Gail Van Horsen’s love of quilts comes from the family quilts that were at her grandmother’s house as a child. She loved to pick her favorite for her bed when spending the night. Her first quilt was made at age 8 and was a doll quilt for her little sister. Gail has quilted now for over 60 years and enjoys making all types of quilts.  Her interest in quilts took her to appraising and she became an AQS Certified Appraiser in 2010. She is currently serving as president of the Professional Association of Appraisers-Quilted Textiles. She also enjoys lecturing on quilt history and presenting her quilt collections to guilds and quilt groups. Her largest collection is Double Knit Polyester Quilt followed by Crib Quilts from the 20th Century. Lecture: Let’s travel back to the late 1960s – mid-1970s and remember when double-knit polyester filled the fabric stores. Stretch and sew classes were available and the scraps from your three-piece slack suit could be stashed for your next quilting project. Double-knit polyester took over the fabric world and then like a flash it was gone. The quilts from that era are out of the closet now and collectible. I began my collection of these bright and textured quilts when I was studying to be a quilt appraiser. I was taken with the colors, strange textures, and the fabric’s ability to mimic so many different weaves. These quilts aren’t particularly fancy, but they are serviceable and come in every size from table toppers to giant waterbed size. Many of my quilts came from the maker so I was able to hear the stories of their quilts and family quilting history. You will be surprised by the variety of these vintage quilts.