What is an Heirloom Quilt?
 

I've seen this a few times now and I'm wondering makes a quilt an "Heirloom Quilt"?

"Heirloom" is in the eye of the beholder!
To me it means something that has artistic and/or technical and/or sentimental value to you enough that you want to ensure it will continue to exist by passing its ownership on. Hopefully to someone who feels the same as you!
Interesting question. Very curious to read other responses.

I'm not really sure...to me, when someone says, "I'm making an Heirloom quilt" that makes me think that it's a quilt that is designed to be displayed rather than used. That's just my impression though - it probably means something a little different to each person who uses it.

When I hear someone saying, this is an Heirloom Quilt and I am passing it on, I think to myself, "What a Waste!". In my Guild it's usually a Baltimore Album or some other intricate designed quilt that gets put on a shelf and drug out every once in a while to show. Sort of like the formal living rooms of our grandmothers that we were never allowed to play in. A true heirloom in my eyes is a quilt that is used, loved and worn. A remembrance of happy times of childhood or events. A quilt that is put up for safe keeping is eventually a garage sale item, sold cheap because it means nothing.

Well, I am pretty sure my quilts won't show up in a garage sale. I expect that if I don't write it in the will who gets what, their might be some arguing over who gets what. I consider the quilt top that I bought from My Great Great Aunt (only met her once)in the early 70s is an Heirloom quilt. Disappointed when my Great Aunt Maude (she introduced me to this 90+ woman) didn't put a label with it's history on the back of this quilt when her quilting bee hand-quilted it for me. It is going back to the little town in Kansas being donated to the local museum where my Dad's relatives were born. it is not the greatest but is the only quilt I ever received from a relative and I cherish it dearly.

The dictionary definition of heirloom is "A valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations". So when someone is saying they are making an heirloom quilt they are hoping it will be valued and passed down and preserved for generations. They are usually very intricate and showcase the best the maker is capable of. When longarm quilters refer to "heirloom" style quilting it is usually show quality quilting capable of ribboning. Considering the best of show prize for an AQS show is currently $10,000.00 I can see wanting to save the quilt to enjoy for future generations and admire the workmanship and beauty of it. The BOS prize in Paducah is usually a purchase prize which means AQS retains ownership of the quilt in exchange for the cash payout to display in the quilt museum.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a masterpiece in workmanship being only admired and not used. Consider how many people have gotten joy and inspiration from the Jane Sickle (Dear Jane) quilt which was probably never used and currently on display only a few months out of the year in Bennington, Vt. Same with many fabulous antique quilts displayed in museums. They serve a purpose just as much as any quilt that is used as a bed covering/source of warmth/comfort. They inspire, motivate and pique the imagination. There is no waste in creating art for art's sake only. the artist just chose fabric and thread as their medium as opposed to canvas and paint.

'Heirloom quilt', as I've seen the term used most often, refers to a quilt that is special in terms of the skill/artistry/amount of work it represents, such that one can imagine it being handled with care and passed on through generations. I don't think it necessarily implies that it must be shut away and not enjoyed. Having said that, an heirloom is not necessarily something objectively valuable; the value could be sentimental, and so any quilt made by someone that was greatly loved within the family could become a family heirloom.

It's very interesting that there are different ideas as to what an Heirloom Quilt is. For me, I would imagine I am using the best fabrics I can and doing as nice a work as possible for a family member to receive either now or upon my passing. Hopefully such a quilt would be appreciated and used, but loved and cared for as well, in hopes of passing it on yet again some day. I wonder how long the life of a quilt is?

No heirs to worry about! Lol!
sandy

Years ago I cross stitched an afghan. My DDIL had seen it several times while I worked on it but this one time she said, "You know what you're making." I answered an afghan. Her answer, "No, you're making a family heirloom and I get it!". So it is in the eye of the beholder.

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.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]542577[/ATTACH]
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.

Heirloom, I have always known is with clothing, quilts, etc., made with French laces, pin tucks, French hand sewing, pearl buttons, christening gowns, fine embroidery, etc.

I see it as a quilt that is handed down through your family. It does not have to be amazing, the love and memories attached to it and it's maker are what make it a family heirloom.

I love the idea of an heirloom quilt but for me it depends on if there is an heir that would want it. I don't think anyone in my family would appreciate my quilts like I do. My mother does but I've already made her a couple of her own that are "her."

I do have one that has a lot of appliqued blocks as well as pieced and a very detailed applique border around it where I used 1 1/2" squares as sashing, each hand placed not as strip pieced and cut into the same segments. I completely hand quilted it and have used it on my queen size bed. Took me 5 years to complete for various reasons. Anyway I did consider it an heirloom until I washed it and one of the fabrics bled and I cannot remove the excess dye from it (which is heartbreaking). My only option is to take it apart, applique a new border and replace that whole border section which is way too much work. So it stays as is. I don't feel like it's worthy of an heirloom title anymore but I do still love it for it's beauty and all the hand work in it.

This is a very nice one!

I have a quilt assembled from blocks my 89-year old Aunt embroidered some 30+ years ago. Now, my SIL, when we found these blocks cleaning out the Aunt's house, told me to "throw them away", and I said NOT JUST NO, BUT H___L NO. To me, these blocks are precious. For that reason, I squared up the blocks, and assembled them with "Blue Viney Calico, made a bed skirt from the white background fabric and put borders on the bed skirt. Then, I made a set of pinch-pleat drapes, with the same borders as the sashing and borders on the quilt, and a pinch-pleated valance made from the Blue Viney Calico. A photo of parts of that quilt is posted in the Pictures section. I truly regard this quilt as an heirloom, not because I assembled it and made the bed skirt, drapes and valance, but because my dear aunt spent an awful lot of hours doing the embroidery work. I could not bear to see these blocks thrown away. I am working on completing the quilt, the drapes, valance and bed skirt which will go to my son, not me. I won't waste space posting photos again -- they are there if you are interested. Thank you. Jeanette