Okay, I'm ranting again and I'm sure some of you can relate to this. We don't do Christmas but the DH family does and they have an annual family dinner at one of the sisters houses. This year, I decided that since I have so many small projects from learning to machine quilt that I would make something for every family, just the annual gift, not necessarily Christmas (and I'm running out of room!) and I did. The single guys got crocheted hats, no big deal there. I have not given anyone in my family quilts for many years, not since my hand quilted, custom made things were tossed aside like garbage by a family member. This year, I went against my policy of "no quilts for family" and decided that how this went would determine if I ever did it again.
My 36 year old niece has a 4 year old son, an only child. She lives in Florida so I don't know how she allows him to act at her house. I gave most families a pretty machine quilted table runner. Hers was in reds and navy blues and "wintery", with birds on snow covered branches, in log cabin blocks as well as giving her little son a crocheted hat, which he loved and wore the rest of the day.
I did not get even a simple "thank you", nada, and when I turned around during the chaotic mess of package-opening, I see this kid with the quilted table runner on the floor, upside down, running toy trucks on it. Yes, his mother was watching him. Me, if someone gave me something like that, even a store-bought one, I'd have snatched it away from my kid and told him in no uncertain terms that that was not how we treat our linens/whatever it is. Maybe I was raised differently, but this just really rubbed me the wrong way. I'm sure she didn't hear me but I said something like, "well, I never would have thought of that runner as a floor mat.". Heck, maybe that's what she thought it was, hard to say, but I made that, it took a few hours of hand work, even if it was machine quilted, and I felt it was very disrespectful. Again, no appreciation for someone's labor or consideration as they make something for you with their own two hands.
So, guess what I'm not doing next year? You got it. :/
I wish I was your relative as I would appreciate it. My mom made each of us 12 kids a quilt plus all the grandkids. I still have mine and I treasure it. She made quillows for my boys which they liked so much they wore them out ...but they still have them. People who don't appreciate the work that goes into one doesn't deserve to have one!