| Quilts are a truly unique American creation. Quilts were | | | | through life to make a quilt to commemorate a |
| born from ingenuity and creativity. The first quilts were | | | | childhood, celebrate years of marriage, or remember |
| blankets created from scraps of worn out clothing. | | | | special people in the quilt owners life. |
| The quilt grew over time as women worked to add a | | | | One of the biggest mistakes people make is to head |
| touch of beauty to their homes. | | | | out to the local country tourist area and find people |
| Once machine made fabric became more common | | | | who can quilt. There is a vast difference between the |
| place and less valuable, it was purchased for the sole | | | | quality of a homemade quilt and an artistic quality quilt. |
| purpose of making quilts. Generations of American | | | | Homeowners who want to replace a piece of artwork |
| women from around the world brought their creativity, | | | | with a quilt should find a group of professional quilters. |
| cultures, artistic expressions, and skill with a needle to | | | | These people will have accumulated a list of loyal |
| the quilting bee, turning the original course comforters | | | | buyers for their quilts, awards from national |
| into works of art. | | | | competitions, and a strong market. These people can |
| Americas love affair with modern and new caused | | | | expertly turn odds-and-ends into a perfect quilt. |
| the demise of the quilt. In a way, this was the best | | | | It takes a professionals eye to turn scraps of fabrics |
| thing that could happen. For several decades the | | | | into a work of art. Do not trust your memories to |
| creation of quilts was limited to true fans and artists. | | | | amateurs. |
| This gave birth to todays beautiful works of art that | | | | Decorating with quilts is easy. The main concern should |
| rival any modern work of art. | | | | be cleanliness. Quilts are difficult to clean. In some |
| The most sought after and valuable quilt is a white quilt. | | | | cases, newer dyes run. It is important to talk to the quilt |
| The most popular are quilts made from a solid white | | | | makers and ask them about cleaning. |
| sheet of cotton, and sewn into intricate designs like the | | | | If the quilt contains fabrics with colors that run, then the |
| Wedding Ring, Goose Track, and Log Cabin. | | | | quilt can never be cleaned. This dramatically reduces |
| It is possible to pay as much as $10 000 for a quilt. | | | | the places the quilt can be displayed. Even if the quilt |
| However, a good quality, artistic quality quilt can be | | | | can be dry cleaned which does use water and can |
| purchased for under $2 000. White quilts retain their | | | | result in running - it should be scotch guarded to reduce |
| value, even when quilts fall out of fashion. | | | | the number of times the quilt need to be cleaned. |
| Patchwork quilts are not as popular in todays home | | | | Cotton can shrink, distorting the fabrics. This will |
| decorating schemes. Skillfully stitched artistic quilts and | | | | drastically reduce the quilts value. The secret is |
| memorial quilts have replaced their colorful patterns in | | | | patience. Take your time looking for a quilt. No one |
| todays homes. | | | | should buy a quilt without looking at dozens of quilts |
| One style of quilt that is seeing a major surge in | | | | made by dozens of quilting groups. The final result of |
| popularity is the Memorial quilt. These quilts are made | | | | displaying a truly unique piece of American heritage in |
| from scraps of clothing that has been saved by the | | | | your home is worth the effort. |
| owner. Scraps of childrens clothing can be saved | | | | |