Quilts and Quilting

What's My Quilt Worth

We had a great time at the Cottonwood Quilt Guild show where I did appraisals for three days last weekend.  The show was great, well run, and the space at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Elkhorn, NE was marvelous.

We did dozens of appraisals and it was interesting how many different reasons people had for getting appraisals.  Several were for insurance as you might expect.  One collector was planning to sell part of her life-long collection and wanted retail appraisals.

A contemporary quilter wanted verbal appraisals of two quilts in the show which she had given as gifts to a grand child and daughter-in-law.  She wanted to make sure the mom and the daughter-in-law were aware that the quilts has some real value and should be carefully maintained.

Many people were just curious and most were surprised that their quilts had values higher than they thought.  There were several very supportive husbands along for the adventure who said they learned a lot.

If you didn't have a chance to get your quilt appraised, we're doing an event called "Tell Me About Grandmother's Quilt" on Dec. 10 at the Scott Center in Omaha.  We'll do comments on the quilts you bring in a  Show and Tell format.  Written appraisals will be available after the event.  Be sure to sign up for Old News, our e-newsletter, to get all the details.

More soon.

Nancy Kirk, The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com

Silly Spiders and Such

I’ve definitely been out of the Halloween loop for a long time.  I took Jessie and one of  her friends to the local Nobbies, the retail store for Oriental Trading, an Omaha company which makes all those plastic leis for Hawaiian parties.  It was a Halloween lover’s paradise. 

I found a quiet spot out of the traffic path in the wedding department with a good chair and read some magazines and watched the parade of little kids turning away from the scary clown in the aisle.  A middle aged woman came by wearing a big purple spider on her head.  When I wandered the aisles later I found them and couldn’t resist – I got one for Aunt Kat (my sister).

I like the funny side of Halloween the best.  Til next time,

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection ~ www.kirkcollection.com

Proud Mother

This doesn't have a lot to do with quilts, except to reflect on how much like a quilt our lives are.  Sometimes it feels more like a crazy quilt than a highly ordered and well-planned  patchwork creation.

One of the most exciting events in my life was when my daughter Jessie started college last month -- at age 15.  She decided she really, really wanted to study animation this year.  We home school so the choice wasn't a problem, but I'm not qualified to teach her animation and the only place in town it is offered is at the community college.

It took some persistence to convince the counselors that she could do the work.  Finally we got to meet with the prof who said "15 -- no problem -- that's the perfect age to do this.  Home school -- no problem -- they do better than the students who come from public school." Once he said ok it was all easy and there she was -- walking down the hall to her first college class.  If she decides to continue she could end up with an AA degree before she graduates from high school!

So far, so good.  She doesn't much like working with the text book -- we've never used formal textbooks when we home school -- we read the originals and talk a lot.  But when she gets on the computer she flies.  She usually finishes all her work early and stays to help the college kids with their assignments.

Also, it's all advanced solid geomentry -- words I've never heard of like gengon and ngon.  But together we're pushing through the book, and then I hang out in the Cyber Cafe while she's in class and have a skim milk latte and catch up on my email.  Hopefully at the end of the class there will be a short animation we can post -- but I warn you -- she's into horror movies.

A proud mom

Nancy Kirk / The Kirk Collection /www.kirkcollection.com

Saving Quilts

We had two great Quilt Restoration Workshops last week.  Good students, great quilts to look at, and more people committed to saving our quilting heritage. 

I've continued faithfully with cardiac rehab since my heart attack at the end of June and things are going well, but I still tire after 8 hours of intense concentration, so I learned I need to take more frequent breaks.  The students were understanding and used my rest breaks to practice their stitching.

We had some great Cajun food on Saturday made by some folks who were brought to Omaha by plane from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  They are planning to start a Cajun catering business here, and were doing a fund raiser to help get the new business started.  It felt good to eat great food and know in some small way we were helping some folks get back on their feet.

We're starting some new on-line Quilt Guilds on the website -- watch for them over the next few weeks.  One of the first is a Quilt Restoration Guild for professionals and dedicated amateurs who are working to save antique quilts.  You can join at www.kirkcollection.com.

More soon -- lots of exciting things are happening.

