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Old quilts

 I am a first generation quilter, no old quilts in my family at all. 

About 5 years ago, my great-aunt Dorothy called and asked if my mom and I would like to come to her house to see her quilts.  Quilts!  I didn't know she had quilts!!!  She was taking them out of the attic and airing them before packing them away again.  Of course we jumped at the chance to see them.  She had the quilts laying on her bed when we arrived.  We looked at each one - the only thing she really knew about them was they were made by her mother and sisters.  Aunt Dorothy grew up on a farm and she worked in the fields and barn and didn't learn to quilt.  We oohed and ahhhed (they were beautiful and some were in great condition).  I tried to encourage her to keep them out and enjoy them.  She was keeping them "for good" and they would go back in the attic.  So sad.......................

Uncle Walter (her husband - my dad's uncle) passed away three years ago.  They had no children but lots of nieces and nephews.  Both were kind, compassionate, loving people who lived a very simple but rich life.  Aunt Dorothy passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 84.  Per her request, everything in the house was to be sold at auction. 

Two weeks ago the auction was held.  I could not attend because I was scheduled to vend at a quilt show.  My husband Tom "volunteered" to go.  Just a little background on Tom - it is turkey season and he loves to hunt spring gobbler, and he has never been to an auction in his life!  He arrived at the auction an hour early and there were already 200 people there.  He checked out the quilts, there were five.  I vaguely remembered a red lone star and it was there.  We had a limit of what to spend and I really didn't expect to get any of them with so many people there. 

Tom texted me about every hour with an update.  Finally at 3:00 pm I got the good news!  Three quilts, $100 under budget!!!  And one of them was the red Lone Star!!!

Here are the pictures:

 Aren't they great?!?!?  I am having them appraised next week so I can have an idea of the history of them. 

Special thanks to Tom - HUSBAND OF THE YEAR!!!!!

I am a lucky girl in many ways!!!

Barbara

www.alleycatquiltworks.com

Comments

• 4. Gwen Carusone (19 June 2009 at 5:51 p.m.)

  These quilts are fabulous. You have a real treasure. Don't let anything happen to them. I made my first quilt in 1974.

• 3. Ethel Bowers (02 June 2009 at 3:45 p.m.)

  Ethel Bowers, (2June 09) What a treasure, My mother quilted, but they were all utility quilts. Something to keep us kid warm in the winter. Not the fancy ones like you now have. Is't it nice that you will be able to pass them on to your sons.(with rules on how to handle them)

• 2. Tammie (12 May 2009 at 8:03 p.m.)

  That is such a great thing to have quilts passed down. I didn't have any quilters in my family either, so I will be the one passing them down. Yeah for you! And that Tom is a keeper!

• 1. Kerry Alters (12 May 2009 at 7:22 p.m.)

  There isn't anything like the hand stitching on an old quilt. My mother used an old Amish quilting frame for many years making quilts. Before she passed away, she made each of her 5 kids a quilt... every one different from the next. I've had mine appraised at $1400 a few years ago.

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Alleycat Quiltworks ~ Barbara S. Dann