"Funny" Response For A Handcrafted Gift

"I did a crazy patchwork vest for my 4-year-old niece, painstakingly decorated and added embroideries to appeal, and buttons and beads. It took me weeks: my sister-in-law offered me $4 as payment 'as scraps were only used.'

My very first lap quilt that I made was done with 12 blocks different patterns--all done by hand--I was very proud of it and gave it to my mother-in-law: she used it as the dogs blanket.

I gave my father in law a decoupaged, papier-mache book box for his bible with angels and clouds, gold embellishments, and sayings: he thanked my 6-year-old for the lovely box he made!
Just one more: they call my house 'the fire trap' because of my collections for crafting!"
-- Julie

Er... What a horrible family she married herself into!

Leaf book box

"As scraps were only used"...
Firstly, I don't think any payment would have been necessary, but if the SIL had asked her to do the vest against payment, then it's another issue.
Secondly, this story reminds me of the sock story I heard during Socktober 2006...
A woman was knitting socks in public and some stranger came by and admired the socks. She wanted her to knit her a pair as well. The knitter asked if it was ok with... let's say 10 dollars wage for one hour's work, and the lady thought it was ok. Then the knitter tells the lady that in that case the socks - yarn and work - would cost her over 100 dollars...
(Or something like that. I don't quite remember the story, but this is the spirit of it.)
So - the MATERIALS for the vest didn't probably cost too much - even though the embellishment, embroidery threads etc. cost more than I like - but the WORK put in it was way more than "scraps"...

I really don't like people who see the crafts as just pottering and worth nothing... Of course, it's rather effortless to me, but I have several years of education and a natural talent for crafting. Somehow it's especially people born with a thumb in the middle of their hand, people who couldn't knit a sock or sew a button to save their lives, who has the least appreciation and understanding of the value of crafting.

About the MIL's blanket - perhaps she loves the dog more than her children, and therefore giving the quilt to the dog was giving it a very honorable and high place in the family... One never knows.

About FIL's Bible box - Quite a compliment to the 6-years-old... and perhaps he appreciates and uses it because he thinks it's made by his grandchild ;-)

But... I'm 100% sure of that the box did NOT look like made by a child...
And as the family "lovingly" refers to their DIL/SIL's house as "fire trap", they KNOW she does things like that... It wouldn't take a lot of intelligence and ability to draw conclusions to KNOW that the box was made by the MOTHER of the 6-year-old, and not the child. Considering that... What a f-ing insult to say to a crafter that her work is child's play, unskillfully done, looks like something kids do in kindergarten... *brr*

"My friend Nancy is a masterful and prolific quilter. She created a beautiful baby quilt for a friend. When she presented this wonderful gift to her friend, the mother-in-law said the quilt was so beautiful Nancy couldn't possibly have made it."
-- Anne

P.S. As I was checking out the other Interweave Press magazines, I found this: "Monk's Belt"
That I can do too with my little children's play loom :-) Looks very nice, I think :-)