Quilts---how to clean them---- "PICS ADDED"

[92caddy]

More pics of the 1st 2..........

 

[NanaKat]

Ed, from what I can tell from the photos, all three are definitely very old.
They appear to be handquilted. The muslin border and backing is probably flour or sugar sack.
The stains may be from storage in a cedar chest. Sometimes the oils/fumes from the cedar are absorbed by the fabric. Sometimes you cannot get this kind of stain out, BUT it adds to the provenance and beauty of the period it represents.

The first two...larger quilts are scrap quilts. Postage stamp and crazy block.
The third is a diamond pinwheel. The fabrics could be 20s, 30s or 40s prints.

Were these quilts from the family estate? They are beautiful testaments to a seamstress's skill and ingenuity.
Any quilt's age is determined by the age of the youngest fabric in the quilt. That helps to date the quilt.
If you know the maker and the time period, you should add a historical label on the back of the quilt. This can be written on a piece of fabric and stitched to the back corner.

 

[92caddy]

They came from the estate, but we didnt know they were there til we were cleaning out the house. I dont know where they came from, if they are family made pieces or if mom picked them up from some where. Mom had stuff in that house from when they moved in back in 1968. I was hoping they came from grammy, but she [grammy] wasnt much of a sewer, but her sister and a few of her cousins were big sewers, so Im hoping they are family pieces.

Any idea what they maybe worth, I know its hard to tell without seeing them. I pd 40.00 for the 1 big one and 55.00 for the other one [ I cant remember which one I bought 1st] and 5.00 for the small one.

 

[NanaKat]

If they are family pieces they are priceless to you.
Often you can look at a quilt made by an aunt and compare the stitch patterns or even match pieces of fabric.

To a fabric historian, the bigger two quilts become a fabric resource library. Price depends on size and period and skill. I have seen them priced from $150 to $1000. There are quilt appraisers who could give you a definitive value. Often they come to a quilt shop in a city near me, and for $40 will appraise a quilt.