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Originally Posted by Jenney Horst
I'm chiming in again. We know that you probably are not going to sell it but the framing thought would be good if of course its not to big and you have a wall that size. Sotherbys (the guys from the road show) says a finished quilt is more valuable. They say "an unfinished top should not be worth anymore than $100.00" Its the quilting part that is the value. I have a quilt from 1849 that is in the family. The Smithsonian museum in DC offered us $44,000.00 for it. We're not giving it up but I am reproducting 4 of them for the family then they can get it. Not until then.
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I'll get it out and take a really good picture of it. I also have a signature one from 1895 from the other side of the family. The center is embroidered with the date. The place we think has become part of Lebonon Missouri. The towns are still on the map.
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I am sorry to hear about your mother. I'm sure she is watching from above and just as curious as the quilting board on how you will handle the quilt tops. How wonderful she left you her projects. When you decide I would love to see the photos. Warm hugs.
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Welcome to the board. Heartfelt sorrows for the loss of your mother. Treasure all the memories you have of her rather they are tangible or intangible.
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Originally Posted by jljack
I have to chime in, too. I agree with Eddie...if you want to donate an old quilt top to a museum or something, then by all means leave it unquilted. Are you going to sell it? I doubt it, so the "value" issue of leaving it unquilted is kind of moot. If you are going to pass it down through your family as an heirloom, then it will have more "value" to your family as a finished quilt. It will not only make it easier to "maintain" the condition of the quilt, but it can be displayed in a much more pleasing way. Who wants to look at a ragged edged quilt top, unless it's framed behind glass with the edges tucked under?
It's totally up to you, but if they were mine, I would finish them the way the maker would undoubtedly have done, and then hang, drape or otherwise display and enjoy them. I like to think the ladies who made the tops are up in Heaven looking down, thinking, "Ah, now my work is finished!" :thumbup: just don't be disappointed if you don't see it displayed immediately. it will have to be examined carefully, restored where necessary and wait it's turn for display. but it will last for your family members to visit it for generations to come. NOTE: ask them or a private service to estimate the value for charitable donation tax purposes. |
Sorry to hear about your mother. Welcome to this forum
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Sorry about your mother, maybe working on her quilts will bring you closer to her when you are down. Welcome to the forum. We certainly learn a lot here.
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Originally Posted by handmedownquilter
My mother passed away unexpectantly, leaving me with 11 quilt tops pieced and ready to be quilted and 5 tops with the pieces cut out but not pieced. One of the tops just pieces is the "Coal MIner". The pieces are cut out but I don't have any instructions or any idea of how to put it together. Also, one of the pieced tops is a family heirloom. My great-great-grandmother pieced it sometime in the 1880's. It is made of silk and has never been quilted- just passed down through the generations. I would like to break this pattern before the top falls apart but I don't know what I should line it with or if today's batting would be acceptable to quilt it. Can anyone out there help me? Please?
Why not leave as is and display it on your bed. Just be sure that you don't use it to sleep on or under. or display it some other way. |
You are a lucky girl with 11 family quilt tops given to you. There are pros and cons to the question of wheter to finish a quilt top.
The first thing to consider is what is important to you personally and it soulds like you want to finish them.. The next thing to consider is whether the fabrics will hold up to the quilting process. If the top was made of cotton fabrics from the 1930s on, you most likely will have no problem quilting and using them. If they have fabric from 1900 and before, you must be very careful. I hand quilted some blocks like this and the fabric split right along the quilting. So, consider carefully if the fabric will hold up. Any fabric from this period that has black or brown in it was made with a metal mordant, causing the fabric to be brittle. Even some indigos from this period will not hold up. And machine quilting them at this point is definately going to cause rapid deteriozation. The other thing to think about is how it would have been finished in its time. Most silk quilts from the victorian era were not quilted, but tied to a backing from the back and finished with a binding. Quilting a silk quilt from this time period would definately be too stressful on the fabric. If you tied it to a silk backing with no batting and put a binding on, you could at least display the quilt. On more caution about the silk quilt, DO NOT hang this quilt. The silk will not hold up to hanging either by a sleeve or even draped across a rod or bar. Display this one flat for short periods, then put it away to rest. As for the monetary value, you should determine that first before doing anything. In making this decision, you should consider the historical nature of the quilt top. Not all quilt tops are significanly historic, but the ones that are need to be preserved for the historic aspect, whether that is the fabric, design, or even the method of construction. All the other thousands of unfiinshed quilt tops that are family heirlooms would not be diminished by being finished and even used. The last thing I would like to share with you is that , no matter what you decided to do, please make a label with the names and history of the quilt for later generations. Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss in detail the quilt tops you are working with |
Originally Posted by butterflywing
when you have an unfinished top in delicate fabrics that will not handle day-to-day use, and you also don't want to hide it away, donating it to a museum in the name of the maker is a wonderful thing to do. it will be appreciated by people interested in quilting history and preserve the quilt under the right conditions.
just don't be disappointed if you don't see it displayed immediately. it will have to be examined carefully, restored where necessary and wait it's turn for display. but it will last for your family members to visit it for generations to come. NOTE: ask them or a private service to estimate the value for charitable donation tax purposes. |
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