How much is that quilt worth?

 Quilt care was the topic at the monthly meeting of the Northern Lake County Quilters' Guild on Wednesday evening.  Appraiser Sandy Schweitzer provided helpful information about keeping quilts in good shape. She showed one of her quilts that had hung in an office with fluorescent light. The fabric in the background and on the back were the same -- but the background was tan and the back was black.  Hanging a quilt, even on a hanging sleeve, can result in distortion after a long time.   She recommends giving quilts a rest from light and gravity.  If you stack unfolded quilts on a guest bed, rotate them so those on the bottom don't become permanently smashed.  It's okay to keep quilts in plastic tubs but each should be in a clean sack (like a cotton pillow case).

On Saturday the guild hosted a day of appraisals-by-appointment with Sandy. I signed up for five half-hour slots and took a box with seven quilts.  I wanted certified appraisals for four of them and took the others for her assessment/opinion.

This four-block Princess Feather is circa 1850. It's a summer spread, which means that it is not quilted. The seams are neatly finished and the stitching on the back hardly shows.

Some of the green fabric has faded to yellow. Some of the appliques need to be stitched down again.

 There are borders on three sides. The curves in the vine are symmetrical. The buds on the inside area all three-petal and the buds on the outside are all four-petal.

The appraised value is $250. (I paid $25 at a thrift shop.)

The unquilted flying geese strippy is in rough shape. The columns taper so one end is narrower than the other. There are some rips.  Most of the geese have nipped noses.  Sandy didn't appraise this but she told me it dates to the last quarter of the 19th century.


I took two HeartStrings quilts-- the "standard" 48 string-pieced blocks -- and asked about a fair value. When I donate a HS quilt to a community fundraiser I'm asked how much it's worth. Sandy said I can count the value of the materials but not my labor.   She pointed out that to achieve the scrappiness in HS quilts I could conceivably purchase 30 or 40 fat quarters.  Then there's the fabric for the foundations and backing, plus batting.  All bought new, about $250.  [Note this is an assessment, not a certified appraisal.]

In this photo Sandy is affixing her seal to the written appraisal for my bookshelf quilt.  In our three-year terms on the ALA Executive Board my colleague Janet and I made them to honor our fellow board members as their terms ended. (I pieced and quilted. Janet embellished.)   I've since made many bookshelf quilts for other library friends, but they don't have the embroidery and beading that Janet added.  The appraisal:  $650!







Sandy will do more research for the appraisals of the other two quilts I brought: 

Railroad Ties is the memory quilt I made in 2010 using my dad's neckties.
Appraised value: $1800.00.

Stars in Her Crown is the quilt I made in honor of Lulu Corkhill Williams and her service to P.E.O.
Appraised value: $2950.00.