I'm sorry she did that. I have a SIL that doesn't appreciate hand made gifts. I don't give her anything.

You can adopt me I would love a quilt from someone else. I would appreciate the work.

I made one for my Great neice who lost her Dad 2 years ago she is now 17 She was so excited that she hugged it all day and slept with it last night. All worth the effort.

My dl I give her all kinds of things and she never responds but make sure I see her in them or the kids.
one never knows.

I know the feeling so mad at my daughter ex as he has never asked abouit my husband who was gravely ill fo the past month
I returned all of his xmas presents and he showed up for diner and again never asked about my husband. Asked to borrow his truck for wood pellets. The only reason I said yes was because of the kids. Cant burn bridges. It didin't mean I could not be bruned up.

I really find that not everyone is worthy of receiving a quilt. I only give to those who appreciate the time and effort put into my quilts and I don't give to those that do not value homemade things. When you put so much effort into a quilt, it is hard not to take it personally when the recipient is not as excited to get it as we are when we give it, so therefore I do not set myself up for the disappointment. This year I was fortunate enough to actually sell a quilt to a friend of mine to give to her mother for christmas. I only charged her for the cost of the materials, but in the end she was so happy she ended up paying me twice the amount than was asked for. I have to say that really made my day. She called me christmas day after watching her mom open it, her mom was so thrilled she was in tears. It was worth every stitch!

I gave lap quilts to the younger neices and nephews this year also Back in October the fifteen year old neice was here and stated that she didnt want one so----------- I didnt make her one Why waste my time----- At my mother's she got a present from her parents that she had to open in front of me-------- In that package was a sewing machine and gift card for fabric She had decide she didnt want a quilt I had made but one I taught her to make -----Made me cry she did

A few years ago my BIL retired. I asked his wife what he would like for a retirement gift. She said a picture for their cabin as they were going to be spending a lot of time there after he retired.

At the time i kind of questioned that. My husband (his brother) suggested I make a wall hanging instead of buying a picture. So , stupidly , I did. It was all hand applique, an outdoorsy scene, lots of hours and work went into it. It had a really nice label to commemorate the occasion.

When we gave it to him, he was obviously less than impressed, totally underwhelmed. I was embarrassed by his reaction. Just when I thought I couldn't feel more diminished, he came up to me with two fancy, expensive camping chairs he had received from a friend and said, "look, Janie, this is what a retirement gift should be"

I would kill to get that wall hanging back. They have since sold the cabin and don't camp anymore so I wonder where the chairs are.

Now I am very careful about who gets my work. Besides quilting for my kids and grandkids, I get the most kick out of sewing for the preemies who never complain about their quilts. The hospital staff is always so appreciative when I show up with my donations.

Two of my adult daughters got twin shabby chic quilts for Christmas and they both loved the quilts. I have a larger family and this will probably be the last quilts they get untill they get married and I hope to do wedding quilts for them. The colors were very light blue , creme and pink Moda Martinique. I thought the quilts looked a bit for younger girls but they loved them. The quilts are slightly different in color scheme and layout but it is not very noticable. Both of these older daughters quilt and the one behind is an excellent master quilter but they still wanted more quilts made by mama. I guess I should be happy that my children love the quilts I make. I can not get them done fast enough.

If everyone knew the time and love put in to making a quilt I think they would appreciate them more. although some people just don't see it. If it's not a Iphone,xbox, or hd Tv they don't see it. I gave homemade gifts to my brothers and thier wifes small gifts but times have been hard on my family this year as my brothers all own their own tile business and housing is just not going here in Texas so I thought just something would help make them know that we still have each other. Two of my sil's love their gift and thanked me and worn their reading shawls all evening the other ask what is it? When I told her she put it in her bag and never said a word. But I still felt good about it and thought to my self it's a true gift if given from the heart and not for the praise. The quilts you all gave are filled with love and believe me their is one who knows that.

Last October I asked my brother and sister-in-law if they'd want a handmade quilt. My brother's response: "We already have too many blankets". So I didn't bother to make him one. I have given them a wall hanging last year and my sister-in-law said "This is so pretty, you should make some more and sell them", which I said, "I make quilts for loved ones, not to sell them". I haven't seen the wall hanging anywhere in their house.
I have given quilts to in-laws, cousins and friends, they use them a lot, so I'm very pleased.
I made one for DH, as soon as we have remodeled the bedroom, we will have it on our bed, that's for sure.

