, I made a matching on for his dog, Rosie. They both love those quilts. Rosie sits by the washer and dryer when it's being washed. She knows it is hers. I also made a neck tie quilt for my brother's only child and sent it to her for Christmas last year as one last gift from her dad. She had given her dad several of the ties for Christmas or Father's day. When she was married this summer, the quilt was on display on a memory table along with a picture of her and her dad. I was so moved that the quilt meant so much to her.

This is why I quilt. Not only because I love the creativity of it but because the time and work means so much love goes into it. Our LQS has a picture on the wall that says "A blanket warms the body but a quilt warms the soul." Very true, indeed.

The best reaction was from my 8 year old grandson when I gave him an I Spy quilt. I asked him what he liked best about the quilt, thinking he would choose one of the blocks. He said "I love that YOU made it for me!"

OOps, sorry, I didn't think it posted the first time.

Mine is from my grandmother-in-law. A couple years ago I made a quilt for her for Christmas, and she was so touched she cried! She told me that she's always loved quilts but nobody in her entire life had ever made one just for her. So that made me cry too. I made her another, lightweight quilt for Christmas last year and she cried again! So I cried again!

Every time I see her she tells me how much she loves her quilts and how she can feel the love in them whenever she touches them and she always keeps both on the bed with her at all times. It's so sweet! She's getting pretty far up there in years and is unfortunately completely bedridden at this point, but she's still sharp as a tack and amazingly positive and upbeat. I made a comment once about how I admire how she's always so positive and she told me that when she starts to feel sad or lonely she hugs her quilts and thinks about how I made them just for her and that cheers her right back up. Pretty sure she was just being nice, but what a lovely thing to hear!

Never heard of Lemierre's! Looked it up! Lucky young lady and family, healthier daughter to wrap her up in warmth fo family and quilt from grandma. [QUOTE=cindi;7718313]Mine was from my granddaughter, who was finally home recouperating after a terrifying hospital stay when she contracted Lemierre's Syndrome. DH, DGD, DIL, and I were sitting on the deck and I handed her the gift box. She immediately headed straight for the house. I asked where she was going, and she said "I know this is a quilt, and I can't open it outside. It's like the flag

I'm so glad she liked your gift because I can imagine how it must have made you feel that it pleased the gifter!!! I l really enjoyed your story!!!

wow!!! nice quilt!!

What wonderful feelings and remarks and gratitude for jobs, well done. Gives each of you "givers" a warm glow in your hearts, I am sure.

luv the colors!!! niiiiiiiiice!!! This thread is awesome....hope to see more!