Giving quilts
 

I was wondering, do you set out making a specific quilt for a particular person, or do you follow your inspiration making the quilt, then decide who to give it to? Do you ask if they like it before giving it? If not, do you worry if it will be to their taste? I don't want to be one of those relatives who gives people things they don't really want, but they're too polite to say so. I want my quilts to be really liked by the person who ends up with them. Do you think it would be awkward to send an email with pictures of a quilt to a group of relatives, and ask who wants it, or would it be better to just make a guess as to a person's taste, or go by what quilt you think goes with the person's personality?

I really struggle with this! I usually have a person in mind when I start making a quilt, and usually about halfway through making it I panic and convince myself that they'll hate it! It's silly of me really but I just can't stop myself! Part of my problem is that I like to make the quilts as a surprise, whereas if the person knew I was making it for them I could just ask them!

The first thing I would do is make sure the person would like a quilt! As much as we can't believe there are some people who just aren't quilt people. Usually those people have seen quilts that you have made and expressed a liking or mention that they would like one. If the person you are making one for hasn't seen any of your quilts you might just ask them what they think of them.

Next I normally take the colors that they have in their house or favorite colors.

I think that if you take those things into account you will be pretty safe. The only other thing would be if they like modern. If they aren't into modern I think any quilt pattern would work, even modern fabrics can make a traditional pattern modern.

I've made some quilts specifically for people. And sometimes I decide to give a quilt away years after the quilt is finished. What I don't do is ask what someone wants and make a quilt to order. And what would you do if you send a picture of a quilt in email asking who wants it, and EVERYONE wants it?

i may ask their color preference, but the rest is my choice/design. i don't make quilts for anyone if i'm doubtful that they'd like a quilt

You might email those relatives with a general conversation about quilting and your interest in it. Share how you enjoy doing it and wondered if any of them had ever quilted or other relatives in the past. Try to get some discussion going and the see what their thoughts are on it in general.

You could always ask a relative who knows the person you want to make a quilt for what her tastes are and if they think that is something they would like.

You could also start with a smaller item and see what happens to that...pot holders - wall hanging - something useful.

I make quilts for me because I love to make quilts. When an opportunity comes along to give one a new home, it is sent with love and off it goes to a new place. I never fret about it again. I would never be able to gift a quilt if I thought that way.

I never concern myself with wether a quilt will be liked or not. I am not responsible for other peoples feelings towards my work.

I don't believe I was ment to be permanently atached to my quilts. My love and enjoyment is in the making of the quilt, not what happens to it one month from nowor five years in the future.

If one of my quilts has kept a dog warm, my job is done!:D
peace

I agree......

It is really helpful to hear how other people think about this.

I suppose, give it to the first person who replied? And explain that to the others? (Doesn't sound like the best approach.)



This seems like an excellent attitude to me.

I make a quilt for my family reunion every year, which is raffled off to pay for the next year's reunion. Last year, I made a lovely Log Cabin, which took a lot of time, because I had multiple things all going on at the same time. The person who purchased the winning ticket told me a few days later that she was not a quilt person, because it looked "too homemade". She went on to say that she would probably put it in her next garage sale, if somebody else wanted to buy it.
At first, I was crushed at her comments, but then I thought, "I hope someone else does end up with the quilt", because I don't think she deserves it.. And I also realized that even though it wasn't to HER taste, it was hers to do with as she chose. I hope I would have been a little more tactful about it, but I really hope whoever ended up with it will enjoy it.

'A little more tactful' indeed! I suppose she wouldn't have wanted you to find out some other way, that she'd gotten rid of it. I'm sure whoever ends up with it will love it!

I really like your way of thinking. Sometimes I do worry that the person I am making a quilt for will not like it, but so far everyone seems to like what I made for them (at least they say they do. ha ha) From now on I am going to adopt your attitude - because it is a good one! :thumbup:

Right now, I am making quilts for my daughter's three foster children. The oldest child likes purple so I try to make her quilts that have purple and lavender in them, the middle child is autistic and she likes anything I make for her. I make her quilts with children's fabrics like The Three Bears, ABCs, Russian dolls, etc. for the 5 year old, I love making story book quilts like Green Eggs and Ham and the Very a Hungry Caterpillar. I have a quilt for her, with a children's fish design and one with snowmen, ready to send to the LAQ. I want the girls to have lots of quilts so that they can change them frequently. One of my daughters lives here. She comes over and looks at my quilts. I know that she likes only traditional quilts. Any modern quilts I make, I know I can give to my sister. My other daughter likes any quilt I give her. I know the colors my grandsons like. I make them quilts with golf fabric and some with fishing fabric. I give most of the quilts I like best to my granddaughter. I make most of my quilts for these people. As a gift to anyone else, I find out the colors they want. I made a quilt for my best friend who said she liked pink and green. I thought it was one of the prettiest quilts I had ever made. She has never said anything about it. I wonder if she even uses it. On the other hand, I made a quilt with music fabric for my granddaughter to give her piano teacher. That lady really appreciated her quilt.

