Appraising Quilts

For the past several years, I have had most of my original quilts appraised. It serves several purposes. First of all, it gives me an idea of what they are worth in case I wanted to sell one of them (although my husband says I would have a very difficult time doing just that!). Also, if you're entering quilts shows with these quilts if offers monetary protection if, God forbid, something should happen to them--theft, lost in the mail, etc.

I had a friend once who said she didn't really care if her quilts got lost in the mail because then the insurance she bought at UPS would recompense her for her loss. This is not necessarily so. They WILL pay you for the loss of your materials but that may be all. Unless, of course, you have a written appraisal from a certified appraiser.

It also allows you to put a rider on your home insurance for a fairly nominal fee to cover your loss in other situations. And if your quilts are insured on your home insurance, you really don't need to purchase insurance each time from UPS or FedEx. At least, this is what I've been told. Thankfully, I've never had to find out.

Yesterday, I went to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway to meet with Connie Brown who appraised two of my quilts. She has just recently been certified by NQA and I feel fortunate that I live near enough to her that getting my quilts appraised is no longer such a big issue (I used to drive to Raleigh from Charleston before and it also involved an overnight stay).

Connie is so knowledgable about the quilting process and the materials of construction because she is quite a good quilter herself. And it was really interesting hearing her discuss the quilts from that perspective. Here she is measuring the quilt--not just the perimeter, but also the width of the borders and size of the interior. And when she was totally finished, she photographed the quilt for her records. The same photo will be on the written appraisal that I receive. And inbetween the measuring and the photographing, there was much discussion about the types of stitches used in the quilting, the kind of batting used, were the fabrics batiks or handdyes and other details that I hadn't even considered. For instance, she asked me if in this particular quilt was it being viewed from the inside of a window . I really hadn't thought about that at all and it made me really look at from someone else's perspective.

So, the bottom line here is this: If you don't presently get your quilts appraised and you feel they might benefit from it, then go ahead and do it. You can sometimes get them appraised at quilt shows and you can also go to NQA website and check the list of qualified appraisers in your area. AND, if you're fortunate enough to live within travelling distance to Asheville, you can contact Connie for a friendly, bright and thorough quilt appraisal experience. Her email is: mail2thebrowns@juno.com

The Weather Outside Is Frightful, But The Fire Is So Delightful

Like many parts of the United States, our neck of the woods has been frigid--breaking a 25 year record of continuous days with the high temperatures under freezing. And it doesn't look as if it's going to get much warmer in the next few days.

When I came down into my studio the other morning, the temperature in the room was 45 degrees! That was too cold to even think about working. And this is the kind of thing that can happen when you buy an old house (55 years old) in the summer. It was nice and cool in the house then (we're in the mountains, after all), but it held no hint of what the furnace would or wouldn't do once winter hit.

BUT, now I'm a very happy camper. We have had a set of sealed gas logs installed in the fireplace opening (it's another long story as to why the 2 fireplaces can't be used) and my room is almost toasty. I am greatful, ecstatic and just plain happy. And while we were at it, we also had them installed in the upstairs fireplace and a pellet stove in the garage/workshop. So now I can say, "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!"

I have begun to quilt my Summer Beauties wallhanging. I was really at a loss about just how to quilt the background for the basket of flowers. I love the gradated fabric and didn't want to lose that in the quilting process. I did find thread that matched the three main shades of the background and started quilting it that way, but I hated it almost right away. (Thank goodness, because that meant a LOT fewer stitches to pick out). So, I decided to go with a color that matched the darkest part ( poly thread instead of cotton) and I am very happy with the result. It's one of those things that you're not really sure about until you go ahead and try it--and that's why I'm probably one of the Queen's of the "Pick-Out" Club!

Keep warm everyone.

Just A Little Addendum

For those who are interested inn learning more about molas and their cultural history, the following website has lots of interesting information. For instance, I now know they were made as fronts and backs of blouses for the women and they were usually made in pairs (although not perfectly matching pairs.)

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/a-history-of-molas.htm

I hope you enjoy it.