Read this today and it brought a tear to my eye.
 

My niece recently had a new baby and I made a quilt. She was thrilled and said thanks and told me the new baby had been using the one I made for his brother 18 years before. That's how I want my quilts loved.

I think I am feeling as sad a you are..

That story illustrates why some quilters do not get the expected (or anticipated) heart-felt thanks for their gifts of a quilt and why some of them end up under the dog. Different people have different tastes. I would think that grandma was a true quilter who had the need to express her creativity in scraps. Would she be disappointed? Sure. But she would probably shrug it off and still keep making quilts.

It is a good example of how we need to evaluate whom we give quilts to if we want the quilts to be appreciated and used.

Just a few weeks ago I purchased an old, very used quilt for $1.50...... priceless treasure, well worn and still lovely, in the double wedding ring pattern. It is now on my couch for "couch potato days" for any and everyone to use. I feel as you do, hoping my children and grandchildren will cherish the hours and days I've put into those quilts.

My veteran brother in law asked me to make him a quilt a couple years ago......was happy to do so. Made the red and white pinwheel pattern with blue stars sewn on the edges for his service to our country. He said he was going to be wrapped in it when he passed; made my heart sing; he lives in an assisted living colony with his wife and has shown everyone there this quilt, he seems very proud of it and I feel blessed to have given it to him.

delma

How sad that the grandson let that happen. He's the one who has memories of his grandmother. I would have purchased the GFG, if not all of them.

I totally understand how you feel. When I go to thrift store with ex daughter in law I am so sad of all the afghans and home made items i there that it makes me very furious. I told my children and grandchildren not one piece of mine better make it there. It hurts to think people don't care enough for it.

So very sad indeed. Although any quilt I give is gifted without intentional expectations, a part of me always goes with them and there's that little twinge of hope that they will be used & cherished. I treasure my connections to the past, but I think its becoming more rare all the time in this throw away world. We just have to remember the joy we had in creating our treasures and the love we gave when we gifted them.

I hope someone picks them up who appreciates them.

It is sad that she doesn't appreciate them, but I kind of understand her having the yard sale and getting rid of them if she doesn't appreciate them. It kind of goes together--many have that mentality--that they are just "so much junk" and that they have to keep everything cleaned up and simplified/minimalistic.

Here's hoping that someone "quilt worthy" finds them and rescues them.

I would have purchased every one of those quilts. I would appreciate them, care for them, display and use them. That's too sad a story.

My DH likes to tease me and say he will sell my quilts in a garage sale when I'm gone but my daughter has a fit every time he says that. He really is proud of my quilts and shows them off when visitors come by. I think it's his connection to his family because they were all quilters.... no one in my family quilts but me. He loves my quilts, sleeps under one and sometimes two every night....... I can die in peace...... my quilts are safe.

I might have bought them all just to make sur they got a good home.

Oh I'd go buy them up in a heart beat!! the girl sounds like my DIL. but these days a lot of younger people want new and matching. nothing old. yuck. sigh!!

words so true. thought so well stated. i read so many laments re: the reception & use of quilts we put so much love & work into the making of. i think we, as quilters, need to step back, put down the needle - and think. when we shop for gifts for xmas, birthday or whatever special occassion for someone close or special. we put much (or at least i do) thought into intended recipients favorite past times, activities hobbies and interests - just to match the perfect gift w the target personality. and not all target personalities are quilt or afghan personalities. some enjoy their book without a cover for their knees. some cannot fathom staying still long enough for a covering for their knees.

Im so glad to see so many feel as I do! I know my quilts I give to my son and daughter in law and their 3 8 year old kids are loved. They went camping a couple of weeks ago and I asked if the sleeping bags kept them warm...their remark was "we had your quilts to keep us warm"...I cried! LOL. Also back in 1991 or so when I started quilting I made each of my older grandkids quilts, knowing they probably wouldn't keep them. Last week my oldest 26 year old granddaughter sent me a picture of her bedroom...I was shocked to see the quilt I had made her on her bed!!! she said she would never not have it. Shes had a tough life and I was so shocked that she kept that quilt and seemed to love it.. Little does she know that I had already made her a yellow/white one for this Christmas since its her favorite color!! I KNOW my family appreciates the quilts I make..and it makes me love them even more!

