Trying to make a decision about what to do with a quilt

Some of you may remember my talking about this quilt:



It's from the early thirties, and was apparently built from squares from multiple women, including the embroidered signatures and states and cities that they were from. As far as I can tell, they may have been related. Some of the names seem to be the same last name.

At one time, I hoped to repair it, and also to find out if any of the women still lived, or perhaps had relatives that might want it. I no longer have the ability to do the fine handwork that repairing would take, nor the impetus to seek out descendants. If someone here wants it, at least it might have the chance of being repaired...or cut up, and used again.

If someone wants it, feel free to speak up here, or leave a comment on my profile. I'm happy to ship it almost anywhere, if it's someone I already know of from this group, or elsewhere on LT. If I don't find a home, I'll see if the local quilt museum will take it.

That is beautiful work! And if no one has spoken up yet, I'll be happy to take it! I've done that sort of repair/finishing work on vintage/antique quilts before. It would be honor to restore and preserve it.

>2 AngelaB86: I bought it from an estate sale, because I couldn't bear the thought of it being used as the innards for someone else's quilt (which was its destiny). Such a personal piece deserved more respect than that.

I'm happy someone is interested.

>1 Lyndatrue: I have one very much like your quilt that was given to my husband and I as a wedding present. The giver was an antiques dealer and the quilt was marked as an 19th century quilt, which it was not. It's an early 30s just like yours, and the same pattern.

I have two quilts of my grandmothers of the same early 30s vintage. One needs some repair but I've yet to do it. The other is an autograph quilt* and I took photos and posted these quilts and another Victorian crazy quilt made by my great grandmother on Ancestry.com (hey, why not?!) I'm fairly certain none of my children are interested in these so I may actually set the crazy quilt up to be displayed and enjoyed (by me!) I have thought about donating the other two to the Biddeford, Maine historical society (they are already in acid-free boxes). But nothing has been done. I should, at the very least, put a label on them so the creator would be known after it leaves my hands.

*I asked my mother, before she was lost to Alzheimers, about the names on her mother's quilt. There is the immediate family, a square for the family dog, "summer people," friends and at least one penpal.
We used to sleep under this quilt as an "extra" blanket when we were sick. I would spend time reading all the autographs. It is one of the inspirations for my scrap quilt fascination.

>4 avaland: I thought I'd taken pictures of it, until I looked more closely at the photograph above, which is the picture from the auction I'd purchased it from (October, 2016). The description reads:

Ladies Friendship Hand Sewn Quilt w/ 6-Pointed Star Pattern & Hand Stitched Signatures; 87" x 67"Minor Damage & Wear

I paid $15.00 plus taxes and fees. I'm often sad when I see things like that, because the provenance is seldom there. In the case of the quilt, the auction was listed as "Combined Estates" with no information as to who was in them, or where the items came from.

Ah, well. I'm still grateful that someone's willing to take the interest in it, and the time.

I think it's great that you are willing to pass in on to someone else, and that you know your own limits.

I've decided to donate it to the local quilt museum. They'll take excellent care of it, and it'll be there for others to see.