Originally Posted by Jan in VA

My first exposure to quilts came when I was about 8 years old. Didtant relatives of my father's had found him by looking for any family member with the Dabney/Collier name, to take on an antique family quilt that was about to pass out of the family line. Her was the first male to inherit it. I remember driving a long way from home with him to pick up this quilt and how much fun it was because we got to have a store-bought ice cream cone. We arrived back home, Mother and Daddy spread out the quilt on their bedroom floor to see what it looked like. I remember thinking, "All this excitement about *that* thing?!"

Decades later I was treated to lunch in a little cafe that had a small quilt store upstairs. We went up to look around after eating and I signed up to take a class. Made three quilts in 6 weeks with those girls. That was in 1983 and I've never looked back!

The family quilt shown below was made prior to 1780, according to the Textile Museum at Colonial Williamsburg, where it now resides. It is one of the earliest they have ever seen, made near Richmond, VA from linen grown from flax on the plantation and imported English calicos.
It is pieced almost exactly as we piece today, with 8 point stars and broderie Perse applique. The colors were stunning originally, with vivid rose pinks and clear aqua blue in the applique from the imported calicos.
It is actually rather prettier than these pictures, but was in such fragile condition after 225 years of love and display, that I had to give it up to safty and restoration when it passed to me.

Jan in VA