NOELLA

I too made a bag for my neice and she had the gall to tell me she just threw the bag in her closet
i was really hurt and i told her to give it back to me , she didn't of course she started to use it and got lots of compliments on it, there was a complete turn around by her. As you said i vowed never to give her any thing again.

NOELLA

P.s. This was a bag that i had made for her , always gave her something that i had made.

hopetoquilt

I love my brother's attitude toward gift giving. If he found something he wanted to give you, he gave you a gift. If he didn't find anything he wanted to give you, you didn't get a gift. He didn't care what people thought.

People lose sight of the reason for the season.

I give gifts to my two kids. Those are the only two people who need gifts and they are still young. My husband and I exchange gifts when we feel like it… if we have the money and there are things we want. The gift should be something the person wants or needs and well thought out. Not everyone likes homemade gifts and shouldn't be forced to love or use something because it was homemade.

ontheriver

I give handmade gifts especially quilts to family, they all appreciate and use them as they know the time and effort put into them. I love to receive handmade gifts, to me it is special. I feel anyone can just buy something. I value the time and skill making a gift takes.

Froggiey

Made a queen size stack and whack for someone ONCE. All I got was a text message. " Awe it's beautiful." Not that I wanted her to bow down, just thought a phone call would have been nice. I spent several months on fabric which cost me around $120 altogether then paid $150 for someone to quilt and another $30 for mailing. That taught me that not everybody appreciates my quilts. Glad I can't see it now. It might be used as a dog blanket.

SouthPStitches

Very well-thought, well-put thread Bicycle Hobo. What's important is "knowing your recipients". Not everyone likes or can appreciate hand made, no matter how talented and gifted the maker is. I have two close friends, both quilters. I usually sew something for both their birthdays and Christmas. I'm running out of ideas and they must be running out of room. As long as there is love and thought behind the gift, that's what is important. Saves a lot of stress and hard feelings.

charsuewilson

Bicyclehobo - I agree with almost everything that you say. I don't want to go to the effort of making something for someone only to have it shoved in a closet or given away, although given away.

Froggiey - at least you received a thank-you. There are many people who don't even get that. In my family, nothing less than a handwritten thank you note was acceptable. Even if you were there when the gift was opened, you still had to write a thank you note. I was surprised once to receive a letter from my great-aunt thanking me for sending her a birthday card. My mom explained that every communication had to be acknowledged. Some people have suggested not sending any more gifts if they are not even acknowledged. This does work

We've experienced some cases where after a divorce, any gift from the estranged family is thrown away, stolen from the child, re-gifted as if from the custodial parent, returned to a store for cash, ... So, not all lack of acknowledgement is from unappreciation.

All that being said, I prefer to expend effort in making gifts for people who appreciate them. At some point, I started making baby quilts for all children born into our families. Then for some who didn't receive one as a child - a lap sized quilt before they went to college. I prefer to make bed sized quilts, so I made bed sized quilts for grandchildren, and for family weddings. I need to downsize to smaller things like table runners, placemats and such. Lately, I've been stuck i a rut and haven't felt like doing any sewing.

sewingsuz

I like to give and receive handmade gifts.

mighty

I love getting handmade items. I am not so sure others feel the same.

peaceandjoy

I agree with much of what you've said. I do try to remember that once I've given a gift, it's the recipient's choice as to what they do with it. If it's a handmade gift, I'd much rather they pass it along than stash it in a closet some place. I consider the recipient's style before making anything. Just because I like scrappy things doesn't mean everyone does! Same goes for bag styles, etc.

While I've always made quilts for baby gifts that are more toddler appropriate than babyish, it was recently pointed out to me that a lot of parents would prefer packges of diapers. Hmmm. Well, it's cheaper than making a quilt as well as faster and easier, so guess I'll have to give that some thought.