By Beverly Dunivent
Published in Vintage Quilts, Fall 1997 issue.
So
you would like to have a collection of antique quilts without ruining
the family budget. Let me share with you how this can be done and the
techniques I have used to build a collection of over fifty quilts.
Although I had been a
quiltmaker for almost twenty years, I only became a collector of antique
quilts about ten years ago when my mother, Ann Ames, gave me the Double
Wedding Ring quilt that she had made. Soon after this event, my cousin,
Paula Lizberg, offered me a quilt top that had been in her husband's
family since the early 1930s, as well as a quilt that our Great Aunt
Kate had made in the 1940s. I was thrilled and even went on to finish
the top and think seriously about having a collection of quilts. I also
learned the first lesson of quilt collecting: Let your relatives know
that you would love to have any family quilts that happen to be out
there looking for a good home.
My next step into the
world of quilt collecting came about when I started visiting antique
stores. One day, in the middle of one of these "visits," I
saw the most wonderful quilt I had ever seen. It "spoke" to
me saying that it should belong to me! Well, it was priced way over
my budget so I found my way sadly home, ignoring the dreams I had of
the quilt. About a month later I crept back to the antique shop, and
it was still there waiting for me! I told the owner of my plight, and
she suggested the good old "layaway plan." That did it, and
several months later I went home with the Posey Quilt which indeed has
proven to be a wonderful quilt. This quilt was recently reproduced by
RJR Fashion Fabrics and has become famous through their Posey Quilt
Collection.
The experience with the
Posey Quilt taught me two important things; one, that antique shops
are great places to find quilts and two, there are creative ways to
pay for quilts other than padding the family budget or selling your
soul.
The experience with the
Posey Quilt taught me two important things; one, that antique shops
are great places to find quilts and two, there are creative ways to
pay for quilts other than padding the family budget or selling your
soul.
It was during this I
learned that I wanted the focus of my collection to be on the quilts
of the 1930s and that I wanted only quilts that were in excellent or
very good condition. Since I use my quilts in lectures, they receive
handling, travel a great deal, and have to stand up to this use. Other
people find they enjoy quilts that are less than perfect and those in
need of restoration. I have a friend who only collects quilts she feels
she is rescuing from the dump or from becoming a Teddy Bear or oil changing
rag under a car.
As I have become more
experienced in the world of collecting, I have expanded the places where
I look to find quilts to purchase. First, there are Swap Meets and Flea
Markets. Many of these include antique dealers as well as individuals
who have quilts to sell. These events are usually held on a regular
schedule at the same location such as a stadium or drive-in theater.
In my area there are even Antique Swap Meets where one always finds
quilts. My experience has been that these market places often produce
quilts of lesser quality than at the antique stores, but this is not
always the case. One of my favorite appliquéd quilts was purchased
at a local Flea Market for less than $200.00.
