ohhhh what a great find so pretty.

Speaking of age -there is a study going on where there are people who can look at those quilts and give you an approximate age. It also assigns a number to them and the documentation is compiled in Michigan I believe to chronicle the history of quilt making in America. The site to view quilts is Quiltindex.org. They may have someone in your area who is doing this. I took a crazy quilt that I got at a flea market and they were able to tell me that it was made in the early 1900s

As a hand quilter, I would say quilt tops that old are just begging to be hand quilted. Currently I'm custom quilting one for a lady that pieced a sampler quilt with 1930s reproduction fabric and very traditional blocks. I can't imagine doing anything but hand quilting it. It just goes with the time period. (Pictures will be posted when it's done. It's an amazing quilt!)

I would handquilt the pink one - even simple quilting would make it look so pretty. See if you can find someone to quilt it for you - maybe from a local quilt guild or church.

I repeat all the WOWs.

nice tops, lucky you Barb

Beautiful

That block appears to be a variation of the feathered star.

Awesome.

A friend of mine had a quilt top hand quilted by an Amish family. It was beautiful work.

What treasures!!! The red quilt is stunning!

cong this was your luck day.

Wow!

I'm also available for hand-quilting! Would be an honor! Just PM me if interested :)

Lucky find! It's amazing how many quilt tops one can find that have just been donated or sold cheap. I haven't seen any *good* hand pieced ones out there yet! Best of luck with whatever you decide.. you can't go wrong!!!

Lovely,lovely quilts!

Find a hand quilter for sure!

Wow, your lucky day. Priceless! Love them both!

I think they are stunning! I just recently got some of those as well. It is so hard trying to decide how to finish them. But I think in the end that is part of their charm...the story about how they became a quilt.

These are beautiful quilts. If you want it hand quilted there are people on this board that hand quilt. I have talked with a lady in Utah that does hand quilting and if you are interested pm me and I will tell you her name.

If you can't find someone on the Board to hand quilt both of them, there is usually a Classified Ads section in many quilting magazines. Check there for hand quilters. There are usually many available.
Congratulations on the "find". It's great when treasures don't go unappreciated!

Lucky you. Great find.

My experience with very old quilt tops is that our threads today are so much stronger than at the time they were made that the thread will cut thru the fabric. I would seriously consider leaving them unquilted and finishing the edges with a bias strip, carefully, and using them for what my grandmother called a summer bed top.

the red one~~~definately hand quilt.
I would not change the integrity of it.

Get them appraised first as has been suggested. They may be worth a great deal more left unquilted.

I love attics. Great find. Are you thru going thru the attic, or do you need us all to come help you?

These are very pretty!

Beautiful and great find! You should talk to a quilt appraiser before you do anything. They will be able to advise you about what to do and not do to the quilts. If you finish it now, it becomes a 2011 quilt. Good luck!

Just beautiful, what a find
Have a Blessed day
Ellen

Wow! how lucky are you, all we found in the attic of a old house, 100 yrs was a pole lamp a picture of a tiger , and some glass beads and old purse, and canning jars. The purse and tiny beads were great,but a quilt would of been better.

You are lucky. Love the red one.

Would love to have help...LOL no the attic is so full of stuff and that is why my friend asked me to help her get it cleaned out...
you name it and I think it is up there.LOL

She dos'nt know what is up there she said she never goes up there and have lived in the house for 30 some years. She wanted to get it cleaned out so she could use the space...I think she had in mind for a sewing room. it has some big windows so it would really be a great space for that... if we ever get it cleaned out.. LOL

It will take some time but we will get it done...It is kind of scary we never know what we will find in a box or trunk ..LOL just so nothing jumps out at us we will be fine...LOL

we didn't think about if they were worth anything..

just love looking at the fine stitches. I don't know how anyone can get 1/4 inch seans so perfect and all by hand.. I have a hard time do that on a machine LOL

the red quilt top has some really small HST and all are so prefect....someone really put a lot of work and time in it..

Wish we knew who made then and when... ladies make sure you sign all your quilts..so when someone looks at them years down the road they will know who did them..

What a treasure trove! glad you can give them a special home!

Bungie, that is something to think about... but would have to put a back on it ..lots of thread on the back from where the fabric was cut..

how about tieing it I think they use to do that a lot long time ago...

I guess I will have to find someone that knows more about quilts then me and see what they say...They may be just old quilt tops and not worth anything but to the person who has the top...will see

Thanks for all your advice....

Aren't there Amish communities close to you in IL? I had heard they do other's quilts by hand but I don't know their prices at all. Maybe contact them and see what they might do.

Not knowing how old the fabric is I think hand quilting would be the best option for quilting these quilts. I know that fabric gets fragile as it ages and I'd hate to see these ruined on a long arm quilt frame. They are beautiful patterns. Someone who had knowledge of quilting spent alot of time 'getting it right'. Lucky you.

I have dreamed a finding treasure in an attic but always wake up....Nice gift to you. I would also recommend hand quilting.

Wow, what a fantastic find! I've always dreamed of such an attic. We don't have attics here. That red quilt is gorgeous. Yes, find a hand quilter to finish it! I wonder if some digging might give you a clue as to who made it or when. Enjoy your treasures.

What a find!!! Makes me wish I had an attic to go through!!!

Both are equally beautiful. I have no answers for you.