Nancy Kirk / The Kirk Collection / www.kirkcollection.com

Everything Good

I have to tell you, life is good.  I watch the horrific images of the hurricane's aftermath and my heart goes out to everyone affected.  Then I look at the photos of strangers helping each other, of a young black child holding the hand of an old wheelchair-bound white woman; of volunteers working for 36 hours to help load people on evacuating flights; of people showing up with boats to help with the rescues.  I hear stories of people here in Omaha taking in refugees who are strangers, or Creighton University doubling up students in dorm rooms so kids who had just started classes at Loyola in New Orleans can continue their studies.  Our local hospitals are taking critical transplant patients from the flooded areas, and our schools are waiving the requirements for documentation so kids can get back in the classroom right away.  And I know this is being repeated in communities around the country.

And the quilters -- quilters are sewing in shops and living rooms, at guild meetings and quilting bees.  My friend, April Millican at www.auntie.com is organizing 10,000 quilts which will be distributed by churches in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.  Karey Bresenham of Quilts, Inc. which organizes the International Quilt Festival in Houston is requesting quilts to be delivered immediately to refugees at the Houston Astrodome.  There will be many great projects.  Start sewing.  Keep praying for those who are struggling.  Do what you can.

And be grateful every morning that we live in a country, that with all its flaws and problems, is filled with generous people who are opening their hearts, homes and wallets to make life better.

Life continues

What a cause for celebration -- life continues!  There's nothing like a heart attack to make one appreciate each day's sunrise even more.  I try to write in my gratitude journal every day, but now I find myself noticing the smaller, everyday things as much or more than the big wonders of life.

We've reissued the Dating Fabrics disk from the Beginning Quilt Restoration Workshop as a single DVD for those interested in dating quilts and fabric but not in restoration.  I watched it again when we did the quality check on the duplication and I think it will be useful to many interested in quilt history.

Nancy Kirk                                                                                                                                    

The Kirk Collection, www.kirkcollection.com

Life in the Slow Lane

On the night of June 25 our server went down and so did my heart -- literally not figuratively.  I ended up at St. Joseph Hospital in Omaha in cardiac intensive care after experiencing a mild heart attack.  I spent the next week there while the docs tried to decide the bext course of care.

Just the week before I had committed to  an aggressive weight loss program working with an awesome hypnotist, Deborah Bitter, at Infinity Hypnosis in Omaha.  Things were working really well when my heart decided too much was just too much. 

The final upshot was a decision between the cardiologist, the surgeon and me to try for medical management, really keeping my blood pressure down, while I work at losing weight.  If surgery is eventually needed, fewer pounds will make it safer.  So I'm taking it easy, stopping to rest every two hours.  I was released to return to work at home and I can drive.  I start rehab tomorrow.

Keep me in your prayers.

Nancy Kirk

The New Book is Nearly Finished

I've been working on an e-book on Collecting Antique Quilts -- it covers family and purchased collections -- how to buy quilts, how to curate and care for your collection and how to sell quilts.  It is the culmination of 18 years of speeches, workshops, appraisals and consultations and 18 years of buying, selling and collecting antique quilts.

I've tried to answer all the questions I get weekly from collectors and want-to-be collectors.  It's written in a very informal style, just as if we were having a conversation.  Now I just need to add the illustrations -- dozens of photos of quilts from our shop, our on-line business and my personal collection.

It felt great to finish the last chapter last night.  It should be ready for the web soon.

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com

The World Changed Yesterday

Mark your calendars -- June 10, 2005 the world changed, and no one I know noticed.  No banner headlines, no front page on CNN. 

Yahoo announced the Beta test of free long distance voice communications over Yahoo messenger -- to anyone, anywhere in the world with Yahoo Messenger which is a free service.

I remember not too long ago when everyone noticed the day the world changed with the breakup of the phone company, and yesterday when phone companies became obsolete there wasn't even a notice on the inside pages of the newspaper.

Well, you know and I know.  I wonder if people holding stocks in phone companies know yet?

I don't often comment on science and technology in a blog about quilts, but when the world shakes, I sit up and take notice.

Back to quilting tomorrow.

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com

Crazy Cups

The Crazy Cups Exhibit at the Crazy Quilt Retreat was absolutely fabulous!  Tricia Linden from San Francisco won the First Prize with her Mardi Gras bra.

The crazy quilted and embellished bras were uplifting, funny and beautiful.

Watch for the others in upcoming days.

Nancy Kirk

The Kirk Collection

www.kirkcollection.com