I wouldn't personally bother with an appraiser. Unless the quilts have some sort of historical significance, the chance of them being "valuable" is small. The real value is in the connection those quilts have to your family. Since you're a new quilter, why not hang onto everything for a while? As your skills progress, you may find that you want to finish the pieces yourself, whether by hand or machine. At any rate you will learn more about the craft of quilting and will be better equipped to decide how to handle these heirlooms.