When I am making a quilt for a specific person, I try to find out what colors or style they like. If for a baby, I ask what color they are doing for the baby and what theme but generally I pick the pattern I will do. Everyone so far has liked what I have done for them.

asking them might not solve all your problems.
I have grown and married kids that I have asked about colors etc. and then went and bought
fabrics, only to hear, "Oh, our room isn't that color anymore...OR...well, when i said red, I meant a dark red like that new car that's out...fiesta sunrise fireglow...see what I mean?

For me it is a mixture of many things. Sometimes I have a specific person in mind that I would like to make a quilt for ( a birthday , anniversary, major surgery , etc ) and I choose a pattern that I like and suits that person ( modern or traditional ), and do it in colors I think they would like. Sometimes I just see a pattern or a fabric that I just LOVE and start making it, usually as I am working on it someone will be in my thoughts alot, and I take it as the quilt telling me who it wants to go to, and that is where it goes ! Other times I just make whatever makes ME happy, and when its finished either it goes on my bed, or it goes in the " Emergency Gift Box " for those occasions that pop up unexpectedly , or that I simply did not have time to make something specific for ( unexpected surgery, last minue birthday gifts ect ) The box has not just quilts but bags and pillows as I make them , and I grab something suitable from the box as the need arrives !

emergency gift box...great idea! :)

I mostly make quilts for family, I have had 4 daughters and 3 sons. All of my daughter's have received a specific quilt to their licking. I try hard not to accept orders from outside the family for quilts for hire! They are just too hard to satisfy in my opinion.

"...usually as I am working on it someone will be in my thoughts alot, and I take it as the quilt telling me who it wants to go to, and that is where it goes !"

This happens to me, too. :)

I love making (and giving away!) baby quilts. Babies are so uncritical and they can spit up, cry into, and do those less than desirable things that babies do without fear on their quilt ( and I make sure to tell the mom so.) I sew primarily for family and they get what they get and I know that they are used, and I'm right there with whoever said if the dog is warm, I've done my job. I occasionally will give a full-size quilt as a wedding gift in which case I generally try to find out if the recipient(s) would like a quilt and I need a hint as to lifestyle/house/interests.

Most of my quilts are given as gifts. Will ask what colors they have in their rooms i.e. living room, family room, bedroom, guest room and I pick the fabric and pattern . So far I've been fortunate that the person loves what I have given them and they are using it, but I've been lucky and only give to family and close friends and they have all indicated they would like something. I also do quilts for charity and they are what ever I want to make.

Usually before I finish a quilt one of my kids or grandkids asks for it. I have made specific quilts for my kids. I always ask them if they like the fabric or pattern before I give it to them. I never have trouble giving them away. I worried about giving one to my MIL because I had never seen her use a quilt. I made her a lap quilt for her birthday, and she uses it every day. I was so happy she liked it. I backed it with fleece. My little granddaughters love quilts. They have asked for several and I give them to them. I never saw them out, so I asked my DIL about them. She didn't want them to ruin the pretty quilts. I told her to let them have the quilts because they were made to use. I can make more. She got them out and let them use them on their beds. Now the girls and I are all happy. If the lady sells the quilt in a yard sale, someone will get it and be thrilled with the find. Eventually all quilts will find a happy home and be loved.

I usually plan quilts for myself. Sometimes a pattern or fabric will make me think of someone, then I'll make a quilt for that person. Not all of my quilts have been well-received, so I'm more picky about who gets a quilt these days. I don't usually ask first. Recently, however, I did ask because I wanted to make quilts for 2 little people in the family. I was told by the mom "great! She likes Hello Kitty and he likes Monster University." So I was kind of sorry I asked first. I prefer to give quilts that can be loved for years. These kind of themes seem only appropriate for young children.

I'm lucky - both of my grandmothers were quilters so my entire family was raised with an abundance of homemade quilts. Nobody else in my family is a quilter now, and both grandmothers have passed away, so there are a lot of people in my family who are missing getting quilts made with love.

So my quilts have been greeted with an abundance of love and excitement, at least the ones I've given within my own family. They all "get it", and all my aunts & uncles (on both sides) have lots of fond memories of watching their moms make quilts. Every time it comes up at a gathering I'm told over how glad everybody is that someone in the family became a quilter to keep up the tradition (again, on both sides!) We're a sentimental bunch. :) I honestly can't make quilts fast enough, I have a mountain of fabric cut from my grandma's handmade dresses that I'm working on turning into quilts for each of my aunts & uncles on that side of the family...but there were 30 dresses, and she had six children. That's a lot of quilts that I need to get done!

That's a mean spirited comment to the maker of the quilt. If she didn't care for it, she shouldn't have purchased a ticket. If I was at that Garage sale I would thank my lucky stars that someone was dumb enough not to like it. Hopefully, someone who purchased it loved it.

