In general, I’m not a great gift-giver. I’m probably not much of a gift-receiver either. I just think that if there’s something that I want, I’d go out and buy it. And if I don’t, then I probably don’t want it. If I’m giving someone a gift, I don’t want to give them more junk that they have to store. So my go-to gift of late has been flowers. They look pretty for a while and then you can just throw them away. Totally biodegradable. At times though, I might like to give a longer lasting gift. So I’ve been thinking about things that I have that I enjoy. The one thing that comes to mind for me is a blanket. I know it’s weird, but I really like a blanket. How would I describe the feeling of being wrapped in a blanket? I wouldn’t say it’s like getting a hug, because that’s sort of corny. However, I do think it’s just a feeling of being completely comfortable. Like how you feel when you’re hanging out with good friends or family members.

My brother John first brought me a blanket back from India. Yes, I know it only cost like $1 and that’s probably why it’s now falling apart. But whenever I wrap myself in it, I think of my bro, which is kind of cool. When I went to Guatemala for my niece’s adoption, I bought myself a very colorful blanket. I sometimes use it on my bed and sometimes when I’m watching tv. It’s great in that each time I see it, I think of my niece and the trip. A few years ago, I wanted to see if I could make myself a quilt. That quilt is always on my bed. It reminds me how I just jumped in to quilting despite having no real idea of how to do it. It’s not perfect, but it’s something I’m rather proud of.

The thing is though, now that I’ve made myself a quilt, I have no desire to make myself another one. However, I do recall finding quilting rather relaxing. So I think that now that I’m just about done with my kitchen, I’m going to start quilting again. But my new rule is that I have to give away each quilt that I make. I like this in that it will be a sort of challenge to come up with ideas for quilts that other people might like. Or just making a quilt and then thinking of who might like it. I’m also totally fine with giving someone a quilt and them regifting it because it’s not their thing. Just because something is interesting to me doesn’t mean it’s interesting to someone else.

I guess I’ve been thinking about this because I’ve recently watched some tv shows about craft and quilting was featured in one of the episodes. I have no desire to make a quilt as a piece of art that hangs on the wall. That just seems completely wrong to me. I think quilts are meant to be used. I know many people disagree with me on this and that’s fine. If I gave someone a quilt and they wanted to hang it, that’s fine, it’s their quilt. I should not have any say in what they do with it after I give it to them. However for me, I’d go for the comfort.