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Crafty Kentucky fan offers $150,000 quilt on eBay

Kentucky Wildcats Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist and Vargas celebrate after defeating Kansas Jayhawks in the men's NCAA Finals in New Orleans

Wildcats Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Eloy Vargas (Reuters)

REUTERS

As sure as the sun rises to scorch your eyeballs the day after [insert your team here] wins a national title, it is equally certain that various hucksters and hoarders will attempt to make a buck off of the blessed event via the international garage sale that is eBay. A search for ‘Kentucky Wildcats’ on the popular auction site turns up a guy selling copies of the April 3, 2012 Lexington Herald-Leader for twelve bucks a pop, billiard balls emblazoned with the UK logo, and other overpriced tchotchkes, each laying dubious claim to ‘unique’ status. Putting them all to shame is 61-year-old Bardstown, Ky. resident Darleen Wimsett, who is offering a hand-made Kentucky basketball quilt for the princely sum of $150,000.

If that seems pricey, consider the facts. Wimsett stitched the names of every Wildcat basketball player and coach since 1903 into the fabric, using the majority of her free time over the past 18 years. By her own estimate, Wimsett put roughly seven years worth of full-time hours into the quilt over that time, so her price point may even be low for a truly one-of-a-kind, innately useful example of an American art form. The euphoria of an individual title may fade over time, but the Wildcat quilt carries the full gravitas of more than a century of Big Blue Nation history.

Wimsett admits that she’d like to see the bidding top $200,000. If Kentucky fans aren’t willing to lay out the cash, she says she’ll just keep it and enjoy the rewards of her own labor. Perhaps she’ll get a call from the National Quilt Museum, which is headquartered in nearby Paducah, Ky.

If we may be so bold as to make a suggestion, this quilt would look simply marvelous in Ashley Judd’s house. Anthony Davis may be able to afford it quite soon, as well.