We see a lot on the board about vintage quilts and their value. Most of these quilts were made by an ancestor and are a family heirloom. Even then the owners are advised not to repair a worn quilt because it will devalue it.
But what is value? In the dictionary the first definition is monetary. The third is the meaning of importance to someone. The phase "I value her/him as a friend" certainly has no monetary meaning.
I was surprised when all of my daughters told me the quilts that had been given to them and made by my grandmother/great-grandmother were "comfort" quilts. Not necesssairly as a part of their bedding but something to wrap up in and cuddle when you did not feel good or was watching a movie on TV and it was chilly. In one daughter's family it was an "honor" to be sick enough to "get the quilt".
My family will never sell any of our quilts because all of my daughters and granddaughters LOVE quilts. So the value is what they mean to us. I am repairing the vintage quilts that need it and using fabric that was in my Mother's scrap box. Some of it dates back to the 60's and 70's. So on the label I am making (hopefully if I ever get this process down) I am listing the date it was made and by whom, and the date it was repaired and by whom. I am saving as much of the original as is possible (even backing those pieces with interfacing). BTW for those that do not think hand quilting "holds up", when the fabric is totally gone, much of the piecing and quilting is still intact.
JMHO
Sue