Vintage quilts are well loved quilts, mostly from grandma or great grandma. These tops generally can't be quilted because of the difference in type of fabric and thread used back then and now. Like the old saying goes, you can't put new wine into old wine skins. Why? because they will burst. Same concept with current sewing/quilting practices with the good old days. The thread or fabric can easily tear. But...don't worry. We can still preserve the memory from the quilt. Vintage pillows made from grandma's quilts are a huge hit! Sometimes a portion of the quilt can be preserved with extensive quilting and cut down and turned into a wall hanging or a baby quilt.

If someone is new to vintage quilts, what should they look for in terms of quality, condition, and authenticity?

Look for something clean and relatively good condition.

Can you share a memorable story about a vintage quilt you've worked on or a customer's reaction to one?

One lady had her grandma's 2 quilts and she wanted them quilted. The first one we looked at was a bright colored star. Looked like it would be very fun to do. Upon further investigation, the corners were too puckered to quilt. The next quilt she had was probably 20-30 years older than the first... it was made with muslin and had some holes and tears, and the seams were separating in several places. Grandma hand stitched most of this quilt top but not all of it. There was no way we could quilt it up to make a bed quilt. It would continue to fall apart. We offered the client a solution. We could in fact cut the quilts apart, densely quilt them and make a baby blanket or two and we could make pillows. The client was somewhat disappointed but was thankful there was something that could preserve the memory. When she came to pick them up, she cried tears of joy. She had a first grandchild coming soon and was super happy to give this child great, great grandma's quilt.