Right now my quilt “Soar” is in Herndon, Virginia waiting to be hung in the Sacred Threads Exhibit. I’m excited to be part of this biennial exhibit which is designed to convey spirituality, healing and inspirational messages without emphasizing any particular religion or theology. The concept of spirituality lives close to my heart as I travel this Earth looking for meaning.

After living with this quilt for awhile I decided to change it’s name from “Solar Worship” to “Soar.” Soar just fits what I see when I look at it. Because of the name change, I had to change the label before I took it to the shipper. I was also required to supply a formal appraisal of the quilt for insurance purposes. Well, that was a first for me.

We have a licensed quilt appraiser in the area, Jane Hall. Jane is known as the “Pineapple Queen” because she has written numerous books about making pieced quilts using the pineapple block (a variation of the log cabin block). She’s also kind of a rock star legend when it comes to quilting; she’s been on many of quilting tv shows and in many magazines. I’ve met her several times before and she even appraised some of the antique quilts that I own. She is an amazing lady. Very kind, talented, and knowledgeable. I really enjoyed my visit with Jane.

One thing she told me was that I need to date my quilts. Since I had to change the label anyway (name change), I decided to heed her advice and include the year made. Dating a quilt is important for historical records. Years from now someone viewing your quilt will wonder about you and the label/date will help them find out who you are.

I have some reservation about dating my quilts, but I do sign them.  Sadly, in today’s throw-away society, things that are “slightly old” aren’t valued as much as things that are “new and fresh.” I think if artwork is 10-20 years old, people view the piece as old fashion or out-dated. Jane knows best, so I added the date. But I wonder what you think about dates on quilts?

 

SEE MY QUILT “Soar” at the 
Sacred Threads Exhibition
July 7, 2017 – July 23, 2017
Floris United Methodist Church, Herndon, VA
www.sacredthreadsquilts.org