Honestly, since her husband didn't want them and no one in her family wanted them, you don't have room for them I would donate them to a Guild and maybe a few of the members would take one or two of them. Sadly you may end up tossing them, as much as you cherish them they were your friends work and probably won't mean anything to anyone else.

The first thought that came to my mind was the same as Quiltwoman44. I think the best place for such history is a museum. It would be very sad for anyone to throw away such well documented items including pictures. I would hope that a local museum would be happy to have them. Good luck! And don't give up. It is so sad that no one in her family even cares.

I can appreciate her documentation but I don't see where anyone would be interested in it. Sad but true.
It's also sad that nobody in her family wants it. It was obviously very important to her.

I would think that scanning everything and keeping a digital copy makes sense. Some day, there is likely to be a family member interested, but that day may not be for many years. There are commercial services that will do the scanning, but that will cost something. Perhaps her local guild would be willing to help with the scanning process?

That was my thought too. Donate one of this quilters finest quilts and all of her history. It could be a good example of the life of a quilter if not now, in the future. Oh how we wish we know about the quilters in our past. This is your opportunity to create an archive for generations in the future. Don't be discouraged if the first sight says no, go to another. Also consider if there is a nearby university that had a textile department within their art or fashion departments. My university does and we also have a massive legacy center for maintaining documents of all varieties from business records of 1800's companies to photos from local news papers and on and on. Worth an ask.

I certainly wouldn't have give the husband the money from the sale of the his wife's things he wanted to dump. I'd have kept it for my work (money to use to save the binders) or donated it. He got what he wanted, it all gone and clean room. That's just me though.

The quilter kept records for herself, it was something she wanted to do. Documentation of quilts that no one knows where they are have little use for anyone. Donate the full binders to a thrift shop. Someone will be ecstatic to find them or glad to have the binders.

for at least a dozen years I parted our personal estates on Ebay. Not clothes or anything else, just their hobby stuff. So much fun, I shipped stuff all over the world. But it is LOTS of work, and all that stuff has to come home to be worked. With one quilter 1/3 of my living room was stacked with her stuff. It isn't something I'd do again, did I say it's lots of WORK, and I'm retired now, but if you are thinking about taking on the job out of sympathy or misplaced guilt or whatever...NO is the word I'd offer.

Major museums might take a AQS winner, but if you've ever worked with or volunteered for any local museums please believe me, they hardly have any room at all of true antiques, let alone a bulk estate delivery.

HE would need to handle it, but not long ago there was a post on the board here about buyer takes ALL estate sale effort, I think in Florida. You could suggest he try that. A local person might be willing to make the effort to flip it on etsy or where ever.

Thank you, Onebyone! I was thinking the same. He had no interest. Fine. But since he didn't have any interest and would have trashed everything, I'd have kept the money and used it as I saw fit.

I agree with Onebyone. I liken it to albums of family photographs; they don't have meaning for anyone else. Sad for sure.

It's sad but I agree with One by One also. They were important to her but not to anyone else. If they must be kept, scanning and placing digitally is the best way to go. Then you can freely dispose of the binders.