oh man,sniffing here too, now. Shes not been gone but a few months, so its still kinda hard to be without her. We were co workers together before I had to have open heart surgery, and she encouraged me during my convelescence .. i guess quilting is a way for me to surround myself with positive's now, because her quilt was one that made me decide I could make beautiful things.. the quilt photo i attached was the one I did for her..

My grandson in his early 30's asked if I could please make him another quilt. It seems the boat quilt I made for him when he was about 5 was so worn he had to pull it up very carefully or he could hear the threads breaking in the fabrics. HA! Now that's what you call a well loved quilt. Did he get another one, yes indeed, on the double!

It is so beautiful!! I can almost feel the love myself!!

thank you..

Ya'll are going to have me crying....
So on a lighter note:
Made a Q for new SIL and then were told it kept going missing, turns out her son, kept taking off with it, It was the greatest thing he'd ever slept in! So one year made one for him and his br. Let him pick the one he wanted, funny part was he picked the one, I thought he'd want. Am told he sleeps in it every night. Yes, that child will be kept in quilts for life !!!

We have had 4 exchange students & I made them each a quilt for Christmas while they were with us. The 1st boy was from Brazil & said that it would be too warm, but he wanted to hang it on the wall so he would think of me every day. The 2nd girl was from Germany. She asked me to teach her to quilt the first week she was here & she made a quilt to send to her parents for Christmas. When she opened the quilt I made for her, she could hardly talk because she was so surprised. She couldn't figure out how I made it without her knowing. In pictures she has sent since she went home (5 years ago), the quilt is still on her bed!

I made a memory quilt for a family that lost their son. I never heard how they liked the quilt until today. I went to visit the family and found it crumpled on the couch so they could snuggle under it and feel closer to Ryan. I almost cried it was my first quilt I made with pictures on it and I was not sure it was the best quilt I could have made them. Just to know they wrap themselves in it is thanks enough!

I made a quilt for a little girl who is my friend's granddaughter. The girl's mother sent me the loveliest card and she wrote "I can't believe that you would make a quilt for my family. I am very grateful." It is THE nicest thing anyone has ever said and I feel she truly appreciated the work and the love that went into it. I will always remember that.

Most everyone is appreciative and have good things to say but my most favorite is the Harley-Davidson T-shirt quilt I made for my son.

He loves it, he cherishes it and he talks about it to everyone....

would never make another but this one was worth every moment spent on it.

The lady who is the head of our dog section of the humane society I volunteer with was diagnosed with breast cancer. I made her a quilt with all different dog prints on it out of flannel. I didn't deliver it a good friend of hers did, I had just told her I was sending a small gift. She loved it and said This is a SMALL Gift?? Thank you so much ( she is not a demonstrative person) But every time I have to stop by her house it is over the back of the recliner she sits in. She has other health problems now due to the chemo but she is cancer free. For her to keep it out all the time and use it is the best thank you I could ever have. OH and her standard poodle Baxley tries to steal it LOL

I think what happened to me yesterday is the niciest. My son is in the hosopital undergoing chemo and a friend of his called and asked if she could come by for a little while she had a problem she needed help with. She came and she wanted me to teach her to paper piece, Of course I did,Then I got another call ,visit, and she wanted to know the difference between threads for hand applique and she said you do such beautiful work and everyone knows you will help them and can answer questions that come up. Did she mean that I was as old as Methusela or was talented by the Grace of God ? lol In thinking about it, I do get many people that ask my advice on quilting and hand work.

The fact that my family thinks that I can make anything and the way they come to me to "fix" something for them, and the joy of shopping with my GD who quilts with me and wants us to make ever quilt she has ever seen. The way my husband treasurers things I make for him. And then there's the "catty" side of me who has enjoyed seeing SILs drop their teeth when I took something they would have thrown away and made a good looking piece of clothing or decorative thing.

I had a wonderful compliment on the first quilt I ever gave away--which was the first quilt I ever completed. It was a baby quilt for my coworker's first baby. My coworker said it was to pretty to use, so she hung it on the wall in the baby's room!! Now the rest of the story. It was a "Trip Around the World" pattern, which is made from strips of small squares sewn together to make four huge pieces that are sewn together at the end. The main visual pattern is large diamonds. So as I was quilting it, I kept running into rectangle shapes instead of diamonds. Humm. Turns out I had sewn in one of the 4 big pieces wrong--it ended up sideways--and now I had a puzzle of rectangles and diamonds! To my horror, it is now hanging on a wall as a piece of art--and I now accept it as abstract art instead of the perfect diamonds it was meant to be.