My daughter and hubby loved the quilt I made for them. I am not sure if they liked the back or the front the best, but were happy they could use it both ways. I didn't get granddaughters done, but made her a nightgown with long bloomer and she was ready for bed by 6:30 pm. Came down with them on to show them off! Guess she like them!

dont feel bad i have 3 neices and made quilts for each one of them it took me a couple of years to get the 3rd neices quilt done due to it was a strip quilt and had many peices i had made sure i finished it in time for her birthday as a joke i had wrapped it up in a potatoechip box and handed it to her asking her if she would share the bags of chips with everyone when she opened the box she saw tissue paper and asked whats this i told her she needed t move the paper and look under there was the quilt that took me so long to make because of perfection and all the hand quilting when she took it out of the box she opened it up looked at it and proceeded to look at me and say finally . you finally got around to making me a quilt she then shoved it back into the box and set it down on the floor and walked away i was in shock not only by hearing this from her she is not a little girl either 16 to be exact and i thought it was so special of a quilt because i had entered it in to the local fair and the quilt took first place for a peiced quilt and a best of the best ribbon i thought it was a very special thing that i even put the ribbons the quilt won in with the quilt boy talk about a smack in the face so i do know how you feel my dear all the work time ,designing and choosing the perfect colors and patterns for a special present to someone who means so much in your life i am sorry

I would ask hubby, 'why aren't you sticking up for the quilt I made for your mother?' I would not let the situation pass.

I just made lap quilts for my cousin's 3 Grandchildren ages, 2,7 & 8. here is a picture of them after they got them...I also got a phone call from them and they all told me they love them.
my cousin told me that little miss Bella Boo drags hers with her everywhere and the boys love to wrap up in them when they are watching tv.

I always read topics like this with interest, since it is my goal to make each of my immediate family members a quilt before I leave this world. I've finished 4, and it seems that they liked them. I just hope everyone will appreciate them; but at least I will have had the pleasure of making them and gifting them. It's their loss if they toss them away. I told my brothers if they don't like them, please return them and tell me what they would like. Might as well have something they'll use!

I am flabbergasted by some of the reactions to receiving quilts that I have seen on here. I have only encountered ONE such reaction in my circle of family and friends. My older sister was taking her final vows as a Benedictine nun about 2 years ago. I asked her if she'd like me to make her a quilt and she was like "no that's ok" which floored me. My younger sister called her and I don't know what the conversation was, but Older sister called back and said she would love to have something I made. Everyone else in the family has been thrilled with the quilts I have made for them---even the 18 yr old who got one as a graduation present this last May. I made it for his dorm in college and backed it in flannel since he would be in Northern Texas. His thank you note said "It will keep my frail little body warm in the dead of winter" I laughed and laughed (He is just a skinny little TX boy!) He took it away to his room and I thought he didn't like it, but as it turned out, he made everyone go to his room to see it!
This past weekend, I gave my friends' 5 children (ages 2-8) each 2 pillowcases and the girls got a purse and the one boy got a colored pencil case that rolls up, all of which I made and they were delighted. By their reaction, you'da thought I gave them an Xbox!
I am grateful to have family and friends that appreciate this talent God gave me!

when she took it out of the box she opened it up looked at it and proceeded to look at me and say finally . you finally got around to making me a quilt she then shoved it back into the box and set it down on the floor and walked away
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Personally, I would have been tempted to pick it up and stick it back in my own stuff and take it home. NO one in my family would be allowed to do something like that. And should any of my kids have ever done that they would have been taken to a room with a closed door and given some good advice by me or DH.

I have made quilts for close family members and they were very appreciative. I am very skeptical on making quilts for others. I have two friends I want to make a quilt for but I know they would appreciate them. I have heard from so many people that when they give a quilt it is not appreciated. Also there are people that will not give a quilt away ever again. Some say like others when I die kids can give them away. I hope to be in heaven and hoping people will like them once I'm gone.

I guess it happens to all of us at one time or another. We want to share our love by making a quilt & i've come to the conclusion that maybe we 'love' more than they do. Maybe we care for that person more than they care for us. If they really cared, they would know & appreciate what we, you or any of us put in the making of the quilt. I use to make quilts & give them as Christmas presents but several of them fell into the hands that didn't care & I just don't do it anymore. I call myself a quilter & a quilt collector! I quilt & I keep what I make now! No one appreciates them near as much as we do & IF they do I figure let them fight over them when I die! I probably have about 20 quilts around the house that I've made & I probably have 20 more I want to make. Most of my friends that know me know that it is my love & passion. But those that don't take the time always ask the same question "how many quilts do you need" I say "All of them"

I made my 24 yr old granddaughter a dachhound quilt for Christmas. Others that know her told me that she would love it. Today is Sunday and I haven't heard a thing from her. I called her yesterday to ask if she had received her pkg., but have had no response. She used to have a dachhound and told me she missed him. At this point, I don't know what to think. I really put my heart into it. Maybe she is out of town.

