In addition to the judged quilt show, there were several special exhibits including a wonderful selection of antique quilts from the permanent collection of the La Conner Textile & Quilt Museum.

This was a excellent opportunity for the museum to display a great selection of their quilts for hundreds of people to admire and to promote the museum. They were excited to share and to see so many of the quilts hanging at once. If you haven’t yet had a chance to visit the museum in La Conner, I highly recommend it – see my earlier blog posting in June for further information. Here are four more antique quilts.

Nearby, quilt appraiser Ann Bodle Nash, was busy at work. I just happened to pass by when she was examining a spectacular 60″ x 60″ crazy quilt which she estimated as being made in the 1890’s.

The quilt is made from velvet and silk, with amazing stuffed work, 3-d applique and embroidery in chenille and cotton threads. There are beautiful animals, birds and flowers and the more you looked, the more you saw. There was some deterioration of the black silk, especially near the center of the quilt.

I talked to the guardians of this quilt and they gave me permission to share these pictures. The owner of the quilt purchased it from an estate sale and had no knowledge of the history. Before passing away recently, she had requested that the quilt be sold and that the proceeds be donated to the American Cancer Society. If you are interested in purchasing it, I can give you the contact information for the seller. Ann was eager to do further research on the quilt before her final valuation.