I'm posting in the craft forum because I am a wuss I know you lot understand the effort that goes into something handmade.
I make quilts, and hand piece and hand quilt them (I've tried machine quilting but just can't get on with it, and I like the look of hand quilting better). I made one for my nephew when he was born and BIL/SIL seemed to like it. I told them about washing/caring for it and warned that as it was hand sewn it wouldn't be as strong as a shop bought quilt. SIL used it as a play mat, which wasn't its intended use (most people have hung them up or used them on a bed) but tbh I was pleased it was getting used rather than sitting in a cupboard somewhere.
SIL keeps a very clean house and a couple of times I noticed the quilt in the washing machine. I tried to casually mention that ideally, hand washing was better, but a gentle machine wash and no spin, just a squeeze, would probably be ok.
It disappeared for a while and when we were staying last time I saw it shoved in the corner of a box room- and it was quite damaged, with several holes. I was upset, but it's not the end of the world.
But now SIL is pregnant again and I am in a quandary- do I spend hours and hours of painstaking work on a quilt when it will probably suffer the same fate? I just feel wrong making one for one baby and then not his sibling. Any thoughts?!