Originally Posted by Dina

Hmmmm, I am reminded of a thank you note from four of my friends. I had told all four that I would make them a quilt if they bought the fabric and selected the pattern (from patterns I had made already....nothing new for me to learn.) All four took me up on it, and we met for lunch and then went to a fabric store for each to buy fabric. At lunch, they had offered to pay me to make the quilts, and I told them "they couldn't afford me, that it would take 40 hours to make each quilt, and even at minimum wage, they couldn't pay me to do it. I just wanted to make them each a quilt they liked."

Four months later I delivered the quilts, at the same time at a lunch at one of their houses....their idea, not mine. (I never dreamed they wouldn't want to see the quilts until I had made all four.) Each lady was delighted with her quilt, and they had even bought me a $100 gift card from a quilt store. Nice lunch. HOWEVER, the thank you card with the card said that they felt so lucky that I didn't sew well enough to sell my quilts, as it was to their advantage, since I sewed well enough to sew for them.

That lunch was two months ago, and I am still hurt by that comment. They did learn though that a quilt is not cheap, as even though I warned them that buying the fabric would not be cheap, they were each surprised at how much it cost just for the fabric. The quilts, by the way, turned out beautifully, and I sew quite well, thank you!!

Oh, it feels good to finally fuss out loud about that.

Dina

Originally Posted by nhweaver

I forgot the one from my mil (now deceased, and I hesitate to speak evil of those who are no longer with us), she was a phenominal seamstress and at times snippy, who critiqued my first grandbaby handquilted quilt that I made (at the baby shower), to my daughter when she opened the gift,she said "those stitches are so uneven, give me that "thing" and I will do it right!!!" It was my best effort at the time, my daughter thanked her, and went on opening the gifts. Everyone else at the shower was impressed with my efforts.

Originally Posted by faykilgore

My daddy said the same thing when I started quilting. Turns out he slept under a mountain of quilts as a boy in a house with no heat and still slept cold. I never made him a quilt. I did make him a sweater that he wore until it was ragged threads.
Few comments are made thoughtfully. I swear most people (and I'm guilty at times) think out loud without realizing how it sounds. We enjoy our craft, just as others enjoy whatever they do that we don't understand. I ride a motorcycle (to remote quilt shops!). My favorite comment is, "You rode that here?" To prevent myself from making a rude smart-elicky remark, (like, no, it followed me) I try to remember that they just want to talk and don't know what to say. And yes, there are the jealous and mean-spirited. They need our prayers and mercy. (but not our quilts!)

Originally Posted by Dyan

A woman once told me "you could snag your toenail on those stitches" I had showed her a quilt I had lap quilted, I was proud but she shot me down quick. I still hand quilt and Yep you could still snag your toenail...lol Family and friends do not complain.