Brenda Grampsas is an American Quilter’s Society, Paducah, KY, Certified Appraiser of quilts and quilted textiles, certified in 2005. This certification was obtained following several years of study, mentoring by a certified appraiser, and passing a rigorous testing process which included written and verbal exams. She is a member of the Professional Association of Appraisers Quilted Textiles.    Brenda is a quilt maker and this is a huge plus when appraising the work of  others.  Needle turn applique is her favorite method of creating a new quilt. However, she has never met a quilt she doesn’t like and enjoys mixing pieced,       applique & embroidery techniques to create quilts. Scrappy quilts are among her favorites because of her passion for fabric. Her sewing past includes award winning clothing construction & tailoring . She spent many summers teaching kids to quilt at Christian Outreach Center, Largo, Florida, where she and her   husband, John, served as Founders & Directors before retirement.    Conway, South Carolina, has recently become Brenda’s new home.  New guilds, new quilting friends, new quilt shows, new quilt shops and new museums all make this move exciting for Brenda and John. Brenda is a member of American Quilter’s Society, and is an active member of a local quilt guild “Coastal Carolina Quilters”, Surfside, South Carolina. Brenda is also a member of Starlight Stitchers, Jamestown Baptist Church in Conway, SC. Brenda has a special interest in antique quilts and has had the privilege of documenting the quilt collections of Heritage Village, Largo, Florida and the St. Petersburg Museum of History, St. Petersburg, Florida.    Brenda also does restoration of quilts and finds there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the stitching she would like.  “So many quilts both new construction and restoration, so little time!”     Educating others is accomplished with lectures/trunk shows and workshops that showcase many quilts from Brenda’s private collection.  

Quilt appraisals Brenda is available to write professional quilt appraisals for Fair Market, Donation or Insurance purposes on New, Vintage and Antique Quilts. Verbal evaluations are available for the quilt owner’s benefit. Key Benefits: •An appraisal informs your family or future owner of the value of your quilted treasures.      •A written appraisal on a new quilt is an outstanding addition to a gifted quilt. •Quilts need special coverage on most insurance policies to realize full value in the event of a loss. •Quilts on exhibit often need a written appraisal by a certified quilt appraiser to be included in a show or exhibit. •For tax purposes; many donations require a recent, professional appraisal by a certified appraiser. (Contact your tax preparer for up to date requirements.) Price Schedule: Written Appraisals $65.00 per quilt/item Verbal Evaluation $20.00 per quilt/item

Quilt Lectures/ Trunk Shows Quilt Lectures/ Trunk Shows (lecture with plenty of quilts to illustrate the points) Lectures/Trunk Shows for interested quilt, church or community groups. Some topics of special interest include: •"Rubba Dub Dub! Does Your Quilt Belong in the Tub?” -Laundry & Care     of Quilts/Textiles •“Everything Old is New Again” Antique designs still being made today •"The Importance of Quilting-Reasons We Quilt" or “Quilts for every Occassion” •"Quilt Labeling" •"1930's Quilts, Patterns & Fabrics" •"Quilts from 1890-1900:  A Bounty of Fabrics" •"Little Treasures from Granny's Attic" •"Warm, Fussy Quilts~Baby & Children’s Quilts from the Past" •"Documenting Your Quilts" •"Doll & Miniature Quilts-Tiny Treasures" •"To Finish or Not to Finish-That is the Question" Finishing antique/ vintage tops and blocks •“Civil War Quilts: Before, During and After the War” •“Proverbs 31 Woman Devotion” •“Starry Nights: a Bounty of Star Quilts from Various Eras” •“Scrapolious Quilts: Glorious Scrap Quilts” •“Introduction to Quilt   Restoration” •“A Bed Turning Featuring a Baker’s Dozen of My Favorite Quilts” Key Benefits:  Entertainment - Education - Enlightenment - Just for the fun of it. Price Schedules:  Lectures/Trunk Shows $350.00 up to 1 hour, plus mileage/expenses.

