Learned a lesson along the way and that's that everyone doesn't have my same tastes. When I make a quilt it's because

I have felt that disappointment where the recipient just doesnt "react" to the gift. Its disheartening. :( I gave a quilt to my parents, havent heard a word about it... I dont expect tons of kudos and adoration, but I guess I expected something.

I'm not offended. When someone gives me something, I like it because they gave it to me. I don't always like 'the thing' itself. Even if I don't always display it, I try to have it on display if that person visits me. It's just a nice thing to do.

because what?
In answer to the topic title question... It depends on what it is. Yes, I do get a little offended if I make someone a quilt and they just fold it up and toss it in the back of there closet and never use it. I'm not offended if it is not prominently displayed in their home, because I know my tastes are different from other peoples :)

So true! I gave a quilt to my quilter friend, and she was sooooo excited! And she is always excited to see my projects and new fabric.

I was offended only once. I knitted two baby blankets for my ex-brother-in-laws wife. She opened it, my ex-husband said immediately "Sue made those", and she pulled them out, looked at them breifly, and said .... wait for it ....

"what? no money?"

Needless to say I never did like the bitc ... person.

:) that last sentence made me smile.. :):)

once i let it go- i don't worry about it i've never given a quilt to some one who didn't when they saw it said at least "Oh, wow, thanks" as they tossed it aside to open something else= or what ever. and that's enough- what they do with it from there is up to them. i did find out about an unhappy sister in law once- i went to her and asked why she didn't like the quilt-
it was not that she didn't like it -- it was i had made a quilt for their big overstuffed leather sofa---she really wanted a bed quilt--
problem solved. I've never seen either quilt since i gave them years ago- but sometimes i hear something from someone about one of them.:)

I think it kind of depends. I made quilts for my kids for Christmas and my daughters use theirs all the time. I have no idea about the one I made my son and DIL. He was showing me some stuff he had done in the master bath and the quilt was no where to be seen. Maybe they use it, but maybe not, they are very minimalist in their decorating so who knows. But yes, that did bug me a bit, but of course I didn't say anything.
I didn't hear whether my FIL liked the quilt I made him for quite awhile, but my husband said he asked and I guess he has it with him all the time. The nurses have to put it on him in his chair and over his bedding at night. It has become a sort of security thing I guess. That makes me happy.
You want your work to be appreciated. I think most of the time it is, but not always in the way you expect.

no i'm not offended, it means i didn't give them a gift that suits their taste, style, or lifestyle.

its not their fault, its mine for not putting more thought into their gift.

they are grateful for the gift and i always get a thank you and more often then not a thank you card but if it doesn't get hung or used then i know i went wrong some where along the line.

i typically ask them but i also have very up front relationships with the people i give quilts to and can ask for truthful feedback because i don't want to make something wrong for them again or give them a quilt at all if they don't like them.

i'm an artist and all my friends are artists so we understand critique and don't take it personal.

if you have an open relationship with these people you might just ask them whats up and ask that they tell you the truth but that means not getting upset if you don't like their answers.

I try not to be offended. Once I give it to them, it's up to them what they do with it. However, they might not receive another gift! :)

I only feel offended if they don't even respond at all. I don't expect lavish praise (although that is nice of course) but I do expect the common courtesy of at least saying thank you for a gift...mind you I said I expect it--not that I always get it.

I ONLY give a quilt for a gift if I know for certain that they will appreciate it. I will try to stay with the colors they like as well.
I did give a full size quilt to my mother because she acted like she absolutely loved it...it looks so lovely on the top shelf in her closet!!!

Once I give it, it is theirs. They can use it, display it, store it, let the cat sleep on it, give it away as a gift or sell it! That's why I don't personalize anything with names/initials. Life is too short for me to worry about it. I had so much fun making it, if someone else likes it too, that's just gravy.

I have to admit it hurts my feelings if it's not displayed! It may not be right, but I do!

I'm going to give the same response as in another topic, in case my answer sounds familiar. When my grandson was born, I made him a quilt. When we went to my son's home, I didn't see the quilt anywhere. In the crib was a store bought quilt. After several visits to his home and never seeing the quilt used, I assumed the parents didn't like or appreciate the quilt. Was I offended? No, just a little hurt. I thought at least they would bring the quilt out when we came to visit.

