I agree with those who have said it's a quilt that has been or will be passed down through the generations and is considered something of value (even sentimental value, in my opinion, but hopefully something so treasured is also well constructed so that it will hold up with minimal repairs from one generation to the next). It is the difference between a quick 6-hour quilt that one makes because they enjoy the process of making a quilt and/or need a quick gift or quilt for some purpose vs. a quilt that is carefully & lovingly constructed. Oftentimes baby quilts and wedding quilts become family heirlooms. Quilts one makes for their hope chest are also typically heirlooms.

I don't have heirs either, so it makes it easy to pass on making the quilt of a lifetime.

What a great thing so many quilts have been preserved for study and our enjoyment and our sentiment. Many lovely quilts have been lost to us. An heirloom can be a simple quilt made by hands from a past era. It can be a quilt that preserves memories. It can be a complex quilt with artistic beauty. But it is only an heirloom if it has been appreciated and passed down through the generations. Maybe some of my quilts will be heirlooms, maybe not. My hope is that my quilts will be enjoyed by others in some way. But no matter what happens to them, I know how much enjoyment I have received in making each one of them.

Over here in UK a book called the heirloom quilt was published. This was / is a work of art with many different and difficult blocks and techniques. This is assuming the quilter is making a quilt to be passed on to the next generation. We don't seem in the Uk to have quilts passed on through generations the same as other places.

I like Feline Fanatic's response. I have always thought of an heirloom anything that is saved, treated as special and lovingly passed to later generations to value and appreciate. It often commemorates an important family event like births and weddings. Could be a quilt or anything like a family bible, baby shoes, dishes, furniture, etc.

Like Feline, I consider an heirloom something meaningful or sentimental enough to be passed on to the next generation and hopefully the next and next. As of now I have only made one quilt and a Christening dress that I consider heirlooms. The quilt is here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...h-t155965.html
It is basically a looking glass into the life of my mother-in-law who passed away in 2011. After covering her casket, it hangs in our office along with other family memorabilia. The dress was for our first grand child, and in hopes of it being an heirloom, I embroidered her name (and the name of her brother several years later) in white on the slip. Here is a picture of that dress: The yoke is smocked with shadow embroidery, and the skirt is pin tucked and has matching slip, diaper cover and bonnet. However, it is up to my DIL whether SHE considers it an heirloom to be passed on.

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The rest of the quilts or baby items are for everyday use. That doesn't mean they won't end up as heirlooms, if the recipient deems them as such. IMHO we can hope to create heirlooms, but it is really the next generations that determine their worthiness, isn't it?

Like what has been said, eyes of the beholder. http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...t-t275603.html is an heirloom in my eyes (I made it LOL) but so is the very first quilt I made, it was made for our first grandson from square my Mom (his great grandmother) after she passed.

I have no aspersions about the quilts I make...some are " draggers"(used all the time,cats burp up on them,coffee spilled etc). Some are "show quilts"( win prizes,hung on walls). Some are " heirlooms"( hand quilted,expensive fabric,batting etc)...grand kids will probably wrap their furniture in them when they move.

A quilt taken care of can last many years I have a double wedding ring quilt that is around 100 years old it has some bad worn spots on it but still a wonderful old quilt all hand pieced and hand quilted

An heirloom quilt to me is a piece of art that someone wants to pass on. It is no more a waste than any other valuable artwork and if that's what the creator wants, then so be it. Since I'm not that great of a quilter, mine are all pieces made to keep others warm. We all can make choices as to what we want to do with our work.