Good Hope Quilters' Guild

 
How to Document Your Heirloom Quilts
 
Do you have old family quilts you are keeping in your closet?    Do you have quilts you have made that you would like your family to treasure after you are gone?    Documenting your quilts can seem like a monumental task, after all, there is a lot of information to gather.    It won't get any easier as the years pass, however.   Our memories falter and fade, our children forget what we told them about the family keepsakes.     The best option is to record what you know now, before it is too late.

 
Patchwork Quilt Detective  
( Article by Jenny Hermans)

Documenting the information about quilts in your possession or quilts that you know about may seem like a big task but it is worth the effort.   Information about quilt-works, heirlooms and keepsakes ensures that they become things to treasure.  

As we all know 'a stitch in time saves nine'!   So gather information now about quilts, as memory fades and time passes.
A detective gathers information and analyses it, and then draws conclusions with this evidence.   Here is how to do it.
 
Record the following:
 
Maker's Name:  The makers full name, also this person's relation to you, if any.Quilt Description
Size:    Specific measurements in centimetres are better than"queen size".
Name of Pattern:   You might know it by a name other than one listed in a popular reference
Quilt Title:  If any, this may be on the label, or surface of the quilt.
Techniques used:   Piecing and or appliqué, by hand or machine, embellished, stuffed, painted or stencilled, signed with ink or embroidery etc.
Construction:   Is it made by hand or by machine?   Pieced or appiques or wholecloth?   Does the quilt have a scalloped edge, square, curved or cut-out corners, borders, and what type of binding was used?  
Quilt top:   Is it finished with quilting, ties or tacks, does it have all three layers, is it a thin or thick quilt?
Quilting designs:   Straight lines, outline, stencilled shapes, other designs, what colour thread was used in the stitching?
Back:    Is it one fabric, what colour or pattern is the fabric, are there any signatures, labels or suchlike?
Fabric used:   Cotton, silk, wool, man-made fibres, unknown mixtures.   Date the fabrics if you can.   Record fabric manufacturers names if they are recognizable.
Batting or filling used:   Cotton, wool, synthetic or other batting. Any other type of filling?
Condition of quilt:   Excellent, good, fair, poor. Note any deterioration, stains, holes or repairs.  
Dates:    Give specific dates if you know them, if not - give the dates you have.

Other information
Was the quilt made for a particular event and or person?
Were the fabrics or design chosen for a specific reason?
Who owns the quilt now?
Where the quilt can be found and in what conditions is it being kept?
Does the quilt have any dates, lettering or copperplate illustrations?   Record this data as accurately as possible.
Is there any supporting documentation about the quilt or maker, such as letters, pictures, media information or diaries?  
Take photographs
Make sure photos are taken of the front, back and close detail, with good natural light conditions.
With detailed photos, have a ruler in the picture to indicate size and dimension.
 
As a Quilt Sleuth you should give good advice about the care of quilts and how to store and preserve them.  
The recording of this will benefit the makers and owners, so that the quilts may be kept and respected for future posterity. JMH
 
Credit to and for other useful information visit:  www.reddawn.net