Quilts warm our bodies and our souls. Quilters spend hours, days, week, even years crafting and stitching a quilt. Selecting fabric, choosing a design, cutting individual pieces, stitching them together, pressing, more stitching, placing three layers together, quilting them together, and sewing the binding. There are many steps and a lot of work that goes into making a quilt.
Often, quilters will gift their creations to family members, to friends, to colleagues. Hopefully, most are appreciated and loved with the same care that the quilter spent crafting the quilt that has been gifted. Sometimes, unfortunately, the quilt is not appreciated.
Stories of quilts that were gifted with pride and love, only to be mistreated, regifted, or even rejected.
Horror stories: a quilt left in a pile to mold and rot, excuses for not placing it on a bed because it doesn’t go with their decor, hearing that a recipient called the quilt ugly, seeing it used in a dog bed, or simply stored in a linen closet. Whatever the reason, a gifted quilt my not be loved and appreciated.
I have gifted quilts, often to mothers of boyfriends. I know a few have not been appreciated, but I let it go.
I have been gifted quilts, and I value and love them!
Gifting a quilt is a risk. Will they like the colors? the pattern? is the size correct? will they use it? will they cherish it? As the quilt maker, you just don’t know. And, you have zero control over it. Once that gift leaves your hands, you have to let it go. It is a butterfly released back into nature, and it will fly gracefully home or it will be eaten by a bird within the next few minutes. You have no control anymore.
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
Andy Warhol
A gifted quilt will be loved or hated. You have done your end, putting blood, sweat and tears into the creation. Gift it (or don’t) and then let it go.
