Does anyone experience "separation anxiety" when having to finally give your finished quilt to the promised one?

Yes.

Nope. Just gave away a graduation quilt (the first of 4 this year). She cried, her parents cried, then she sent me flowers as a thank you.

Nope. My quilts are made to be enjoyed. They can't be loved sitting my closets.

Not yet! I'm always ready to start the next one! I love them all, but am glad to finish & give to the recipient!

Yep! I just mailed out the quilt I made for our new baby granddaughter. I'm almost as worried about it as I was about my teenage daughter the two times that she was late coming home from a date!! :shock:

(I'll be better when I know that it's gotten to it's destination!)

You betcha ya.

Not at all. I love giving them away. But, I do have separation anxiety when my machine is in the shop, as it is now.

Last weekend, I broke the wire to the foot pedal on my Bernina. Fortunately, I could take the Juki off the quilting frame and not miss a beat. Even so, it's like when one of your children is off on an adventure and you just can't relax until he or she is back.

I absolutely have this separation thing going. Not only when I make quilts for family because I can see them when I visit. But mostly the quilt tops I quilt for others and repairs I do. I so want to keep them sometime. But they go back where they came from and I take lots of pictures so I can look at them whenever. I take before and after pictures of the repairs too. Usually you cannot tell where it was mended or fixed. Proud of that.LOL. So I have an album quilts I made for others, quilts for myself, quilts I did for charities.

No. I like to keep a photo though. Love to see my quilts being used.

Me too!

That's a great idea. :) I have one that I'm probably going to give away (my first one to go out of here) and I'm having a wee bit of a problem. I was DEFINITELY giving it away before, and now I'm undecided.

But if it does go, I hope I take a pic of it!

The worst of all are the ones that leave the country and you will never see again! I made quilts for a couple soldiers a time ago and I know I will never see those quilts again. The soldiers made it home but the quilts didn't. They are hopefully being used well.
I just make sure I fondle, hug, and smell any quilt before it leaves my house.

Once I am done with them I can give them away with no problems. I just want them to be used and loved.

Not yet, I just dig in and do another.

Well, haven't promised anyone anything but am sure glad to fold it and put it away. If someone would ask for them, I'd show them the PILE. Bless yer heart, you made it yer baby.

Blessings,
Ruth

Sorta, but not really, I'm generally tired of looking at the quilt by time I'm finished with it. :|

Yes, I even had to buy one back from my guilds silent auction, I had learned so much on that quilt that I just fell in love with it, kind of like your first kid.

I had to laugh when I read the caption for this thread. :lol: I knew exactly what it would be about. YES! I'm having a hard time parting with several quilts I've made for others. One of them is for a young girl and I swear, if she didn't know I made her a quilt, I'd keep it for myself! I enjoy giving quilts away. They are a labor of love, but it's getting harder and harder to give them away without feeling a pang.

Nope, its liberating. I always have another waiting in the wings to get started. The only time I'm sad is if the receiver could have cared less. Then in my mind I plot ways to sneak into their house at night and swipe it back!

No. I love to finish things and giving it away is the final step in the process. I always feel like I have accomplished something great when I hand it over. And I am usually a little bored with it by them and looking forward to the next one.

No, I always get such a good feeling! AND I get to start a new one!

I have not gotten to this point yet . . . however, when my mom has an empty frame (she quilts by hand) she tends to have slight anxiety. She normally works on one in the frame AND pieces together another top so that she always has one in the frame :-)

Nope. I love to donate items I have made or give them away. Once that is done, I'm on to the next project.

I never experienced empty nest syndrome either. :roll:
Think there is a connection?

