that is a common form of F in calligraphy.. I am guessing the date was an afterthought and added where there was room. That thread may be button twist.

thanks for sharing.

I agree that your friend should consult with family records to check the date for anything monumental to the family.
A wedding, a birth, a death--some quilts were made after with the persons clothing for a remembrance.
Possibly a graduation of some sort--military school?
While it looks feminine to me, it could have been for about anyone. Commemerative quilts were elegantly made.

Call me nuts, but I see NNI

This seems plausible, especially if the last letter is an "I". If the last letter is "J" we might be looking at a Polish or other eastern European name. Ethnic roots of the family would be helpful.

The last character could definitely be an "I"
...several Victorian Era fonts show very similar "I" & "J" characters.

I hope we hear something back on what this ends up being...
Such a wonderful mystery and beautiful heirloom! :)

This is a museum piece! Wow!

What a beautiful piece of quilting art!!

Definitely contact an appraiser and get it certified and registered. Be sure that the appraiser is associated with one of the professional quilting organizations that specialize in historic quilts and not a 'picker' for antique dealers that is looking to buy. You can contact the American Quilters Society or get info through their textile museum in Paducah.

We just had an AQS appraiser come to our guild meeting for a seminar and 'trunk show'. It was one of the best lectures that we had ever had! She was so interesting and gave so much information about history, styles, types of fabrics, threads etc. She stressed that if you have any heirloom quilts that appraisals are the best route for insurance purposes and for historical value. I believe the AQS has a historical registry also set up so that the quilt can be registered and documented.

i saw a quilt on the board, but have not been able to find the pattern.the lady said she got it free- Paradigm shift it was in blacks and white. I have yet to see any free patterns susie

Was this meant for a different thread?
Or am I totally confused here?

Looks like an F to me..