When my husband proudly used his quilt in the hospital and told everyone that I made it. Made me feel that he was very proud of me. Also told me that I could not quit when I was extremely upset over the the last one and that I wanted to quit quilting it was not worth the tears and frustration. ( didn't really mean it). :D

I recieved a email from a person who's mom I sent a Angel and card to she was very ill. Seemsa her Mom loved the angel so much she wouldn't part will it.
The lady passed from her illness and the family put the angel in her hand to be buried with.
To know just the small act of kindness meant so much to her and her family was beyound any feeling I ever had debbie

After I moved from Washington State to New Hampshire, I sent a small quilt to a friend back in Washington. She sent a very nice TY note, then sent 2 TY emails over the next month. She told me she brought it to work and showed all her co workers and said that they all loved it. It made me happy to know that I picked just the right fabric and style for her.

My 7 year old grandson said the quilts I made for him are his "lucky blankets" he told his mom her wanted to call me to tell me that. It melted my heart.

"I don't think that it matters what type of block you use. It will look pretty. Anything you do is great."

I donated a king size quilt, the Texas lonestar, and I hand stitched it. Well in those BIG corners I decided to use a stipple stitch and some of the ladies swore I machine quilted it and gave it a good inspection. I replied "if your machine sews like this, you need a new one". I rec'd lots of compliments on it as we raffled it. We also made the most money for Project LInus as any of us previous raffles. Wahooooowhat a pat on the back. SInce then I donate one a year. LOL. Not to say this is the only compliment. I appreciate all the ones I get on this board too. Thank you fellow quilters. (HUGS)))))

I had made a crib quilt for a friend's new baby girl when we were both living in The Hague in 1989. We kept in touch over the years, with my friend sending photos of her daughter. Every night when her daughter was small and getting ready for bed with her quilt nearby, she would ask her mother to tell her about "the lady who made her quilt". It still makes me weep...tears of joy! :lol:

I've had some of my little college friends (classmates of my kids) say the same thing. :-D

I made a purse out of old jeans and every place I go people ask about it and every one wants to look it over.

I know what you mean. I gave a friend a quilt for her birthday and all she could say was, "Oh, Adrian!" Just that alone was enough for me.

I made a baby quilt for a friend at work. She called me and said "My husband said the quilt looks like something you would buy from Pottery Barn's baby collection".
Also, I make baby quilts for our nieces and nephews new babies. When our niece had her second baby she said she couldn't wait to see what I had made for her". Those compliments really make us feel good. Don't they?

I made my oldest daughter a quilt when she was 5 years old out of scraps I had from clothes I made for her. When she was 18 and headed to Smith College, she had packed it with her college stuff. I said, "Cara, you can't bring that ratty old quilt to school!" to which she said, "Oh yes I am!". The quilt went to college with her and she still has it (not on her bed, it's getting fragile) and would never part with it. That, to me, was the ultimate compliment.

Many of my family and friends have told me they love my quilts, but I think the admiration of a stranger was the nicest. I made a black and white and red throw for my Mom to use in the wheelchair when we went to Drs offices. One day a lady pushing her Mom stopped us and asked where I got the throw. When I told her I made it, with tears in her eyes, she said how much she wished she could make something so wonderful for her Mom.

I have a great granddaughter (Sara) who thinks everything I make is beautiful! She wore the quilted jacket I made for her last birthday (7), until it was up her arms! She steals her Mom's quilt I made, every chance she gets. I made her a quilt for her 8th birthday next month. When we were last together (she lives in MD), she took me to a quiet room and said, "I need to tell you something special MaMaw." She picked up my hand, put the palm to her lips and kissed it. Then as she put my hand over my heart, she said "Now, when you get sad or miss me, remember my kiss is on your heart forever..." I can hardly tell the story even now without tearing up and missing her..

Jeannie in GA

When I was a young widow with four children, needless to say we didn't have a much money. One year for Christmas I made my son, who was 9 or 10 at the time, a corduroy jacket. He is now a very success businessman who has traveled worldwide. He recently told me that the best gift he ever got in his life was that blue jacket.

I gave my 8-yr-old granddaughter a quilt for Christmas last year, and she told me it makes her sleep better!

Funny you should ask this. I held up the almost finished July Doll quilt for my husband to see and he said, "That's beautiful. Is that one you made? You can't give it away, I'm your Secret Pal or partner this month. You have to make me one. I want to hang it up in my office." Geesh, honey, you want one that bad I'll make you one. It is patriotic so guess as a veteran he really liked it.

Two weeks ago my DS was here and I showed her some of my most recent projects. I think she said something like, "These are yours? You sewed these? When have you found time to do these? Their beautiful and the stitching and colors are wonderful." She can be very negative and critical at times so made me feel good.

