I love my quilt appraising job. People bring me their quilts and pay me to look at them, identify what they have, advise on how to take care of them, as well as to assign a value. It's about MORE than the monetary value. Sometimes it is a family heirloom, or their own baby quilt, or a flea market find.
The ones with stories are the bestPrograms by Bonnie Dwyer, The Quilt Whisperer. Every quilt has a story, it just may have been lost along the way. I always urge the quilt owner to write down what they know about the quilt. The most important facts are the "who, where, and when." Who made or owned it; where they lived; and when they lived. These details can help future generations know where their heirlooms came from. Here is one from my own family. I am grateful my mother made a label and stitched it onto the back so I know which ancestor made it. This one is part of my "Six Generations of Maine Quilt Makers" lecture/trunk show. More info here: here