Alice McElwain’s profession allows the state of Arkansas to claim an odd statistic: the state has exactly one certified quilt appraiser.
In the 1980s, there were hundreds of quilt appraisers across the US, but as time passes, fewer and fewer people are willing to commit to the years of study and diligence required to maintain an official certification. Needless to say, Alice is an outlier, yet her role is critically important in the lifecycle of quilts.
Alice spent several years studying in Paducah, Kentucky, under the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) program in order to obtain her certification. AQS is the only recognized and accredited organization that specializes in certifying quilt appraisers in the US and Canada, and there are currently only 71 certified appraisers actively working.
Alice and her husband, Dave, retired from busy careers in real estate (and she also owned a quilt shop at one point). They chose Bella Vista for the peace and quiet, and the beautiful, wooded forests around their home. “Living here is like living in a tree house,” Alice said. And even though the idea was to retire, Alice keeps busy appraising quilts, presenting educational lectures, teaching, and sometimes even making quilts to give away to one of her 35 great-grandchildren.
Her previous career as a real estate broker and agent has actually given her a specialized skill set that can be applied to studying quilts. Just like no two houses are alike, she is fully aware that no two quilts are alike either. In fact, while some people often sit down to read the newspaper, she sits down to read quilts.
Alice preparing to do conservation on Straight Furrows (c. 1870) by an unknown maker.
Reading a quilt means she must carefully study the fabrics used in each one, which requires a strong knowledge of 200-plus years of fabric production. She possesses a keen understanding of the techniques used to make quilts and how those techniques have changed over time. She must also be acutely aware of fair market value in order to offer a proper monetary value of the quilt. What’s more, she needs to be ready to defend everything she writes in her appraisals in a court of law. Clearly, these tasks are not to be taken lightly.
People come to Alice when they want to document the value of their quilt for insurance purposes—or to know the value for a donation. So she stays up to date on quilt sales at auctions and antique dealers, and through online retailers. Alice also relies on her own personal database of contacts and her professional experience.
“One of the neat things about this job is that, sometimes, a quilt owner will bring me a quilt that they assume is worthless, and I get to tell them it has value,” she said. That idea of value is something Alice is driven to communicate to both quilt owners and quilt makers.
She’s had a few strange and challenging moments dealing with quilt owners over the years. One of the most difficult tasks is the role she sometimes plays in busting family myths.
“Sometimes, an owner will bring me a quilt to appraise, and they tell me that the family believes it was part of the Oregon Trail migration,” she said. “But then I have to bust that story when I tell them the fabrics are 1940s feedsacks. Some people understand right away, but sometimes others do not want to listen.”
Another challenge she often faces is when people contact her and tell her they just want a ballpark value of their quilt. Alice doesn’t do “ballpark.” Rather, her methodical study generates a professional description and value, and she will stand behind that estimate for three years. After that, markets can fluctuate, and the condition of the quilt could change depending on how it is cared for. So she recommends quilts be reappraised every three years.
In order to arrive at her conclusions, she operates under a few rules of her own making. First, she must be able to study the quilt in person—photos and online communications are inadequate. Second, the customer must own the quilt in order for her to appraise it. That seems simple enough, but there have been one or two shady situations in the past where quilts were brought to her and told they were owned, when in fact the quilts were caught up in an estate dispute.
Quilt study is a bit like solving a mystery; one must find the clues. In Alice’s case, once she has the quilt in front of her, and she is confident of the ownership, she goes to work searching for those clues that will determine the provenance and value. To do this, she considers whether there are any rare or unique elements that stand out. She gives serious study to the material, the stitches, the binding, the backing—and, of course, the patterns.
“Brackman was my bible when I first began studying quilts,” Alice said. “Brackman” refers to the classic encyclopedia of quilt block patterns and coordinating numbers compiled by Barbara Brackman, a resource every serious quilt researcher has within reach. Brackman’s recording of quilt blocks began in the 1970s, when she started studying pieced patterns and assigning each one a number. Her encyclopedia has been updated in numerous reprints, and her numbering system continues to be the primary reference for more than 4,000 pieced patterns today.
Alice’s reference books and personal library concerning appraisal practices, history, and patterns.
One of Alice’s primary motivations in her career is to help people understand the historical significance of their quilts. She often tells quiltmakers, “Your quilt will outlive you. Stitch a label on your quilt. Don’t pin it. And put the state where it was made. And if you’re married, don’t forget to include your maiden name on it, too.”
Being the state’s lone appraiser is a bit worrisome in terms of the future of the profession. Alice stays active in professional associations and regional study groups, and she is always willing to encourage and mentor anyone interested in beginning the certification process.
In fact, Alice has mentored two different women in the past who were interested in becoming certified appraisers. She spent two years mentoring one student who felt that this process was a really good fit for her. But after two years of study, the student gave up. A second student followed Alice for two months, and then, she never heard from her again.
“You have to invest in this profession. And you have to learn and read every chance you get,” she explained. Alice certainly makes that investment. She actively attends professional education through AQS, as well as through the Professional Association of Appraisers of Quilted Textiles (PAAQT) and the American Quilt Study Group.
While she may be Arkansas’ lone appraiser, she has never let that fact slow her down. “After all,” she said, “we’re making history, one quilt at a time.”
Teresa Duryea Wong is a writer, quiltmaker, and antique quilt collector, as well as a member of the International Advisory Board of the International Quilt Museum. Learn more on her website.
