i only make quilts for those whom i know very well. thus, i know what they like, what they need, and if they'd want it. of course, this does not include charity quilts.

I am often overcome by bouts of inappropriate generosity and I have made baby quilts for people I barely know - like the woman I met at WalMart who definitely needed something for her baby's car seat. As we chatted about her newborn I told her I make car seat quilts and would love to make one for her for free. She gave me her address and a week later I mailed her the quilt.

When I give comfort quilts I don't ask but when making a bed quilt I ask if they want one and let them help pick out the pattern and colors.

I've only gifted to family members or donated to charity (mostly teenagers at children's hospital). I would rather ask someone if they would like them, than surprise them and see it at their garage sale in the summer.

Until you start making stuff and gifting it, you don't realize that a lot of people do not like handmade stuff or simply have a different life style that does not include quilts. Perhaps they simply have too much stuff. By asking them first, you avoid an awkward situation. That said, you KNOW people who love surprises and are appreciative. My former boss adored the wall quilt I gave him. He only brought it home to show his wife and then put it up in his office (no kidding!). I had not quilted all that long at the time, but you sure could tell he appreciated it! The quilt was similar to poster ArtsyOne's avatar.

I made a quilt for my in laws a couple of years ago and I have never seen it on their bed. I know my family appreciates hand made things but not many of my dh's relatives. My bil in Kansas would appreciate them and I am thinking about making one for my neice who is getting married in Sept. I am thinking about writing her and asking her for three colors that she would use in her decorating. I will then keep it pretty simple.

Ditto that!!!!!!

I absolutely love making quilt, crochet afghans, tie blankets. I make them and give them to family and then a lot to charity. Through my daughters work she finds me also anyone she feels needs a pick me up from cancer patents to whatever illness. It is fun and rewarding plus I have more blankets than my whole city. LOL but I love making them.!so if you ever get a abundance overload check out charity's or come join me to give to the homeless, battered women and foster children. Happy sewing!

I surprise the receiver.

I have only just started quilting, and wasn't sure what I was going to do with the chicken quilt, but then after thinking on it a bit, I realized that the perfect person to give this to would be my best friend growing up, who I haven't seen in almost a decade, and I recently found out that she moved to Alaska :( I know, my own fault for not keeping in touch, but as life sometimes turns out, we simply took different roads. But I think of her often, and want her to know that I remember doing her chores with her (feeding her chickens) after school, and it's just perfect for her. I'm glad it occurred to me to gift it to her.
#2 is for my son (his design) and is almost done...DH hasn't picked out a pattern/color yet, so I'll start working the Origins Watercolor that I bought on impulse...not sure what'll happen to that, but probably gift it to somebody...I like making things, but don't always have a use for them myself, so will gift it however it seems appropriate.
Have a doggie themed one on the back burner if I can get the pattern out of Blankquilting.com...will gift that to my coworker, and don't care how she uses it...cuz she has a little menagerie at home all with personalities...I love hearing her stories, so if it ends up "going to the dogs" I'm totally ok with that. It's a gift.

I sometimes have a recipient in mind when I make a quilt, other times as I see it going together I determine that it "just looks like it should be for . . ." And still other times I want one for a specific purpose and look through my UFO and WIP stack and decide that a particular top is just right for that recipient. For me it is a combination of factors based largely on knowing the person ( or situation) and intuition mixed with availability. Some people have to wait for their turn to get a quilt because "the right one " for them just hasn't happened yet.