Stitched Gifts

In my personal experience, I only give out hand-made gifts if I know the recipient will appreciate them. Many of us here have had very hurt feelings when our gifts weren't appreciated (that's putting it mildly in some cases). Some people are fussy about how they decorate their trees, so even a seemingly innocuous ornament can be received with a prompt snub. Others have distinct ideas about how they want to decorate their house. So even if an embroidered picture took hundreds of hours, it may not be received well if it doesn't match the decor or tastes of the recipient. Still others have allergies, so a lovely pair of wool mittens and gloves - which can take many hours to complete in fine and expensive wool yarns - might not suit some.

If you can't stand the rejection, best not to give home made gifts.

Just my opinion. I've learned to bake bread as gifts. Never had a disappointed recipient yet. :~)

Dianne

For me it really depends on the intended recipient. However, this morning I wrapped, ribboned, and tagged 4 quilts for great nieces and great nephews ages 3 to 7. They won't be excited about a quilt from the great aunt they barely know, but their mothers are very excited. The quilts are all 100% hand-stitched, in whole cloth technique, but using large blocks and sashing. Each block has a different pattern. The fabric is white, but the stitching is done in a strong color and the sashing is another strong color, and each of the 4 quilts has different colors. The quilts will fit a twin-size bed with dust ruffle and are long enough for a pillow tuck, and may be put away until the kids are in college or have their own homes, and that is fine.

There may or may not be a few beaded gifts and a scarf or two, but no cross stitch/embroidery this year.

No time of late. But I do love to receive them and love when I have time to make gifts for certain people.

Cheryl

Or with cookies. I was paid the neighbor's son in chocolate chip cookies once for baby sitting. (my that was a LONG time ago)

Cheryl

Want to adopt me? LOL

Cheyrl

They paid you with the kid baked into a chocolate chip cookie. How did it taste???? RD&H

Lol I was going to let that go, but in the next post I saw she couldn't even spell her own name and figured she already tried Freds cherries - ach - no wait a minute, maybe that doesn't sound right either lol

My sister picked out a needlepoint picture that I finished and she is getting that. I gave Mark (my ex) a quilt I had started for him long ago - never finished it because he hated the sewing machine out and I didn't have anyplace to leave it set up. it isn't exactly as I intended, but now he has it. Very masculine colors - gray fleece backing - I figure with his current health issues I can afford to be generous.

Otherwise, I don't give stitched gifts unless I know they will be appreciated. Too many people think the only "good" stitching is done by a machine.

linda

Can you tell the sinus med leave me feeling "off"

I once paid the neighbor's kid off in cookies

I'm sorry, I was just teasing.

Sent the Waste Canvas Experiment to my uncle. He liked it, but wasn't sure what to do with it. I told him he could do what he liked. He mentioned a Frisbee, and I said if that's what he wanted, but that I think it would make a very good one :)

He's go>Hello everyone,

Be nice, ladies. I just talkked to her, and she sounds like shit..Probably explains the typing. LOL

I'm giving crocheted potholders for Christmas this year. I'm a little behind schedule at the moment, but if I can get through all of them I'll add towel toppers as well. In past years I've given handmade scarves. I have very rarely given crosstitched items as gifts. In the rare occasions I have, they've been smaller personalized "custom" items that I absolutely knew would be a hit (e.g. to other stitchy friends).

Jinx

If I ever get the bookmarks done (Cheryl's Celtic Knot) they'll be gifted as well as an ornament I did for DM to give a good friend of hers. My problem is everyone loves the gifts so much, bookmarks, mouse pads, hand towels, they want to "frame" them instead of using them. Sigh....

Nancy

"Mary" wrote .

They will likely cherish the quilts when they are older. My late ex-MIL made a quilt for my son when he was quite young. At 8, this was not a gift a boy would appreciate, so we agreed she would give it to him on a special date, like his graduation. She told him that she had made a quilt, and he would get it when he was a grown up. While my son was still in highschool, this lovely woman died.

You know, he didn't forget. He asked his stepmother to look out the quilt from among his grandmother's things. Stepmother found various quilts, but they were ordinary use-up-the-old-clothes quilts. He persisted, and got "his" quilt--mostly blue and a pattern of boats, recognizable right away as a boy's quilt.

He appreciated a just for him thing, knowing she had been thinking about him the whole time she made it.

Dawne

This year, the only stitched items are small felt Christmas trees (ornaments) for my friends at work. Other than the one in black, for our Gothic team leader, I don't make them with any particular person in mind. I make a few more than what I'm going to need and then let them choose - or not. I rarely stitch something for anyone I don't know well enough to know that it will be appreciated. Only once have I been really disappointed. A wedding tabletopper ended up being stuffed back into the box on the day of the wedding and then was scorched later when used as a pot holder by DH's brother. Occasionally I will stitch something for each of my three sisters but not every year. Liz from Humbug

I've been busy making quilts and doll clothes, mostly. Two quilts are crazy quilts, one in shades of brown and turquoise and one in jewel tones. The third quilt is pieced with fabric showing Europe where my youngest daughter honeymooned.

The doll clothes are for charity, my granddaughter and niece. They are the American girl doll size - 18 inch dolls. That's been a fun time - I've even made gold jackets, fairy outfits and ballet outfits in both sewn and crocheted varieties.

Other crafting - acrylic painting of a fox for my oldest daughter and a purse created from the cover of an old Reader's Digest condensed with co-ordinating fabric liner. The pattern used a hot glue gun but I'd stitch more of it next time. She teaches literature and I'd like to find an old Shakespeare or Poe to make next time. I also scrapbook and have made my niece and nephew pages since their birth, mostly of outings that we did with them. They are 10 and 11 so now they include pages on sports, band concerts, etc. Moni

SHEENA!!!!!!!!!!!! LOLOLOL!!!!

I often give hand-stitched gifts to at least a few people but not this year. I've been working on my nativity (for me) and the up-coming grandchild's blanket.

Hmmm. Baked gifts might be just the thing this year!

Joan

Not me. I got shot down a few years ago when I handed out ndlpt ornaments and got nary a thank you from most recips. I guess they wanted to know I'd spent real MONEY on some junk.

Unless the recip does ndlpt herself, I won't gift in that manner. Right now, no plans for any needle gifts.