I have not made anything for myself as of yet... although I am working on a BOM row quilt with Lockleb here on the board, that will be mine to keep. I have enjoyed making the things thus far and giving away! It gives me great pleasure. I know I will make a quilt of scraps one day and possibly keep, but until then, I sew to give and it brings a smile when given and that is what makes me happiest! :)

I find that I "Bond" with each and every quilt for different reasons. I love to give them away. Out of all the quilts I have made I have kept my Memory Quilt (not to be used) and the Floating Stars, which I am not even done with yet. One quilt went to a baby born with Down Syndrome (our son's closest friend's first child) and my heart went with that quilt. Two other ones I made were for a raffle for the Susan G. Komen Three Day walk here in St. Paul, three others went to my grandchildrens first child (I don't know if I will be here to see my first great grandchild, but I wanted them to know I loved them and made a quilt for them). All the Quilts for Kids I have made, I say a little prayer that each child or baby (NICU size) will be healthy again and happy. I made one for my mother. That was the hardest (emotionally)...I gave it to her when she was 93. Last year. It was made with fabric she had given me, because it is hard for her to quilt now (bad back). I wanted her to know that I really appreciated everything she taught me....I didn't start quilting until I was in my late 50's. Been quilting nigh on to 14 years now.

I keep a diary of each quilt I make, the date I started, the date I finished, who it went to, why, what it was suppose to mean and then I break the bond and give it to the recipient with love.

It is my little "child" to care for and nurture until it is all "grown up" and then I send it on its way.

I think that is why I love quilting so much. Edie

I love each quilt I make - there is only one that I've given away that I really wish I could've kept - a blue/white one. All the others -I've enjoyed giving away because I made them for those people specifically. I love quilting!!

Yes. If the person doesn't appreciate all of the love and time that goes into quilting projects.I also take pictures to look at later on.

Not really, sometimes anxious to see if the recipient likes the quilt. Once I get one finished I am ready to get busy on another one. I always have several in progress.

I actually have separation anxiety when I pick a fabric from my stash and commit it to a quilt!!

Nope...I love to give them away.

I hadn't thought about it. But now that you mention it, maybe that's why I put off finishing them. Kind of like when your kids are ready to leave the nest and you want to keep them around a little longer. :)

No separation anxiety but I do keep a scrapbook with all the quilts that I make. I also have pictures of the receiver of the quilt enjoying it.

Not so much separation anxiety over a quilt; in my case it's using a fabric I've been holding on to. I tell myself that's what a stash is for, and there will always be something to replace it, but there are times when I really have to force myself to use a fabric I love.

I did at first but I know I can make another one so I have no problem giving them away.

Strangely , I never have seperation anxiety! Once I am done with a quilt I am really done ... I am just anxious to get started on the next. I guess for me it is the process that brings me the most joy.
I have made lots and lots of quilts ( over 30 years ) , but do not have any in my home. I also never sign or date them , I tell everone who gets one , That I expect it will be "consumed" ( ie used) in my lifetime. It would bother me to think all that work it just sitting on a shelf in someone closet , for the next generation who never knew me to finally use it or give it away or worse ( toss it in the dog bed).
I know many will find my attitute on signing differs from the main stream.

Yes - some are harder to see go than others. I make things I like, even when they start out for others. I do try to keep a photo, and often ask the ones I've given it to, to send me a photo of it in their house.

Oh, there are a few I've felt this way with! And it's sad to see the last of a good fabric go. :cry:

Quiltmom: I like the idea of having the recipient send a photo of the quilt as they use it!

I make a quilt every year to raffle off at our annual Sailor's Association reunion.. I really like the quilts I've made and did hate to give them up.. so I fixed that.. I just make two quilts alike.. one for them.. one for me... someday I'll give them all up and I won't care a bit!

This may sound crazy, but if you cut and sew two at the same time it doesn't seem to take much longer.. I know it does, but the time goes bye and I end up with a new quilt for my growing collection. Suites me.

I have no problem with quilts that I make for family members, but I recently made a quilt for an auction and I wonder about it quite often! I worked on it right up to the week of the auction, so I really felt the separation anxiety when the new owner walked out with it!

Sue

I've given over 30 quilts away to co workers...always a surprise gift and I get tear eye every time. Not because I'm giving the quilt away but because they are so happy!

Then I come home and start another one!