Many people particularly in the Midwest have quilts that were made by their ancestors and handed down from one generation to another. Some of these quilts are still beautiful, they have been well kept and displayed in homes and county museums. However, the condition of quilts from the 1800's are more likely thread barren with holes, frayed edges, tears and worn spots, they were well used. They are proudly handed down from generation to generation, a piece of authentic family history. Quilting is still alive and well for many crafters. There are fabric shops that actually have “how to” lessons and many grandmas teaching their kids and grandkids what her grandma taught her.***
Quilts remind me of the Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories I read when I was a kid. The girls and Ma pieced the tops and quilted blankets out of necessity. Never once did they think that two hundred years later quilting would be considered an art form. In those days they used worn out clothing for the quilt tops and with every stitch they made and every quilt they completed they reminisced about family members and the garments each wore. This family theme must have spilled over to the present because most quilts seem to have a homey look and feel to them.***
Handmade hand stitched quilts are beautiful pieces of art. As a rule machine quilting is easier and a faster way to complete a quilt but both methods produce beautiful quilts. The tops are usually pieced together with a layer of batting in between the quilt top and the backing. I have to think that quilts are made by people that have an extreme amount of patience and artistic ability. Machine stitched quilts do not have the same monetary value. Hand stitched quilts are so much more valuable, however, both are pricey, the time involved in making a quilt is phenomenal.
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Walmart was selling a variety of machine made quilts, from China of all places, and while the quality wasn't even close to a homemade quilt they were very pretty and much cheaper so people were going crazy over them when they first came out.
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People who enjoy decorating in an country theme usually have a few quilts displayed around their homes. I go to a lot of estate auctions and whenever they offer quilts they always bring top dollar. If you are collecting or trying to sell a quilt look at the quality, the fabric, the size, the stitching, the difficulty of block and piece placement, and the color coordination. Value is always higher when the degree of difficulty in making the quilt is high because it takes much more time to make. The size is important, a king size will definitely bring more than a full size and neat small hand stitching will be more valuable than machine stitched quilts. The quality in the quilt from all three sections, the top, the batting and the bottom will also add value to your quilt. Of course condition is another factor in value for those of you wanting to collect or sell quilts.
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My mother had a love for quilts, the one in the picture belonged to her. Back in the 70's she made a trip to Ohio to spend time with her father and while there she fell in love with the quilts displayed in and around businesses in his small town. She hired a distant relative to make her one, as you can see it is a beautiful handmade hand stitched quality quilt. Mom use to enjoy going to the quilt shows, she could browse for hours just looking at quilts. She never did learn how to quilt but it sure held a fascination for her, sometimes she would go to the senior center and just sit and watch the ladies quilt.
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Collecting quilts is a hobby that can compliment your decorating tastes. If you collect quilts it can get to be a pricey hobby but there is certainly a homey effect that these quilts seem to have in every home.
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