Tinabodina

The meaning of the quilt! Was it made for a special day?

ckcowl

i think like beauty it is in the eye of the beholder. i have made quilts i considered (utilitarian) only to find the 'owner' considered it a real heirloom and only gets it out to show...so...who knows
i guess if it is beautiful, well constructed...a little different than a cookie cutter quilt (a kit type where hundreds of people make the same quilt with the same fabrics) it could wind up being an heirloom
so make every quilt as well as you can you never know when the next quilt might be one of your 'heirlooms!"

babyfireo4

heirloom-an object passed down to successive generations of a family.
Quilt-a bed covering consisting of two layers of material, sewn together in often decorative panels and filled with feathers, wool, cotton, or the like.

So, i read that as, if the family we present these quilts with care for them and pass them down then they are officially heirlooms.

Butterflyblue

I think some people say "heirloom quilting" and they are referring to fine materials and workmanship - hand quilting, etc.

On the other hand, in part what determines an actual heirloom is that it gets passed down, and that's a little more random. So a person may make a quilt to be used up, and yet it could end up being an heirloom despite them. And a person could make a quilt to be an heirloom, and it could end up in the dog's bed.

A certain amount of what happens to a quilt and makes it an heirloom (or not) is out of our control.

sueisallaboutquilts

My idea of an heirloom has always been something in the family passed down to future generations, no matter what the actual thing is.
Heirloom quilts defined by judges is a lot different from what I consider as one.
For me it's a loved quilt that holds up for the next generation to enjoy but I don't worry about it!! :D