It is imperative to understand that these heirlooms are simply representations of heirlooms designed for everyday use. It's ironic that Dee changes her name and wants to take the dasher to display at home as part of her heritage when she's trying so hard to distance herself from her past. She doesn't understand that she is taking an object used daily by her mother. She is convinced that Maggie doesn't deserve the quilt because she would just use it every day. Mom cannot understand the reason behind Dee's desire to own the quilt when it is obvious that she sees it as an artifact. Mama and Maggie's relationship is different from hers and Dee's and is evident in the way the use of the family heirloom is perceived; while the former would care for and preserve the heirloom, the latter would only hang it as a work of art, to be discarded when they grew old or new ones came along.