Very sad!!!!

I have one dauther who loves my quilts and another who gave away all the ones I made for her.
She has a cold house that has to be perfect like a magazine picture and not lived in.
Luckily she gave them to her ex husband who displays them in his living room.

I have a BIG tote full my mother-in-law quilt's in the sewing room [do realy have room for]. they have been well loved and used to the point that one more washing and nothing will be left but all the love she put in them. so here they sat takeing up space. what will I ever do with them. to much love to throw out and to little quilt to use. [ I guess that will be left for my kids.]

That just broke my heart, to think that Grandma had put so much into the quilts and be so unappreciated. I would have had to buy them all........gave them a good home........so sad. : (

How sad! I'd have bought every one of them, just to prevent them from ending up in the garbage if they didn't sell. Even my dh, who does not quilt, said he'd have known to buy every one of them.

This makes me so glad that my cousins & I grew up loving our Grandmother's handmade quilts. When she passed away we all "fought" over who got the quilts she had not yet given away. We all treasure our "Grandma quilts" - we were all raised to appreciate the love that went into each one.

Oh my, I would have brought them all home. I always do then I pass them on to someone who will love it.
I have so many quilts looking for the right home. I do hope my husband or daughter will gift them to those who will love them should I go to my reward before them. Then I have so many quilts my granny made and my moma made whom I taught how to make quilts, I pray someone in the family will carry them off to be loved as much as I loved them.

You just never know.
I visited my sister a couple of weeks ago. Had not been to her home for almost 15 years. (We live across the country from one another) Her daughter who is in her mid 20's is expecting her first child. I brought her a quilt and she loved it. I then mentioned that my work was a little better now than when I first started quilting and explainted to her the quilt that I had sent her mom when she was born and could only imagine how it probably fell apart after only a few washes. To my surprise, my sister went upstairs and came down with the little quilt that I had made for her daughter, raggetty seams and all, stains and the 4 corner yarn pieces still there that held the quilt together (no other quilting whatsoever to hold that thing together) My point is that you never know who will love and treasure your efforts, so give with all your heart and let your heart rejoice when you find out that it mattered to them that you made something.

Carole

My thoughts exactly.

This is why I am so careful as to whom I give any of my work. I know that my work may not be stellar but a lot of time, effort and creativity go into each one.

I made an envelope quilt for my niece when she had her first baby. It was mostly hand stitched and took me several years to finish as I had small children myself and didn't work on it for periods of time. It turned out to be a beautiful blanket and now that my niece has her own grandchildren , I asked the DIL if she got the baby quilt and didn't know what I was talking about so I asked my niece if she still had it and she said she did but took it down from the wall when she aquired DILs as she was not passing it on til she was ready to . She says it is HERS. So I would guess she appreciated it.

I was once young and dumb and felt the same way. Then I grew up and realized that a home needed to be warm with personal things, not cold like a magazine picture. Perhaps this young mother will some day grow up and regret letting go of the personal things.

Fortunately I was sentimental and just kept the personal things in a closet until I realized their worth.

It is hurtful when people don't appricate our quilts. But I think it is important to remember why we quilt. I quilt for the love of making quilts. My quilts are like my children that once sent out into the world have a life of their own. I have pictures and memoriess of each one and thats enough. The rest I have no control over.

Very well said!

I saw a small lap quilt at a garage sale, asked (very casually) how much it was. $2.00. I grabbed it! It was a panel, but the quilting was hand done and the theme was cats....I had to have it. No information about it, but I love that little piece of art and it is safe at home with me.

I, too, would have snapped up as many of those quilts as possible.

What a lovely story of a truly appreciative giftee. Thanks for sharing it with us.