Workshops •”Miniature Quilt Construction: Irish Chain with applique details.” Six Hour Workshop Learn: machine strip piecing, hand Broderie Perse applique or machine raw edge applique, miniature quilt making tips. Price Schedule:  Maximum class size twenty students (additional students @ 25.00 each) $450.00 plus mileage and expenses. Includes pattern. •”Beginning Hand, Needle Turn Applique: Mug Rugs” Six Hour Workshop Learn: Hand needle turn applique of your choice of two “mug rugs”. Tip sheet & patterns included. Price Schedule:  Maximum class size twenty students (additional students @ 25.00 each) $450.00 plus mileage and expenses. •”Beginning Quilt Restoration” Six Hour Workshop with individual attention. Learn: Hand restoration skills, laundering options, evaluation of appropriate restoration of your quilt, discussion of fabrics and materials needed for restoration, many tips with printed hand outs, discussion of restoration services as a business and much more. Price Schedule: Maximum of twelve students $75.00 per student with a minimum of six students.  Plus mileage and expenses. •”Scrappy Stash Buster” Four Hour Workshop. Learn quick machine, strip piecing. Tip sheet and pattern included. Miniature or full size options available.  Price Schedule:  $350.00 Plus mileage and expenses.  Maximum of twenty students (additional students $25.00 each).

This is a group of "Miniature and Small Quilt Lovers"! This group includes those who make miniature quilts and those who appreciate the art of miniature quilts. The purpose is to share our miniature and small quilt creations and finds. Follow us @ https://www.facebook.com/groups/207558859578896/

Blog

 There comes a time when I tell myself, “Enough is enough.  I have got to finish some of these projects that are floating around in my head.”  I hate unfinished projects.  These “UFOs” haunt me until I finally get them done. I recently told myself I must finish as many of these projects as I can and I set to work.  Here are a few of the items I have finished in the past couple months. Some of them I really like and others not so much BUT it feels great to say it is done! NEXT!

I combined buttons, beads, and miscellaneous stuff (notice the sewing machine bobbin) on an oil painted canvas to creature Mr. Rooster. The piece measures 8” X 10”. He is a nice addition to my chicken collection.  It is done!

This is one of several aprons made from men’s shirts.  I had four, large, men’s shirts sitting in my sewing room and I finally made them all into aprons.  These were made to donate to a charity fundraiser. Done!

I bought this old chair at a garage sale a couple years ago.  I finally refinished the wood and reupholstered it with a “quilt design” decorator fabric.  I love how it turned out!  It is in my dining room.  That is a vintage doily on the back.  Done!

While refinishing the wood on the chair, I put two coats of polyurethane on this vintage drying rack.  I use this rack for display purposes at quilt shows and trunk shows. The polyurethane made the rack look nicer but also got rid of the “old wood” smell.  Done!

We raise a few chickens for the fun of it and for the fresh eggs.  I noticed at a local quilt show the ladies made tote bags out of horse feed bags and I thought I could do the same with chicken feed sacks.  These are reinforced plastic sacks and are tough as nails.  I asked John to save the feed bags for me and he did.  I had a growing stack of bags and I finally washed out the bags, cut them up and made “chicken totes”.  I made two dozen of them and the stack is gone.  I told John NOT to save anymore bags for me. I am so DONE with these! These are donations to charity fundraisers.

This is a cute Christmas panel I found at a quilt show a few years ago.  I love cardinals and anything red for that matter so had to buy it. It sat in my sewing room until I recently pulled it off the shelf.  I added a border and practiced long arm quilting on it and it is done!

Here is a tote bag and matching garment bag made from home decorator fabric.  I do a

fair amount of travel to quilt shows and speaking engagements and I have been wanting a nice travel bag set.  Finally got it done and I have already used the set.

This is a credit card wallet I made.  At a recent quilt show I was telling a friend about wrapping my credit card in tin foil when traveling in an attempt to protect my credit card from scanners. She laughed! Later she found some scan proof cloth at the show and gave me a fat quarter.  That cloth is the lining in this wallet.  Done!

These are 10”, hot pads I saw on facebook and thought, “cute, I want to make some of these.”  I taught the gals at church how to make them but only made one for a sample.  A few months later I finally made six more.   A few for gifts and a couple for me.  Done!

These are more items for charity fundraisers.  These are not difficult and are not time consuming but still I had the supplies setting there haunting me.  I made a dozen of the “paint brush Santa” ornaments and about thirty of the antique/vintage patchwork stockings.  Done!