Depends on the reason for making the quilt. I have a very picky friend who wanted me to make her a quilt. I told her if she financed it, I'd do it. She said just make me a quilt. "Oh no, my picky friend! You choose the quilt and fabrics. Then I'll make you one." That way she knew all along how much it was costing, directly out of her wallet, not mine! She loves it.

I've made many baby quilts. I've only struggled with one, trying to make sure I chose the right design for the recipients. She was very private, so it was more difficult for me to decide on the correct quilt design. In the end she said it was perfect.

I'm curious as to how people reacted, if you care to elaborate.

I have only made quilts for friends or relatives who had a say-so in the pattern and the fabric. For the friends, they paid for the fabric. This way I knew the folks would like the quilt when they got it since it was all stuff they selected and/or paid for. I have made 3 quilts just by email. I emailed patterns I felt comfortable making, and after one was selected, my friends either bought the fabric and mailed it to me or guided me (lots of pictures in emails) in fabric selection. It is much easier to take a friend or relative shopping for fabric, but distance doesn't always make that possible. Once I took four friends to find fabric, and they decided to all receive the quilts at the same time, like a big "reveal" on TV. That was fun. :)

These methods work well for me because I am TERRIBLE at selecting fabric. I am so indecisive that it is ridiculous!!

Dina

I guess that I have been very lucky, because I pretty well know the tastes of the people that I give my quilts to. My sis loves purple, hubby Jim loves blue. It's what happens when I'm gone that concerns me. I have planned to let my family get my quilts in a lottery type drawing. I wonder if they will understand the amount of love and work that went into them.

I say "not well received" meaning that I've never seen them out when I visit and I've not seen the babies or children ever using them. Nor have a few adults ever mentioned the quilt again, ever. And I don't give quilts worthy of putting away "for good." To clarify, no one has ever come out and said they don't like the quilt. But you can tell from a person's reaction whether they like it/love it or whether they're just being polite by saying oh thanks.

Now when I give a quilt, I'm sure to go on and on about how I loved making it for them and how many loving thoughts went into the making. People seem to respond positively to the love!

If it were me, I would take the primary colors in these " themes " and use those to make a quilt.

For Hello Kitty I would use different light / bright / hot pinks, white and black

For Monster University I would go with bold primary colors

Then for the label I would put something like " Hello Childs Name " and " For My Little Monster " or something like that !

I have done this different ways... I have started with my nieces in mind and worked just with that.. then others I have no real idea what I am doing. Then later get inspired who to give it to

thank you...those are good ideas! I have some Hello Kitty and Monster fabric and thought I'd use some of that on the back

Most of my quilts are made because the pattern caught my eye. I also take quite a few classes at the LQS. Usually when someone (my children or grandchildren) see a quilt and like it, they ask for it. I usually only give quilts to family, and once they are gifted, I don't know what happens to them.
Sue

I have always had these questions too and what I do is make what I want to make and then later if someone likes it give it. I will make someone a quilt if they tell me the color they like and that is it. I like to make the quilts I want to gift and not be given an exact thing to replicate.

What a great attitude!!

I had to laugh when I read that part, because I ALWAYS take my finished quilts to my Grandmothers house to show them to her when they are done, and she ALWAYS likes them all, so she would be overwhelmed with quilts LOL , not that she would mind that either !

I generally only make quilts for family. I try to notice what colors they wear. If I am in their home I notice what colors of bedspreads, carpets, wall décor, etc. they have and try to figure out what sort of décor and color they like. If they don't seem to care for quilts, I make something else such as pillows, dish towels, mug rugs, maybe a throw or something I think they will use. If I know they don't care for quilted stuff I may make jelly or seasoning mixes, cookie mixes, etc. If you are around them very much you usually know if they would treasure a quilt or not.

When I set out to make quilts for my nephews' graduations last year, I tried to work with what interest I knew they had. My brother's son,is a country boy through and through. He loves the outdoors, hunting and fishing, so I found a quilt kit using a older fabric line from Moda- Henry's fishing lodge, or something to that effect. I used Minnesota fabrics,others that had that 'up north' feel to them and blenders that had a masculine feel to them.
My brother's step son, however was raised in the city, plays electric guitar and all things 'edgy'. His quilt had skulls, guitars, flames and some Beatles fabric I happened to have in my stash.
Both quilts suited the recipient.
Sometimes, however, when I'm making a quilt, I find I can't stop thinking about a certain person, or I realize I need a nice gift for someone at that point in time. That's how many of my quilts find a home.

If I am making a quilt for one of my grandkids I let them take part in the planning of it. The last one I made my granddaughter for her 9th BD was a special request by her. She wanted an I spy quilt...."NO PINK!" in it. So I made it with everything she likes, sports, etc. It was tough making it girlie with no pink, but she was thrilled with it. I have taken them along to choose some of the fabric, and then work around it to make it something really special. I mostly make charity quilts that are given to tornado victims, etc. So those are just made with my love put into them. If a family member shows no interest in quilts, they will not be getting a quilt from me. I want them to appreciate it and all the love and work that went into it. Most people have no clue.