I have been working hard on making a few quilts lately and being in the KC area we have been getting lots of storms. well after the last round of storms around Thursday i think my grandma in law called to check up on us. I got to talking with her and last summer she had bought a long arm. well she is more into making quilts with embroidery and the keep sake type of quilts right now and has only long armed maybe two or three quilts. she said that she was thinking of just dismantling the long arm and shipping it to me. I about wet myself when she said that. I like the dolt that I am told her that she should really get to using it to me. I would love to have a long arm but she should use it right? I really wish that I had told her to go ahead and send it to me but I would feel really really bad taking it. especially with her not using it really and spending a lot of money on it.
what would you guys have said or done? was I really really stupid for telling her to just hold on to it?

Why don't you call G-ma IL and ask her if she was still considering getting rid of the LA. Could you at least offer to pay her for the shipping? No you wern't stupid, you were just being considerate.

I would have said..I'll help pay postage..lol..!!

I think it was really sweet of you to encourage her to use it.
Why not tell her that if she really finds she doesn't use it you'll take it, or buy it or whatever.
But wow, I know what you mean!!!!!!! :)

YOu just encouraged her to try again, which is wonderful. Go for a nice long visit & bring your quilt tops with you! Then, check back in a few months and see how she's doing. I'm sure if she still feels the same way she would still consider the offer. That's how grandmas are!

Call her back, ask if she thinks she will really use it, offer a reasonable price if you can afford to, thank her for it for free if you cannot pay. And then, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. (nothing unkind intended about your Grandma! LOL)

I would have said REALLY... and jumped up and down... Then I would have said your kidding right? Then you could say thank you and offer to pay for shipping or go pick it up before she changed her mind.

Oh man. I would call her and tell her that you would be honored to have it. You must be special to her for her to offer it to you. If the price she paid for it bothers you, tell her you will pay her for it but you would need to make payments. Or you can give me her name and phone number and I will call her and tell her that is what you want for Christmas. LOL (kidding on me calling her). But I would call her and tell her you would be honored and that when the offer was given that you were taken aback and after thinking about it you decided you would take it. But thats me.

No, I don't think you're stupid. You are thoughtful. As you said, she spent a lot of $$ on that machine, and you would feel horrid if she just sent it to you without first insuring it was a machine she really didn't want/need. But I would call her back and just work into the conversation that you'd be happy to take it off her hands and get it out of her way if she is ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN she doesn't want it. You may even offer to pay her something for it (perhaps offer to quilt all her tops at no charge in return for the gift?).

I agree it is an incredibly generous offer, but you also don't want to appear to be taking advantage of grannie's better nature.

Now she probably thinks you were telling her very politely you don't want it so don't be surprised if she gives it to someone else.

Just checked your location, thought I would run by your GMIL's house to help her break the machine down!:-)
I also understand how you feel, however, you could take the long arm with the understanding if she ever wanted it back you would return, of if she wanted to come to ykour house to work on something, that would be o.k also

I would have done the same thing, even though I would just about give my first born to have a LA. Like I would have the space, anyway. I think you did the right thing, that is a huge purchase to just give away. I know I would feel guilty if someone gave me something that big, even family.
What you can do to drop the hint is ask her to quilt your next quilt. She will likely say she can't do it and repeat her offer of giving it to you.

I wish that I could offer to pay her for the long arm but we don't have the money to do that. and the worse part is that she lives in CA. while I am in MO. I was thinking of emailing her to see if she really does want to get rid of it and if hubby will be up for it to pay for the shipping. I would deffinatly offer to do all the tops that she would send out. they wont be perfect but it would be free.

I think grandma deserves a visit & if she really wants to give/loan it to you, you can bring it home with you.

I agree!!!
K

You were shocked! I would have been too! Call her back and ask her if she was serious ~ you would love to have it. =) And offer to pay for shipping...that will make you feel better.

You said the right thing, She just bought it so let her hang on to it for a while and see if she will use it more. If not then in a couple of years ask her for it.

Call Her on the phone and talk to her. As a Grandma when I offer something to my kids or GKs, if they don't want it and I don't want it, I'll think of someone else who just might want it.

Get on that phone right now. Don't email her, make a personal phone call!! Show her you ARE indeed interested in it, and confess to her you were worried at her paying all that money for it and not getting any good out of it. BUT you do want it. desire it, are in raptures at the very idea.

TALK TO GRANNY RIGHT NOW. SHE JUST MIGHT BE ON THE PHONE OR EMAIL TO SOMEONE ELSE, ASKING IF THEY WANT IT.

that was my first thought

I think this would be a win/win solution! Keep us posted!

