Need advice for an antique top
 

Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for advice for an antique quilt top that I have. I'm guessing that it is well over 100 years old. I've had it in storage for about 35 years.
It is all hand stitched and a few place need repair but overall it is in pretty good condition. My questions are these:

1) Is there any value to such a top and, if I quilt it on my longarm will it decrease it's value - either historically or monetarily?
2) The pieced blocks were larger then the solid blocks so they have excess fabric that wants to puff up. How best to handle this?
-Could I use a high loft polyester badding to help fill out the excess fabric? This would make for a puffier quilt. I'm not a fan of polyester batting so, there's that.
- I would probably stitch in the ditch around the sub blocks of the pieced main blocks then quilt a design in the solid blocks.
3) One of the sub blocks is oriented incorrectly (seen in picture 1, lower right. Do I correct that?


My guess is that this was a feed sack quilt that was hand dyed. Some of the greens are different and not sure if it is fading or something else.
Hopefully those of you on here that are more knowledgeable than I am will have some thoughts on this.
Thank you!

That is just gorgeous! I know nothing about evaluating old quilts. There is a local Quilt shop here in NH that used to have Gerald Roy come in once a month for appraisals. If you live anywhere near New England that would be an option. Or, is there a quilt museum any where near you or a local Historical Society? That may be another source of information. One other thought is sending the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell Massachusetts an email with your photos and ask them.

Is it hand sewn together or machine pieced?

Please let us know what you learn and what you decide!!!

Thank you for this, that is good to know.
I really don't have much interest in the monetary value but historically, I don't want to do something to it that would ruin it.
I know that someone long ago spent a tremendous amount of time on this and I would like to honor that.

Thank you Eparys for the suggestion. I will have to look locally to see if I can find anyone who had knowledge in this area.

It is so pretty. I would take it to someone who knows the historical information and value of such an item. We are lucky to have The Henry Ford not to far and they are great about looking at items like this and tell you what the value could be. Check with local quilt museums for solid information. I would not take any chances on this on. Search first stitch later. To be safe on this one.

I can't help you with your question, but wanted to say, that's a beautiful top.

I am in a similar situation, I have 5 antique quilts that were given to me by my MIL, we think her mother or grandmother may have made some of them. I also want to know if the quilts have value, and if quilting them will decrease the historical/financial values, so I am paying a professional to evaluate them. Even though the internet and this board is full of helpful people, I think a professional opinion is a safer bet when it comes to something like this. The appraiser I found is not only an antique and estate appraiser, she is also certified by AQS as a quilt appraiser. If it turns out that any of my quilts have value, her valuation will be accepted by my insurance company for coverage.

That is so beautiful. I would find someone to hand quilt it for me, using a high-loft or doubled cotton or wool batting. I would not use polyester batting in a gorgeous old quilt like that.

Here are a couple of questions for you. If it turns out to be of some monetary or historical value, what will you do with it? Would you sell it? Would you put it back in the cedar chest and "save it"? Will you pay someone to hand quilt it as has been suggested? Then, what would you do with it? Would you donate it to a museum? Would they display it? Or will they will wrap it in acid free paper and put it back in the cedar chest, so to speak? If it has no particular monetary "value", what will you do with it? Would you enjoy using it if it was finished?

I think you have to answer those questions before you spend the money to have it appraised/evaluated.

I'm facing a similar question with a family bible. Am I willing to spend $1,500 or more to have it restored? I don't think there anyone who particularly wants it in my family. It will not be of any value, other than sentimental, even if it is restored. I've been staring at it all week.

bkay

As it is right now, this top has "antique" value. Any work done on it at this point will discredit that and it will be considered to be finished as of now.. Consider if you want it to remain as an antique or do you want to finish it and enjoy it as a finished project? My own opinion is to finish it in the method of the time it was created to keep it as true to that time as possible. I definitely would not long-arm or machine quilt it!
That is a beautiful top. I am a hand quilter and enjoy finishing these projects, imagining the original quilter as she carefully chose the fabrics and spent time putting this together.
Now do you want to enjoy it "as is" or as a finished project? (Please hand quilt it!)

Agree, I would not send it to a long armer. Since it already has puffiness problems, a hand quilter would be better able to "ease" in the fullness (done it many times). But have it professionally appraised before doing anything. It's lovely. When I was buying and selling antiques many years ago I would have jumped at that.

bkay raises excellent points. One thing I would add is without a provenance (who made and when, where that info came from) its' value historically is lessened. Even just as an antique, without provenance its monetary value will be less. You don't say where it comes from, but if you know that info , along with date made, etc (helps to have the info written by either original maker, or the person that had it before you,etc) certainly would get it appraised before you do anything else with it.

I would want to hand quilt it after it is appraised. The appraiser cAn give you suggestions

Hello everyone, apologies for being late in getting back. Long story short, I was waiting for a reply from my cousin about the quilt top, hoping that she might have a bit more info on it. Around 1986, I helped my cousin and her husband clean out his great aunt's house when she passed. The quilt top was from that cleaning - they were going to throw it in the trash! I did find out that it was most likely made by the husbands grand mother, but no idea as to when. They lived in a small town in Western PA. Anyhow, after storing it for all these years and getting into quilting myself several years ago, I decided to revisit this top and that is what led to my initial ask.
So thank you all for the ideas, opinions, thoughts and advice! I appreciate all the various points of view. As I've pondered what to do, I decided that for now it will go back in to storage untouched. When covid releases us from captivity I will seek out an expert who will hopefully be able to help me decide what the best path forward is. My interest is really in the historical aspect of the top and if it seems a good move, I am wiling to donate it to a museum that will honor it. All of you that took the time to respond really helped me figure out a plan. Many thanks!!