I had the experience of doing a quilt that I was going to give to friends as a house warming gift when they moved into their new home. I always take my quilts to the local coffee shop and she was in the group to look at it. Her comment was that she could never use it, because it was too short for her. The quilt was 72 inches long, and she is about 5 ft 3. And I even went so far as to say, that she could get used to the size, but she just said again, it was too short. I had planned on giving it to her that morning, and needless to say, I brought it home. It laid around here for a month or so, and then I thought of an elderly friend, who is in assisted living, so I gave it to her. And now that was one very happy lady, and I was too, because I know that she really appreciated it. Her bed was getting changed the next day, and she was having it put on her bad as the top cover. It went to a good home. So I understand about wanting to know that your quilts are going to a good home. It is like a child, because you have put so much love into it.

When I make a quilt for someone I don't want it "displayed", I want it to be used. I'd rather it be in a bunch on the couch showing it is used than folded neatly over a chair.

My sentiments exactly! It IS fun to make them and I do the best I possibly can but by the time I've had the fun of finding the perfect pattern, shopping for the fabric, cutting it out, piecing it, hand quilting it and binding it I'm usually over it anyway.

Back in my jewerly beading days, I gave my sis a sweater that I had added a beaded trim. She called me a when she got it and said it was too big. No way I could take it in to make it smaller. Then she said she took it into the office to show everyone how beautiful (pat on the back here) it was. A lady who is ...bigger... than my sis offered to buy it and she wanted to know if it would be alright to let it go. I just started laughing and told her of course she could sell it. Once a gift is given, it's given. To love or hate or even...sell! Oh, yeah. I made her promise to tell me what she did with the money!!!

Nope - once I've given it the person can display or not. However, my GOM got really upset once because one of his sisters returned a quilt to him, saying she didn't want it because it wasn't "her" colours. Shame, and it was a really pretty floral quilt. He did the floral thing thinking it was more feminine and spent quite a lot of time on it. Fortunately, one of his other sisters went bonkers when she saw it, she LOVED it, and took it home with her. She and her husband are now on a trip around Australia in a caravan, and the quilt has gone with them!! That cheered GOM up, but I don't think he's really over the hurt yet.

I kind of felt bad this year. I gave a little girl a quilt for graduation and she barily said anything.She said there wasn't a quilt at their home is the reason I made her one. Oh well I got enjoyment out of making it.

I once made a wall quilt for my stepson for his birthday. He and his dad are avid hunters, so of course the quilt was a hunting theme. I figured he could hang it in his man cave. When he opened the gift he asked me "What am I supposed to do with this?". It was obvious he didn't like it, but I thought it was rude. Lesson learned.

Once I give a gift it is no longer mine. I do not have a say and whatever they do with it is up to them

I once made a christmas wall hanging for my DB and SIL, as I was wrapping I decided to add chocolates, then on a whim just wrapped the chocolates in the wall hanging, wrapped ribbon around and it looked nice with no paper I thought. They undid the ribbon, unwrapped the chocolates, thanked me and threw the wallhanging in the garbage with all the paper.

next time they just get chocolates LOL

I just love the people who put everything away "for good". I love to have my best stuff where I can enjoy it. Things I am gifted with are nice reminders of the good and generous people in my life. As for what others do with what I give, it's theirs to do with what they please. Gifts with conditions aren't gifts.

The way I see it, the only thing I expect when I give a quilt or anything as a gift is "Thank You". The gift is the recipient's to do with whatever they want, no explanations or reasons necessary.The same is true for gifts given to me. I can display them in any part of my home or outside of my home. Or I can put it in storage and only take it out for maybe 1 month or 1 week a year. That's the good thing about gifts. There should be no obligation or responsibility attached to it.

I don't really care if they "display" it or not, but I do expect a thank you. After the thank you...what they do with the gift (of any kind) is their business. But..no thank you....no future gifts...

Made two quilts many years ago .... one for my dad and one for my mom. Dad loved his, mom did not. When my dad passed away I asked if I could have his quilt back. She said yes and I could have hers back too.

Did not surprise me but still hurt. So I bought another suitcase and brought them both home.

My 7 year old niece made her first quilt, a large 4 patch, probably 40 x 36", was very proud of it. Then she discovered it was too small to cover all of her.

