Grrr, Wanting Something for Nothing & No Appreciation for Fine Hand Quilting....A Rare Speckledhen

[speckledhen]

IN A DOG HOUSE - oh my lord you almost gave me a stroke. People - SMH. I'm very lucky. My husband has 4 sisters who can't even sew on a button. I make them something every year for Christmas. they literally jump up and down when they see what I've made them, and it always has a place of honor in their home. Makes me WANT to quilt for them. Last year everyone got a quilt - I made 6......and enjoyed every minute

Kristy

You are very fortunate. A few years ago, my niece mentioned that she'd love for me to make her a quilt-this was before I learned anything about machine quilting. She said she'd pay me anything I wanted, that she knew how much went into making one and how much many charged for those (Amish, I think she mentioned). I said I might since it was apparent that she knew the value of the work and loved quilts. The next year I saw her, I showed her some photos of quilts I'd done and she picked out one she really loved with pinks, grays and purples, a medallion type. The following year, I gave her the quilt I made for her. She was in tears, asked could she pay me for it. I just told her to consider it all the birthday gifts I could not get for her over the years. She told me she considers it one of her most prized possessions. That is a rare thing, certainly in this family.

The one she liked that helped me choose her colors and type and the one I made for Ranee.





The lady who asked me about her 3 year old son's birthday quilt never replied after I told her the price for a custom twin quilt. Wouldn't matter, she didn't give me enough time anyway. November 7 was the deadline. No way I'd commit to that.

 

[katsdar]

Beautiful quilt


people think you can just turn out a quilt in a day or two, good quality, loving work takes time.

 

[speckledhen]

Beautiful quilt


people think you can just turn out a quilt in a day or two, good quality, loving work takes time.

Thanks, I'm glad Ranee loves it. As far as time, tingling and numb fingers don't help the situation. That's why I was determined to learn to machine quilt so I didn't have to give up my hobby entirely. Until a few years ago, I pieced by hand as well. I'm not the best machine quilter, but I am improving a lot and I love my machine, named Rhonda (as in the Beach Boys "Help Me, Rhonda!", lol).

 

[BW56]

Speckledhen, I've just read 37 pages and you have done some amazing work as have some others. I cherish all the hand made quilts and afgans I've received. My great grandmother made quilts for all the kids to be recieved on their 21 b-day or wedding day. Her only instructions were that they be used. I have inherited my mothers and grandmothers quilts she gave them. My GM on my dads side made a simple quilt out of my dad's old Army uniforms. My MIL gave my better half and I an afgan and each child and grand child gets one in a color they pick out. I love them all but my favorite is the only jean quilt my wife made. Bob

 

[speckledhen]

Speckledhen, I've just read 37 pages and you have done some amazing work as have some others. I cherish all the hand made quilts and afgans I've received. My great grandmother made quilts for all the kids to be recieved on their 21 b-day or wedding day. Her only instructions were that they be used. I have inherited my mothers and grandmothers quilts she gave them. My GM on my dads side made a simple quilt out of my dad's old Army uniforms. My MIL gave my better half and I an afgan and each child and grand child gets one in a color they pick out. I love them all but my favorite is the only jean quilt my wife made. Bob

Bob, welcome to BYC! And thank you for trudging through all of those pages, too. Sounds like your family has a rich quilting history! I crochet as well, making some hats for a friend right now, actually. Though this is a quilting thread, here are a few of the afghans I have created. I mostly do smaller projects like hats, scarves, shawls and lapghans, though.

 

[BW56]

Thank you. I can only appreciate them, use them and care for them. And unfortunately none of my children would care for them. You are part of a very talented generation.

 

[speckledhen]

Thank you. I can only appreciate them, use them and care for them. And unfortunately none of my children would care for them. You are part of a very talented generation.

Sounds like your kids are like my two sons. My daughter-in-law has a quilt on one of the beds in a spare bedroom that I know she bought at Walmart or Bed, Bath & Beyond or somewhere like that. I made them a hand quilted wallhanging years ago and I've never seen it since that day, certainly not in their over-decorated house. But, I have a few friends who will get my quilts when I'm gone if they outlive me. I just wish my sons appreciated the quilts I have from my own grandmothers, their great grandmothers. Those are in pristine condition, all hand quilted, but they don't give a flying fig about that. Makes it harder to know what to do with my quilts when I'm gone. I have no grandchildren, never will have, which is fine by me. They'd probably be worse than my own kids about stuff like that.

 

[katsdar]

That is really sad that you don't have anyone to appreciate all the work that goes into a quilt. I keep making a quilt for myself and I still have yet to keep it. I made one of those jean rag quilts for my son and his wife for the family car and they love it and then they have the lap quilt I made for them on the couch, working on the bed one and they have some more little ones that get used. Don't know why some kids like home made stuff and others don't. My mother sewed and she made nice bed spreads and I still use them for the twin beds. My son has his she made. No g-kids yet

 

[speckledhen]

That is really sad that you don't have anyone to appreciate all the work that goes into a quilt. I keep making a quilt for myself and I still have yet to keep it. I made one of those jean rag quilts for my son and his wife for the family car and they love it and then they have the lap quilt I made for them on the couch, working on the bed one and they have some more little ones that get used. Don't know why some kids like home made stuff and others don't. My mother sewed and she made nice bed spreads and I still use them for the twin beds. My son has his she made. No g-kids yet

I have a friend in California that I met here on BYC years and years ago when I sent her hatching eggs and consulted with her on some chicken dramas and such. She commissioned two quilts from me way before I knew how to machine quilt, so she has a spring/summer watercolor quilt and a winter quilt, both machine pieced but quilted entirely by hand. She kept hinting that she needed a fall quilt, too, but I said no more hand quilted bed quilts. We teased back and forth about that for a few years. And last Christmas, I sent her the fall quilt she had wanted, a complete surprise for her, though this one was machine quilted. She is the only person in the world who has three bed quilts made by me, but I know she treasures them.

The ones who really "get it" get quilts. The ones who don't or don't show any sign that they appreciate any small items I've spent time making for them are SOL. I'm not perfect, but I don't make garbage so seems the least they could do would be to say "thanks"-my sons sure had to when they received anything, no matter what it was. What they do as adults is on them but they were taught right from wrong and they knew manners.

One of my sisters-in-law has bought quite a few crocheted and quilted items off our Blue Roo Creations web store when we had it up and running, at a substantial family discount, so she has an "in" with me, but she has a king size bed and I cannot do kings. Makes me wonder if I could do the quilt-as-you-go method and do a king size quilt in sections, for those who know what that is.

 

[Zoomie]

@speckledhen oh yes, I know that quilt-as-you-go thing. I am trying to learn how to do that! I've done it on smaller projects and now I need to see if I can get it to work for larger ones.

I have not been on the forum in ages but I posted on this thread a while back to admire your gorgeous quilts and now I'm glad I did so I can catch up and see all the great stuff you've been up to! Awesome! I am trying to learn how to quilt with my machine. You are getting SO GOOD at it! Wow! Makes me feel like maybe I can learn too. Very inspiring!

I'm currently working on a queen-size quilt. It's going to take me forever to piece it but I think the design is really pretty. I had so hoped to have it on the bed by now but no such luck, too many other things that other people think I should be doing.

Funny how easy it is for someone else to decide how you should spend your time!

But I will get it one of these days.