Bobbielinks, i will have to find her name. Yes, she was AQS certified. She lives in the Chicago area. Where in Mo. Are you? There should be appraisers in Mo. Check with shops and guilds for info. . Check with AQS for a list of certified appraisers.
The appraisal was meant to get a professional opinion on how to proceed with finishing the quilt top. Not necessarily for the "value" of it tho perhaps for insurance purpose but I did not ask nor do I need to know the the Appraised value. I wanted to hear the comments and see the process.
Interestingly, tho the quilt top was hand-pieced, the appraiser suggested machine quilting to secure the seams and keep it held together. Her word was that is was "appropriate" to machine quilt the top since "machine quilting" has been performed for decades even during the 1920's. AND the method of quilting did not compromise the value of it. It made no difference in fact. I found that fascinating.
Sandy