Her dilemma was deciding whether to give it to her 5 year old sister, her 2 year old brother or to the dog!

Her 8 year old brother gave her a piece of good "big brotherly" advice, "Don't give it to the dog. He'll chew it up in one day!"

I managed to keep a straight face, but it was tough.

So, no, I don't get upset if someone doesn't like or display something I make for them. Life is too short and all that stuff.

I suspect several things were going on in the childs head. 1) She probably wanted money! 2) She hasn't learned how to graciously say thank you for something she's not crazy about. 3) Her priorities are very different from yours. When she gets older she may actually appreciate the quilt.

Had a similar experience with my older daughter and a gift she got from my sister when she graduated from 8th grade. I could not believe what she said, it was so rude! Believe me, she was set straight about how to say thank you.

I have given quilts and I just tell the person...if you don't want to use the quilt on top use it for a blanket as it will keep you nice and warm...As kids we would have 2 or 3 quilts on our bed to keep us warm, but then we didn't have much heat upstairs....

my quilts are custom made to the family that I give them to. they have shared with me their baby theme, a hobby, etc...sometimes it's hard to find just the right fabrics...if they don't use the blanket after all that, yes, I'm a little offended. Mine are meant to be loved to pieces!

Ohhhhhhhhhh. That was not nice at all. :thumbdown:

That was quite funny. :lol:

I made a quilt for my ex-roommates daughter. It had all of the colors and characters he said that she liked (Dora the Explorer). When the girl came for a visit, the roommate pointed out that I was the one that made the quilt for her. I asked her if she liked it. Her response was "well, I'm not a baby anymore" and left the room. I guess that meant NO.

For me it depends on why the gift was given. If it was something given for a special reason and they accept it, I am offended if they never use it in the way it was intended, wether that be to use everyday or to display. However I don't give quilts to people that don't specifically ask for them, except family members.

I have been quilting less than a year so don't have much experience here. My first quilts were for 3-year-old grandsons. No problem there! One of them insists that the monkeys on his quilt talk to him and play with the green dog Ryan who lives under his bed. What better appreciation can you get? :)

My Mother is a picky person. Decorator-style home - buys excellent quality and lives with it for decades. I hesitated to give her anything since we are so different. For Mothers Day I gave her two table toppers. She loved them and shows them off to her friends. So for her birthday in July she'll get a quilt. I already have the top pieced and will have it professionally quilted. So ... when in doubt ease into it?

I made my daughter a snowman-themed quilt for Christmas and also gave her a quilt rack. I expected the snowmen to be put away with winter decorations, but it's on the rack in their bedroom along with a T-shirt quilt made by my SIL's grandmother. I feel in very good company there - that sweet lady is a master quilter!

A simple "Thank-you" for any gift is common curtosy. But after that, if the person doesn't like a gift I give them, I tend to see it as my own shortcoming, not theirs. I have always enjoyed gift-giving and gift prepairing. Weather it's homemade or store-bought, I have always enjoyed the whole process. Trying to figure out what the person needs or wants, buying or making it, wrapping and packaging it, and then finally getting the joy of giving it to them. If the gift doesn't "fit" them, I would be disappointed in myself that I missed the mark.

Having been married less than two years ago, I know what it's like receiving gifts that aren't me. I'm very thankful that anyone would think to give us something. But we definitely received a few gifts that left us scratching our heads. One was a Waterford Crystal cake stand. The kind you can flip over and it becomes a punch bowl. It was very beautiful and I'm sure very generous. But it completely doesn't fit my husband and me. We're both much more simple than that. I would feel very strange displaying our Entimans cakes and Chips Ahoy cookies on something like that.

Months later it was still in the box, and I felt like it was a waste for it to sit around not being used. I gave it to a friend who holds a silent auction for a local charity every year. I don't know if the gift-giver would approve of this, but giving something to charity is much more my style than keeping this fancy dish around the house. I'll echo what others have wrote in that once the gift is given, what is done with it is up to the receiver.

I'm sure we've all received gifts over the years that do not suit us. And I'm sure many of us have faced pressure to use or display those gifts I just try to remember that feeling when prepairing and giving gifts to others.

LMBO!!!! I would have ditch that one, too!!