That's the spirit! The gift is for the grandchild, not her. Be sure to put a label on it too.

I made Daughter quilts for my two grown daughters. They both cried. I think they liked them.

I know. It is hard because we obviously make them with the recipient in mind and it hurts when they don't appreciate. I guess the reward comes for within us when we are making them.

I've always gotten good reactions for my quilts. We were always encouraged to make gifts for each other.
Gave one to a niece for a wedding gift, received a very nice thank you note, six months later they bought their first home and I received a letter saying they were decorating their bedroom around the quilt.
My brother asked me to make a quilt for his wife. She wanted to make one but has MS and has lost fine motor control. When I asked her what design and colors she wanted she said Split Rail and every color. I used the color order of a color wheel and did the colors on the diagonal. It looked like a rainbow. She told my mom that no one had ever made anything so beautiful for her before.
My grandson is 5 and has 3 quilts. (Only one grandchild so far.) He loves and uses them all. Whenever he sees a new quilt in progress in my sewing room he asks if it is for him. He wants another one.

I also have received mixed reactions. But I will always keep in my heart my 8 yr old grandsons reaction. He was amazed. He sleeps with his quilt, under his covers, mind you, every night. He tells me he can not go to sleep without his quilt. I beleive " Whats made by the hands,comes from the Heart". Someday, your gifts will be appriciated. Give it time.

It's not really their place to say (in my book anyways). I would send it off to the child's parents with a little note saying you made a special gift for their special baby.

I started quilting two years ago and to date I have not kept a quilt I have made yet! I have been fortunate to have given the 10 I have made and had all happy and excited responses. I of course, have not made them for family members that don't thank me or acknowledge gifts given in the past. I have enjoyed making all of the quilts and have stack of future quilts I want to make and one of these days I will have a stack that is all my own and not for anyone else. I have loved making them!

I know the feeling they all act different the first time I kinda got upset. but I bet thier butts are under them when it's cold!

My mom doesn't want want me to make a quilt for her. I would love to but also want to honor her wishes. I am making her wallhanging though. That's a start. She lives in a cold part of the country which is why I can't understand her reaction. She may get one anyway!!! I may be underwhelmed by her reaction, however, but I am prepared for that.

I am so sad to hear that some of your gifts were not fully appreciated if for nothing else, the sheer amount of work that you lovingly put into each one.

I am so blessed with a family that has waited patiently each year for their turn. This year was the last (youngest) nephews. Since they were for boys, I really did not expect the joy that was expressed! My 21 year old nephew who is the shyest thing I've ever been around had the biggest grin on his face as he explained to everyone what all the cars were on his quilt. My 18 year old nephew kept his in his lap and every time I looked at him, he was examining some part of it that he just discovered. He kept commenting that he remembered this or that about his. His mother cried all evening. But the best reaction of all was the 5 year old who wanted them all! His had a combination of cars and Thomas the engine and his eyes were like saucers as he rubbed his hands over it and then laid on the floor under it.

Lastly my niece was given her completed top only (Hawaiian Star) and she, her mother and my middle sister all cried. I hated that I couldn't finish it and that I had to take it back. But she said she was so excited now that she had seen it that it was ok to wait for her anniversary.

I say it every year, but this was the BEST Christmas ever!

30 some years ago I made baby quilts for many of my nieces & nephews. Several of the kids still have their quilts and love them very much. I have had to repair them several times. One of my nieces was afraid to show me her quilt because it was so well-worn. When she finally gave it to me to repair, it was so thread bare it looked like just warps on a loom. The original quilts were tied & appliqued with bunny appliques hence they are now called 'bunny quilts'. They request those quilts for all of their children and even their husbands. I have made pieced quilts but quit giving them to the kids because they didn't use them - they 'saved' them for good. The bunny quilts are well used every day.

I finally heard from my 24 yr old granddaughter in WA. I have made her a dachhound quilt. She hasn't got her pkg yet. So I feel much better. I sure hope she likes it.

I made 2 wall hangings and one quilt for my DH's family this year for Christmas. His oldest daughter married in June and a week later his parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, so I made autograph quilts for both of them. We drew his younger sister's name for gift giving and I made her quilt to commemorate our trip to Hawaii last February. They were all pleased with their gifts :-D I'd like to make one for a dear friend, but her mother had one made for her (lap size) and she thinks it's a waste :-( so no quilt for her.

I made my sister's 3 year old granddaughter a throw quilt for Xmas with a pink Flower Fairy panel in the centre. Gave it to my sister last week to give to her. Got an email back on Xmas Day to say,

" Emerson promptly sat down with it after seeing it was a pink fairy, and wrapped it round herself. Then got out the humongous bean bag, pulled the quilt over her, and said she was staying there for the day!"