When I handed my first 9 block to my mother,, she smiled and with a lump in her throat, said" Danyl, thank you,,,, it is perfect"... even though I could see the mistakes,, she said they were not mistakes,, they were lessons learned for future quilts,, and she also hung it up and showed it off to everyone,, ( she was an avon seller at that time) and her customers loved it,,, it was the fact,, that even with the "lessons learned" my mother did not care,, it was because I made it all from my hands,, and that she loved it,, and to get my mother to cry,,wow,, thats an achievement!!! LOL!!!

The story of the daughter taking her quilt to college reminded me of something I had completely forgotten.
When my granddaughter was about 3 she decided there was a christmas quilt she liked nothing special it was a cheater. Any ways she took it home with her and carried it everywhere. It started to fall apart and she picked out fabric to make a new front it went right over what was there. About 3 years ago it was at the point where it was ready for the trash. I told her I would make her a new one. NOPE! this one had to have a new front and back with the old stuff inside. It is now on her college bunk. LOL Horrible looking thing but she loves it. She is 16 now just that age when everything has to be just so. So yeah that makes me feel good now that I think about it. lol

Me, too. :D Translation: "You're a man, how could YOU make anything like this?" :lol: :lol: :lol:

I think the best reaction I've gotten was when I gave my best friend a quilt that I had made for him. He just immediately hugged me in a full hug, and he's not normally a real huggy person.

My Mother loved Light houses. For her Birthday I machine embroidered 12 different light houses on light purple fabric with a deep purple fabric that had silver threads in it as a spacing fabric. I looked up the history of each light house and made her a book to go along with the quilt. She called me when it arrived so she could open it while I was on the phone with her. When I sent it to her I tape the box with so much tape it took her 10 minutes to open it. She teased me so much about all the tape calling me her "rotten daughter" When she finally got the box open and saw her light house quilt,(after her sharp intake of a breath) Mother said. "I love You, This is the most beautiful quilt I have ever seen. I Love it so much."
Mother kept the quilt on a chair in her living room so whoever came in her front door would see her quilt.
I lost Mother August 24, 2009. I now have her quilt and the memory of knowing that her "rotten daughter" wasn't so "rotten"
So the nicest thing that was ever said to me was "I love you"

My family has quilted for generations and I finally started in my 40's. It was probably my third or fourth quilt and when I showed my mom she said that my great grandmother would have been proud of the job I'd done.

Years ago I made a tied panel baby blanket for a neighbor who had just had a little boy. When he was 17 I was at her house and saw her pull it out of the laundry. I asked, "Is that the blanket I made for Bryan?" She said, "yes, it's still in the laundry every week. He has never slept without it although now he wraps his pillow in it."

I made a fleece blanket for my daughter right before she was born. She (11) still sleeps with it every night.

When I made my Frames quilt and started using it as my avy the response was overwhelming! There were 4-6 boardmembers pm'ing me EVERY DAY asking for the directions. So finally I posted them on a thread so that everyone had access to it. I'm still getting 3-5 a week. Since all of you are fantastic quilters yourselves I feel quite honored that so many of you have liked my quilt.

Oh My goodness... you have brought me to tears.... what lovely stories you all have.

Personally, mine was another "did you make this" said in complete surprise! Still.... I look to the day that I make a quilt that somebody will treasure!

Hugs

Mine are my daughter's call when she received her quilt for her 28th birthday. Telling me how she got out her other two quilts (8th and 16th birthday)to show her big city friends and asking how much I would charge them for one. She must have said she loved it five times. I wasn't home and even though her bd was last Aug. the message is still on my machine.
The other is my brother. I gave all siblings a quilt for Christmas. They all seemed to really like them. But, brother Den had tears running down his face as he told his wife he had to find a special place for it.

My husband is a man that doesn't like much of anything. He's just one of those very unhappy people that carries years of baggage on his soul. I made him a quilt a year ago out of fabric with vintage airplanes on it. The one thing that he really does like if flying RC planes. Although he didn't say much at the time he sleeps under it every night and uses the matching pillowcase too. I guess sometimes it isn't the words......


Also, I must admit that seldom to I read every post on a thread. I did the one that Marsye started about us all posting pictures of ourselves so that we could put faces with names but other than that I don't usually. This thread I did. I read each and everyone while the tears flowed. And even though I did a lot of crying, thank you all for the posts and heartwarming stories.

I, too, have a best friend battling cancer. I'm not the fastest quilter but managed to do a charm lap quilt in four days before I was going to see her for a visit. She was thrilled and later told me she takes it with her whenever she goes in for chemo because the room is so cold. I couldn't ask for a bigger compliment.