IF she is the one who wants to give it to you, and you didn't drophints - she simply wants to give you!!!

BESIDES, they take up alot of room. IF you should accept the generous offer, perhaps you can tell her it can be a 'permanent loan'? We do that in our family. My daughters have several pieces of furniture that are very good, and we do not want them sold. BUT can not use either. So the girls take them - to use as their own - but if they want to return them to us...we can say we want them back --- or tell them, at that time, to dispose of them the way they wish. WORKS WELL.

Julie

I think it is wonderful that she offered it to you.

I'd say THANK YOU GRAMA YOU ARE THE BEST! and make the dear woman the nicest quilt ever.

My father used to say if someone offers you something, take it. Then do what you want with it. If you don't take it, she will give or sell it to someone else, I would. I used a LA and floor quilting frame for awhile and would rather hand quilt so I sold it for half price. My daughter didn't want it.

Carol J.

I would say, "thank you, I'd love to have it". Then offer to pick it up or pay shipping. Also tell her that you would be so happy to do her quilting any time!

Call her right now and thank her for her kind offer and accept it!! My mother had a wonderful dressmakers dummy that belonged to my grandmother. It was on a beautiful oak stand and I so loved it. When I got my sewing room set up a few years ago I went to see Mum and noticed 'Daisy' the dummy was no where to be seen!! Mum had given it to a 'friend down the road' who was moving out of the area, who did a bit of sewing!!! She thought I wouldn't be interested as I made quilts, not clothes!!! aaarrrgh!!! It was the only thing I ever coveted in my parents house!!!!

She's going to surprise you and send it to you anyway.....mark my words....!

I feel that she wants you to have the machine and that you will enjoy it and take great care of it, it's called the gift of giving.

Hope you get it too!

All of the above, as someone mentioned, being a Grandma, if I offer one of my Grandkids something and they do not want it, I then offer to another. So indeed I would be thrilled if one of my Grandchildren called back and said, "Granny you know I was thinking about your generous offer and if you really are ready to pass your wonderful LA on to me I would LOVE to have it, you are the best!!!! This is from a Granny's point of view.

I think so too. She probably wanted you to have it. That may be why she bought it in the first place.

I would call her back and tell her that after you got off the phone and thought about the conversation about the long arm, you began to worry that she WASN'T really interested in using it and would perhaps give or sell it to someone else. Tell her you would LOVE to have it, but only if she is convinced she won't use it. See how it goes from there!

Very good suggestion. :)

I think you did the right thing. Had she given it to you before she's really ready to part with it, that could have caused some hard feelings in the family, especially if she mentions to another family member that she wished she still had it with her.

She'll offer again if she's really serious about letting it go.

Stupid???? Naw... just suffering what I'm sure is a temporary lapse of sanity. OK, lapse over now?? Good, get on the phone with Grandma and tell her upon reflection, you'd be thrilled to have her long arm, but you just didn't want her to give it away only to regret it later. Offer to at least pay the postage. If she's not too far away why don't You and hubby take a weekend drive to visit grandma and he can break it down and you can bring it home yourselves. Of course, you first project should be something really special for her.

I would have been at her house so fast the dust wouldn't have settled until it loaded!LOL

Definitely contact her again - what if she gives it away to someone else! and the idea of visiting her is a good one, so is the idea of quilting her tops. Go for it.

Oh my gosh, you could tell her that if she was really serious you would cherish it and always think of her every time you used it!

Go call Grandma. Hurry!!!

I'd call her back and tell her you have thought about it and would be happy to give the machine a home AND when she has a top ready to be long armed to send it to you and you will happily do it for her. She very well may have found out it is not HER THING to use the machine and wants it to go to someone who will love it. You could offer to pay for the shipping or arrange to actually get someone to haul it for you.
If it happens you do get it, then make her a wonderful quilt and quilt it and send it to her or better yet, deliver it with a hug.

I think you should call her back and ask her if she really Thought it over aboutwanting you to have it. If she isn't using it than its doing her or the Longarm and good just sitting there. Offer to pay postage at least . Than make her a beautiful quilt and use the longarm to quilt it . Than send the quilt and maybe even a flower boquet as a HUGE thank you.

i am 70years old and i know it is harder to use some things. it is hard to learn new things the older you get and you don't get as much done. so maybe your grandma realizes all these things and wants someone to enjoy it. so i would say thanks grandma and if you ever decide you would like a quilt done i will do it for you.