Think that is one quilt that will be loved to death.

I gave three quilts to granddaughters for Christmas ages ranging from 2 to 13.....the 2 yr old was so over joyed and happy with her quilt, the other 2 yr old was more happy with the pillow pet we gave her and the 13 yr old was so happy, she loves her quilt!!!!!! sure makes me happy!! more quilts to make, we have 15 grandchildren!!!! Life is good. Happy New Year everyone!!!! :lol:

My first quilt was a wedding quilt for my niece. Her response was a tepid thank you and she didn't even take it out of the box. There's a lot of negative history there and I was trying to rebuild the relationship. It didn't work. A waste of time and effort and a disappointment.

On the other hand, my MIL was overwhelmed with hers for Christmas and a coworker with hers when she retired. Below is my sons' reaction to theirs. I am thankful my quilting efforts are appreciated by those who matter to me.

I got mixed reactions, too. Some reactions were expected; others were surprising. :?

DH's mother loved her quilt, but I figured she would. DH's sister's family loved the tablerunner & potholder set we made for them. I was pleasantly surprised with her enthusiastic reaction. :) DH's brother's family didn't say a word about their tablerunner/potholder set. They just unwrapped it and set it aside. No surprise there. (They never bring gifts for anyone else, not even a simple card. They come in, open their gifts, and leave. Honestly, it gets OLD, but that's a whole 'nother story.)

My mother and sister said they liked their quilts (they requested them), but I got the impression they were just being polite. Keep in mind that they also wanted to discard all the handmade quilts and afghans that my grandmother (Momma's mother) made, not caring a thing about them. Maybe I'll be wrong, but it wouldn't surprise me if my quilts are treated like "any old blanket" ... or worse ... sold at a yard sale. It's happened before, with other handmade items. :evil: So, yeah, I'm disappointed in their reactions, but not surprised.

My sister's son didn't say much when he opened his quilt, but told me the next day that he slept with it, and that it was very warm. Her step-son and step-daughter chimed in and said they slept with theirs, too. That made me happy. :)

My dad's reaction surprised me. I give him something handmade every year, and normally he's thrilled with it. This year, he unwrapped the quilt, which I had folded inside out. He commented that the back was pretty, thinking it was the front. He realized that he needed to unfold it, and saw all the RV's and little camping scenes on it. He loves camping, and the hard-to-find camping fabric costs a small fortune! But all he really said was that I have too much time on my hands, and put the quilt back into the packaging. I asked him a little while later if he liked it, and he said he did, but didn't act very enthusiastic about it. Not sure what to think.

Now that most of my family has a quilt from me, I think I'll concentrate more on charity quilts instead of making additional quilts for less-than-appreciative family members.

DH's mother and sister are on the "quilt-worthy" list, though. :)

This has been the most interesting thread! The only family members my DH and I exchange gifts with are my brother and his wife, my DH's family lives too far away so we just make phone calls and visit every year. My SIL is a master quilter but doesn't do small things so if I do table runners or toppers or placemats, I usually let her pick the ones she wants. I did make a quilt for a friend once and she loved it and I made a quilted jacket for another friend and she still talks about how wonderful it is so at least I'm 2 for 2! About 90% of my quilting is donated to charities.

I gave my mil and fil one two years ago. I have only seen on her bed once. She had the rattiest comforter on her bed on Christmas Day and mine was no where to be seen.

Mary and others,

i used this youtube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sipzCAflJQ8

it appears to be based on this coaster design
http://www.allsorts.typepad.com/alls...ross_coas.html

I guess the 10" size is for those precut fabric packs out now. I used 9 1/2" because i have a cutting square that big and am too lazy to use a larger square to cut the 10" size. if i could find a 9" one i'd use that instead. my mil loved her everyday ones and my sil loved hers too. along with her vanilla frappe fingerless mitts i made her.

and while we are on potholders here is a link to 28+ so you will have it all in one place to check out in the future.
http://tipnut.com/potholder-patterns/

hope this helps! now i'm off to pack for our week away to northern florida. alas, that is COLDER for us and i'm wondering how i will get by with just two pairs of long pants.

have a marvelous day all
denise/deBRAT in tampa bay florida

I made a quilt for my daughter & her husband for Christmas this year. She had picked out the pattern & fabric last CHristmas & had seen the quilt top finished. When they opened it, all I got was "Thanks mom. Now we'll have to rethink the colors we want in our bedroom" I was hurt by her reaction. After reading these posts, I feel better.