Beautiful. I would hand quilt

As one who does quilt repair and restoration, and who quilts *occasionally* for others, my perspective on this quilt is:

It was made in 1978, just 3-4 years before I learned to quilt, at a time when many quilters were doing machine quilting. The fabrics of the time were American cottons of good quality and thread count, and this print looks vaguely familiar. Just because it's vintage is no particular reason to handquilt it, yet, since this one is handpieced, it does seem like the intent of the original quilter to hand quilt it.

I'm betting the fabrics can easily stand up to a "washing" if done gently enough to not cause fraying of the edges, and if I were going to quilt it, I'd definitely be cleaning it first for my own comfort in handling it.

The quilting would likely have been minimal, less than we often see now with lots of stippling, etc. Outlining the design about 1/4" away from each side would be period appropriate. It would likely have been done with an ecru thread.

Regardless, enjoying it is the best honor it can be shown!

Jan in VA