What is an Heirloom Quilt?
 

I keep hearing the term "heirloom quilt," but I can't find a definition for it. What makes an heirloom quilt different from any other kind of quilt?

My unofficial opinion:

It's a very nice one that only gets looked at because "it's too good to use!"

I would say it's one that may have a lot of applique, made of "better materials,", have lots of hand quilting.

Or one that is old and has managed to survive.

An heirloom is a family possession that's handed down from one generation to the next. So any quilt that has been handed down within the family is an heirloom. Often we tell someone that their quilt is an heirloom even though it's new, meaning that it is of the quality to be appreciated and handed down within the family.

Very true. Too funny.

I tend to think of them (if made nowadays) one that is so beautiful that no one wants to use it AND that someone spent a lot of time on -- think a year of work. But in truth, I suppose it is really just one that managed to survive.

heirlooms are handed down- generation to generation- not necessarily a quilt- any item that is saved/preserved/protected and handed down-
if you make a quilt, give it to a family member who then puts it away- gets it out once in a while to show it off, refold it and put it back away- then they give it to someone else---it is an heirloom- they are not all made with the intension of being an heirloom- and some people may look at it and say...."really- you saved that?" and some generation down the road may really really love it- care for it- keep it to pass on- someone else may see it- say--"hey, this will work to cover the wood pile- no one's using it anyway"
happens all the time .
like everything- an heirloom is in the eye of the beholder (as is the value)

I, too, am scouring the internet to find out the difference between an heirloom quilt and a regular quilt. I know what heirloom means and I get that if I have one that was in my family for decades, it would be an heirloom quilt. But when people talk about MAKING an heirloom quilt, are they just saying that they're making a quilt that they want to become an heirloom? Is there a difference in style or materials between an (intended) heirloom quilt and a regular quilt? I really think that is what the lady who originated this question wanted to know. I want to know, too. It just seems odd to me that there is some sort of difference because I would make all quilts the same quality and then one would become an heirloom if they just kept it all those years. So if a home sewer starting out by making an heirloom, what would she call all the other quilts she makes? When people talk about making an heirloom quilt - what is the non-heirloom quilt referred to as? If I "intended" for one to be an heirloom, does that just mean that it is one I am keeping in the family and not giving away or expect my family won't actually use it? Hopefully, someone doesn't think me ignorant, and, if so, I apologize in advance. With all the talk about heirloom quilting, it seems obvious that the question is, "Heirloom, as opposed to what.....?" I mean, what techniques would be different for heirloom quilting that any other quilting? Would it mean that you just make it with extra care rather than just slapping it together?

Hopefully someone can answer better than I can. I have been working on and off for the past couple years on the Farmers Wife Sampler, just finished all the blocks and hope to have the quilting and binding done by the end of the year. It will have a nice label with my name and location and dates. I plan on keeping the quilt. When I am gone, hopefully, my stepson and his wife, will want the quilt to pass on to keep and then pass on to their children. If that happens, then it would be a family heirloom. I don't expect to ever really use this quilt on a bed and it's to large to be a wallhanging. As for other quilts I have made, to my best ability, they are made and given for using everyday.

To me, a new "heirloom" quilt is one that is not used. It's treasured either because of who made it, or the work that went into it, or both. (This is separate from old quilts that have become heirlooms by being passed down)

I specifically do NOT make 'heirloom' quilts. I make quilts that are intended not only to be used, but to be USED UP. My fondest wish is for them to come back to me in tatters so I can patch them up and send them back out in the world, just like Gran used to do for all of ours.

If one of my quilts becomes an heirloom I want it to be because someone kept it out of love, out of all the fond memories of years of picnics and couch forts, and I want all the patches and repairs to be part of that, just like MY baby & childhood quilts that I still have after all these years. That's what gives me warm fuzzies. :)

I think of most "heirloom" quilts as wasted quilts. They are the ones that no one loves because someone else spent alot of time on them and they will get ruined. A true heirloom quilt is loved, worn and used daily. When they wear out, they wear out.

'Heirloom' usually refers to something valuable. A wrench may have been passed down through several generations, but I don't think anyone would consider it an heirloom (I could be wrong). So first, I would say, of admirable quality. For a quilt, I think this would mean that there was obviously a great deal of skill and work put into it and it meets a certain standard of excellence -- whether in workmanship, design, or as a representation of an era. It would be an excellent example of the craft, as any heirloom piece would be an excellent example of whatever craft it represented.

Sometimes I see this phrase applied to traditional patterns that are complex and require alot of work, whether complex piecing or applique, and in that case, I think it refers to the traditional aspect of the pattern and that the skill required would make it a potential heirloom.