Valerie Hearder: 'Clearly it's a devastating thing, because I had a great deal of my work for display.' (CBC)

An internationally recognized quilting expert is reeling from the theft of decades of her work while attending a conference in St. John's.

Nova Scotia resident Valerie Hearder secured several of her quilts in the trunk of her car before attending a dinner party on Sunday night.

She discovered the next day that the quilts, which she had packed into two suitcases, had been stolen, even though her trunk had been locked.

"It took a while for the shock to settle in," Hearder told CBC News. "And clearly it's a devastating thing, because I had a great deal of my work for display."

Hearder had come to St. John's to teach workshops at the annual Canadian Quilters' Association conference. The event featured showcases of her work, which is designed to be hung on walls, not for warmth on beds.

"Each piece is a one of a kind," she said. "Where I make one-of-a-kind work, literally each wall hanging is months and months of work."

Quilting enthusiasts gathered in St. John's last week for workshops and to view some of the finest work in the country. (CBC)

Reward offered

Hearder said she is offering a $1,000 reward for the return of the quilts, no questions asked.

The stolen works, which included 12 small framed landscapes, are worth as much as $15,000. One of the stolen quilts was borrowed back from a St. John's collecter, to be shown at an exhibition in Nova Scotia.

Hearder said she has been told that such stolen materials can wind up on online auction sites, like eBay. She said she is hoping that other craftspeople will easily spot her style.

"I don't think these pieces will be easily unloaded," Hearder said.

"I'm really hoping quilters who know my work, which is very distinctive, will keep their eye on eBay, and if they notice anything cropping up, they'll contact the [Royal Newfoundland Constabulary]," she said.