By Janet Esch

Mary Koval's journey to becoming one of the leading collectors of antique quilts and antique fabrics began when she browsed through a book of quilts from her baby sitter. She became very interested and borrowed $200 from her grandmother's legacy to begin buying and selling. The first year she made and sold thirteen pieced quilts. It took two frames - one in the living room and one in dining room, wherever her children were playing under the quilts - to keep her busy. She began buying old quilt tops and damaged tops to finish and repair for sale. (She and her husband were antique dealers, so her husband understood the concept of buying and selling.) She also would buy quarter boxes of fabric for $2.00. Soon her 14 x 14 spare room was bulging with fabrics. What could she do with all those pieces? She took them to the Houston Quilt Show and sold all but a few pieces.

Mary learned by being around fabric. She had intended to become a home economics teacher, but since she didn't like the science involved, she took a short cut on the education and learned the fabric by touching it - "a fabraholic". She loves to tell people about fabric and today can, by sight and touch, date all antique fabrics. She doesn't feel she needs to keep all the fabric she has found, but she does keep a sample of everything. (She gave all the members of the Wednesday night audience a piece of real turkey red - dated from the 1750's. I will treasure that beautiful triangle.) She became a collector of blue and white quilts - and then she saw the red and green antique quilts and "they knocked her socks off." However her collection is eclectic: antique crib quilts from the 1840's; antique animals that "provides laughter in lives"; black and white solids from the 1920's; and of course her blue and whites and one fantastic, very expensive Baltimore Album Quilt that provided enough money for the seller to go on a cruise and build an addition to her house. She can repair all quilts that have been "used, but not abused" with antique or reproduction fabric. Mary gave us many helpful hints about cleaning quilts - "spit sometimes works." Seriously she suggests a soak in 20 to 30 gallons of water with ½ cup of white vinegar. Then, on a sunny day and on grass that hasn't been mowed for at least a week, she says to spread the quilt, turning every twenty minutes until it is dry. Looking at my muddy yard, I quickly decided that the $150-$200 that she charges is cheap. Antique quilts should be aired and refolded every three to four months. To store they should be folded in old white sheets or acid-free paper.