This is my UFO of all UFOs.  I started this Boutis project back in 2009.  It was a class project taught by Nicole Carre’ from France.  This project was stored in a tote bag in a closet and every time I saw the bag I thought, “gotta get that project done”.  2015 rolled around and I was developing a new trunk show featuring baby and children’s quilts.  I thought, “ I wish the Boutis was done.  It would make an awesome conclusion to that trunk show.”  It did not get done.  2016 arrived and again I thought about the Boutis project.  In July I took out that tote and have been seriously working on this piece.  It is not done but I have entered it into the Mid Pinellas Quilt Show, Seminole, Florida, February, 2017, and it will be done! I share all this to encourage you to “getter done”.  It truly is a great feeling of accomplishment when a project is complete and you can once and for all put away the offending supplies.  Then you can proudly yell “NEXT!”

Gallery and Pattens

RESTORATION WORK: This is a Tulip Quilt, circa 1860, purchased at an antique shop in Brooksville, Florida, in July, 2011. The white background and backing is in very good condition with some minor stains. This quilt has beautiful hand quilting using tiny stitches, in crosshatch, floral and feathered wreath designs. The appliqué fabrics are badly deteriorated and Brenda is in the process of replacing all the appliqué fabrics (leaving the old fabrics underneath). The green and red fabrics are reproduction fabrics suitable for that time period and the yellow fabric is authentic fabric from the time period. Two more blocks to go

AND QUILTING AN ANTIQUE QUILT TOP:  This is a circa 1890 quilt top.  It was hand pieced and called out to be hand quilted.  Brenda checked the seams and made hand stitched repairs to the top before sandwiching the top with a wide flannel batting and a reproduction print, cotton backing.  More details in finishing an antique quilt top available in “To Finish or Not to Finish, That is the Question” trunk show/lecture.

This is Brenda’s recreation of the “Mill Girls” quilt found in the book Mill Girls: Away From Home, by Nancy & Oliver Rink. Brenda has collected reproduction 1800’s fabrics over a period of years and this quilt presented an opportunity to use some of those fabrics.  Brenda worked on this quilt over a two year time period. The hand quilting took 140 hours to complete.  The quilt measures 102” X 102”.   Note:  The center medalion was hand needle-turn appliqued while on a trip to Greece.

Brenda and husband, John, tour a weaving school on the island of Tinos, Greece. These ladies do very nice work.

The red “House” quilt is called “Proverbs 31 Woman”.  The quilt is machine pieced and hand embroidered.  The “For His Glory Stitchers”, of Hillside Community Baptist Church, Brooksville, FL,  contributed the embroidered blocks that represent the various Bible verses in Proverbs 31:10-31.  Brenda hand quilted this piece.  Note: 60 hours of hand quilting time.This quilt is the center piece for the devotional talk, “Proverbs 31 Woman”, presented by Brenda.

Auctions (pictured above)...not only profitable but FUN!

Fabric printer's blocks...I love quilt/textile history.

"Mariner's Compass"This wall hanging is hand pieced and hand quilted. The pattern is an original design by Robby Wargny. Brenda took Robby's hand piecing class and this wall hanging is the result. For information about Robby's patterns and classes contact her at crwargny@aol.com

The apple cores in Brenda's quilt are 2 3/4" long, finished size.

"Nearly Charming"This apple core or friendship quilt was completed by Brenda in 2006, after about six years of collecting and stitching. You may be wondering why it took so long to make. This quilt started out as a "take along project" and was worked on only when traveling for the first five years. This quilt is well traveled. The pieces have been over a great deal of the U.S. and have even been to Greece. Twice!   Brenda collected hundreds of fabrics from her own stash, from friends and family to make the 1800 apple cores. This quilt is hand pieced with the edge apple cores hand appliquéd to the red border. It is also hand quilted.Brenda started this quilt as

a fabric study of the fabrics available to the quilter in the year 2000. It includes a few fabrics from as far back as the 1940's. Most of the fabrics are from the 1990's through 2006. It is Brenda's hope that someone in the distant future will be thrilled to discover the wide array of fabrics in this quilt. There is a label on the back of the quilt to enlighten future quilt/fabric historians. The title "Nearly Charming" is a play on words because a hand full of duplicate fabrics found their way into the quilt and Brenda wasn't about to take them out when she spotted them. Those duplicate fabrics keep this quilt from being a true "charm quilt". A charm quilt contains NO duplicate fabrics. In years past, quilters would collect or trade fabrics with friends to make their quilt truly a charm quilt. This is why this type of quilt is often called a "friendship quilt".

Boca Raton miniature quilt Irish Chain workshop.

Contact us

bjgrampsas@gmail.com