Antique quilts warm the heart

In today's Treasure Hunting column, I write about the traditions that have been stitched into old quilts for centuries. There is something so tender in the way scraps of clothing and other material were saved and then made into useful, and beautiful, objects.

The photo shows an 1892 quilt that was made by my great-great grandmother's "church ladies" in upstate New York. Each square of white cotton has the names of the other women in the church, as well as flowers, birds and even pets stitched in red thread. It is one of my favorite treasures.