Friends have four hand sewn 30's quilts. Not Finished. They asked if I could finish them. They would pay me by giving me one of the quilts. One is 36 blocks of SunBonnet Sue, each with a signature (even a few men's) and one with a date of 1932. It came from a mother's vacation years ago to either Texas or the Carolina's. Other's are a fan quilt, star burst, and flower garden.
what do I do? finish them by HAND?? would machine stitching lessen the value? Do I research the original owners w/fear of them wanting it back??? HELP?[b] :?: javascript:emoticon(':?:');

I'm not sure what to do. I just wanted to welcome you to the board and bump your message up so that those who would know what to do can see your question. It's pretty cool that they are giving you one of the quilts for finishing them, though I imagine it will take a lot of time and effort on your part to get them done. So.... Welcome from Southern California

Oh, I don't know either but just wanted to say welcome and what a great opportunity you have here. I think if it was me I would hand quilt them. But...I don't know about the value either way.

Ask them what they expect. If you do them by machine and they assumed by hand, they may not be happy. If they want them done by hand you'll have to decide if its a fair trade!! The one that you get to keep I would save til last and do it how you want it done even if the other three were done differently. Good luck to you, its hard to work for friends :D :D

I agree with mommaB,ask what they expect,or if they have any preconcieved ideas of what they will look like finished.I have someone who wants to give me a whole bag full of blocks that were done by her husbands grandmother,to finish for her.but she has no idea what the block is or what it is called so she is suppose to send me a picture and then we will discuss price

I just wanted to say Hi and welcome.

How lucky you are. I would ask them what they want done. That way all will be happy.

Welcome from NE CA. Glad you found us. I think I would do as some of the board has recommended you ask the friends what they want.

I would make sure you both agreed on your visual on what needs to be done...either hand or machine and what direction you are going w/it too...like straight line,etc. Which one will you choose to keep?:)What about a time frame if you hand quilt? Do they expect it back in a few days? If you are pretty quick w/hand quilting and love it, I'd vote for that on the signature quilt. W/o seeing the rest, I am not sure. How about some pics for all of us to drool over?!LOL Skeat

Hi! I have heard that unfinished quilt tops are more valuable just as found. HOWEVER!!! I can never be accused of being a conformist. :mrgreen: I recently bought an 1860s red & green quilt top that I do intend to make into a quilt. The primary reason is because it is so fragile I don't think it will survive unless quilted. The other reason is because I want to display it, and right now it can't be hung or anything. I have heard many people say that the true "value" of the quilt or quilt top is determined by the owner - so, if the owner wants it made into a quilt, then that is the form of it's Highest Value to them. Depending on the condition of each quilt, you could determine if hand or machine quilting will work. Best of luck!!