I once made a completely hand-stitched baby quilt for my then best friend. I was working full time and going to school full time and single mothering three boys, so it took me a long time to complete. I even created the design so that it would be unique and learned to embroider so that it would be entirely hand made.
It was beautiful and everyone else thought so too, so it wasn't just my biased opinion.
When I gave it to her she barely looked at it and muttered a brief thanks~which is better than none, I know~and I never heard another word about it. I happened to know that no one else had made this child a quilt at all.
A few years later I saw it in her dog's bed with dog puke on it. Needless to say, I was more than a little sad about all the work that little ugly dog's bedliner represented.
You know what? To this day I am still glad I made that quilt. I created something of beauty and intricate design and I did it out of love for that person....no one can take that away or let a dog puke on that feeling.
It is true...know your audience. But...don't ever let that stop you from creating love and giving it away. If it makes you feel good, then the gift was not wasted.