I, too, have gotten rid of things I'd give anything to have back. When I was a child we lived in a very small house with no storage space and my mother encouraged me, I think, to pass things on that I'd outgrown or didn't use anymore. She was especially big on passing on toys, as she did my clothing, to younger cousins. During this time my paternal grandmother made and sold boy and girl cloth dolls. She dyed the body fabric herself, sewed and stuffed the figures and dressed the girl doll in a ruffled gingham dress with a white pinafore, and the boy doll in striped overalls, and a gingham shirt, all of which were handmade, of course. She embrodiered the faces and made the hair from yarn. She was an excellent seamstress and the dolls were beautifully and perfectly made. She let me choose which I wanted and I chose one of the boy dolls (premonition? I'm the mother of three sons!) I loved the doll and played with and admired it. But eventually I outgrew dolls and was encouraged (and was willing) to give it away to a younger cousin who still played with dolls. Now that I'm grown (more than grown!) and sew myself, I'd give anything to still have that beautiful doll completely handmade by my grandmother.

So now, of course, I keep too much of everything. Whoever said it's all about timing was absolutely right.

Brought tears to my eyes. A while ago my neighbor's niece made her a quilt. The neighbor is going blind and can see very little but has been learning braille. The niece has labeled the quilt in Braille through out the quilt with French knots (she also embroiders) She labeled the quilt in German because of their heritage and she has a very strong German accent also the neighbor. Any way my neighbor was running her hands over the quilt the other day and discovered different bible verses along the binding. I just thought it was a beautiful way to bind a quilt. A lot of love went into that quilt. Her niece also made a journal and took close up photos of the quilt.

Wow! This made me cry. I always think about how much time , effort and love that goes into a quilt.

I made a quilt for my sister and gave it to her for Christmas. She called a few months later and asked if it was washable - because her son "wet" it. I was thrilled. At least I know she's using it!

I have two daughters, both grown. Daughter #1 has a boy almost 3 and a girl 20 months. I made quilts for her two when they were born. To my knowledge, they never use them. Daughter #2 has a 5 and 2 year old and their quilts are used daily. The 5 year old has obviously out grown his but insists on sleeping with it every night. I plan on making twin size quilts for them all because only the girl is still in a crib and they need twin size. Hopefully they will use them, if not, it's their loss.

I've enjoyed reading the many good philosophical comments and confessions. I too must confess that I didn't have a mature appreciation of old things when I was young. Not until my late 50s early 60s. But my family had nothing handmade to hand down. My grandmother's quilts were used and their house burned when she was 85 and all was lost. I envy those of you who have family treasures. My mother traded her first sewing machine in for a new one in 1957, so I didn't get her first Singer 66 (I think). I do have her Singer 401 and I treasure it. Now, I'm quilting and I will wait until my sons and or wives indicate that they would like to have a quilt. I have made all my great-grands baby quilts and their mothers have been so thrilled and have taken pictures and posted on FB. (They are all scattered in the US and overseas)

I recently made an "original" quilt, appliqued to look like a child's drawing of flowers with each "flower" being a letter to spell out the girl's name, large sun, butterfly, a bee, lady bug, and caterpillar. It was a thank you gift to a single father (of a 3 yr old) Who recently did some major work for on my sick computer for FREE. He didn't even know me! I had hoped he would let Vivien use the quilt. Well, boy does she use it. It is her "cloak of protection" hiding under it from the cats and puppy or anything/one else that may be looking for her. Our mutual friend was recently at their home on a 95 degree day and said Vivien was wrapped in that quilt the ENTIRE time he was there. No matter what she was doing/playing, she was wrapped in that quilt. I was thrilled and could just picture this darling child enjoying her quilt. I hope she will love it for years to come.

Sad story! My DH loves even my charity quilts.

How on earth did she walk away. I'd have bought every single one of them--------up to my pocketbook yelling for help! Not really because they were cheap, but because they needed someone to love them.