In the early 80s, Jim Vathauer began collecting quilts. Growing up his Mom and Grandma would sew them by hand, and he always had an appreciation for the finished product. He remembered how much work went into each quilt. Especially when they were stitched the old fashioned way. 

“I’m pretty picky on my stitching,” he said, adding that he evaluates the size and shape of stitches before considering a quilt. Just like his Grandma did. “She would rip it out if it wasn’t good enough and I listened to that as a kid at home. Grandma was picky and I guess that’s how I got started.” 

As an auctioneer he came across several quilts, all of which went for high bids, he said. Forty years ago, quilts would go for $700-$800 easy, he said. With more desired designs even fetching a few thousand. 

The highest-bid quilt he ever auctioned off went for $3,500, a wedding ring patterned quilt. 

“That’s just the way it was. There’s not much of a market for them anymore.” 

Years ago, Jim said he’d come home with a quilt and his wife, Arlyss, would ask how he paid, knowing what account to move money into, they reminisced. 

“You go buy one here and there,” he said. “Then you might not find one you like for a year or two. You don’t run into them every day, but when you decide you want one, you just bid until it’s over.” 

In years since he’s been gifted family quilts or by others who know he’s a collector. 

For the most part, the quilts have sat in cedar chests throughout the years. But once the Vathauers built their catering building, Jim said he knew the quilts would serve as décor. 

“It’s something to look at and I guarantee I can’t buy pictures for the money I’ve put in these quilts over the years. And I just like quilts.” 

Jim has a quilt his mother helped make, it features the St. Peters Lutheran Church, which is south of Barnes. The quilt was stitched for the church’s centennial. His Mom won it in a raffle, then passed it to him. 

He’s also inherited family quilts with signatures stitched in. 

“You think about the women who sat and did it,” he said. “And there’s a lot of expense to the materials and they spent hours and hours. It used to be a social thing, you sat and did it. Now so many people have jobs or don’t have the time. It’s a lost art.”