Scakes

I've always enjoyed receiving and making gifts - even as a kid.

GlitzyMe

I handmake all my gifts (not limited to fabric) because I want the recipient to know that they are that important to me. Especially my Treasures (grandchildren). No one can or will make the gifts for them that I do and that makes them special.

TanyaL

How old are your grandchildren? 2 years ago I made both of my greatgrandsons quilted duffle bags out of racing car fabric with their names appliqued on them to load up with toys when they traveled to their grandmother's house. Tney were preschool age and their comments were "I wanted an electric remote control car." Their mother's comment was, "Well, you didn't get it." Next year the whole family got a check. I just quit sending out gifts unless someone asks me to make them something. I can't make remote control cars.

umademesew

I am a craft fiend. That said, I love to share my talents with others. It's not just the physical gifts that I give but I try to share my knowledge as gifts, too. The reason I do what I do!?! It's my gift! If I don't share it with others, who will? I have created new ways to do things, that no one else has thought of. Why shouldn't I share those with others? Besides, who wants the same thing that 50,000 other people have when they can have a one of a kind? My children would rather I create something for them rather than to receive anything store bought. They both have the very first quilts I ever made them as babies.

nancia

i'm an artist. i am driven to create and right now i create with beautiful fabrics. i have little else to do and it makes me happy to be surrounded by beautiful things. and i love giving them to others and seeing their surprise, and sometimes, delight. i'm new at this so i still have the thrill of passing the challenge!

romanojg

The closest that I have on-hand just in case are raq quilt squares. I use my accuquilt and cut and assemble a lot of different blocks so that when I need a gift it's a matter of picking out the right blocks and sewing them together and it's done.
I like to make home made gifts for the ones I care about and I know they appreciate it. None of people I give them to make what I do so I know they'll like it even more. I can't buy it cheaper because if it's quality then they'll pay more for it than what is sold at KMart. Even my 6yr old grandson loves anything that I make him so the rewards are great. I raised my kids and my daughter is now raising hers that in order for their name to be on any gift they have to either help make it or pay for it. If you go out and buy a gift and let them put their name on it without doing anything then that's the same as cheating. I was really proud when I saw my daughter picking up this tradition and passing it onto her own kids. I know that I did it right.

Sierra

That mother really missed a teaching moment! I had a DIL who told me she saw nothing reasonable about taking perfectly good fabric, cutting it into little pieces and putting it back together again. After the divorce the children are spending every other week with their Dad and I noticed they didn't have their quilts so I askedtheir mom for them. NOW the are so proud of them and won't go to bed w/o them! The older one, 11, has asked me if we can make together a "leaf" quilt next summer because she thinks fall is the prettiest time of the year.

All the other gkids love their quilts and drag them from room to room, make hide-aways, wrap themselves in them to watch TV for their limited time in the eveings.
Sometimes divorce can be a good thing! The mama is nicer now and the kids and our son are happier, too. Isn't there a saying, "If mama isn't happy, no one is!"

The other gkids have mamas who love getting the quilts (each is designed for that particular child) and their attitude is a reflection of their mamas. One boy made a tree quilt with me some years ago, and he asked for a specific quilt just before he left for another country to go to school for a year (at age 14!). If the parents have no respect, the kids won't have any respect.

Stitchnripper

Me too....

Louise Houghtaling

I love the creative process and having something that is solely for my pleasure. When I create something for a gift, you can bet the recipient is someone I care for who will value the gesture. There are those people in my life for whom store-bought is exactly right...not an indictment...just a fact!

TanyaL

I can remember embroidering a set of pale yellow bath towels, one for each member of the family, for my third son. His bathroom was so bland(pale yellow and white) and he was in such dire need of new towels that I thought it was the perfect gift -plus it was the first Christmas that I had my embroidery machine. So each towel had a different exotic bird in vivid true to life accurate coloration. It would be the only bright spot in his bath when the towels were hanging. About 6 months later I asked him if he used the towels and he said, "Mom, they are so gawdy!" My batting average on gifts is very low. LOL.