Sunday, June 23, 2024

About Crazy Quilts

   One of my friends mentioned she wasn't familiar with crazy quilts, so I thought I would do a post about them.

  I always thought they were beautiful and very creative as well. They were most popular in the late 1800's and the Victorian era especially.

   Many fabrics were used-wool, silk, cotton, velvet, tulle, satin and more. The fun part for me was all the embellishments-buttons, lace, ribbons, beads and embroidery.  They also use many odd shapes and are worked on a foundation. 

  Found this online:

The style likely originated from a combination of factors, including trends in home decoration, quiltmaking, embroidery, and the Japanese Pavilion and exhibit by The Royal School of Needlework at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. American audiences were drawn to the satin stitches used in English embroidery, which created a painterly surface, and the Japanese pavilion's silk-screened work and cracked-glazed pottery, which inspired unique patterns and stitching that resembled spider webs and fans. 

Crazy quilts were icons of the Victorian era and are considered intentional statements that reflect a turning point in American history. They were a chance to show or practice hand embroidery skills, especially along the edges of each piece. The quilts are also characterized by their rich and varied textures, irregularity and asymmetry, luxurious materials, and abundant ornamentation. 
Photos found online:






   If you do a computer search there are lots of photos of vintage and also modern 
crazy quilts. Above you can see hat the fabrics are butted up to the next one and
then stitched with embroidery to close the seams. coping and pasting has made 
this post a bit of a mess so please excuse that.

17 comments:

  1. I love crazy quilts there is so much stitching.
    Cathy

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  2. I only have one old crazy quilt but I love it. There's something fun about the randomness of the pattern and diversity of the fabrics and colors.

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  3. Very impressive, the women must have worked many hours to get a quilt finished. Have a great week! Hugs!

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  4. Oh thank you for this Kathy! These really do appeal to me ... It just looks so much fun to make.... the possibilities are endless... I think the embellishments are my favorite too... Hugs! deb

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    1. Yes anything goes really for the creativity I do still like the idea of making a foot warmer for the end of the bed-with wool fabrics

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  5. Those are gorgeous quilts Kathy. I'm glad you shared this. One of these days I want to try making one-maybe. Happy New week. hugs-Erika

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    1. You could always start with something small first like a pillow

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  6. Thank you very much dear Kathy, a great lesson - suits me. These quilts are beautiful and it takes a lot of effort to collect these beautiful fabrics, lace and borders.
    Thank you very much. A joy to see.
    Kind regards from Viola

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  7. Crazy quilts are indeed fascinating with their mix of fabrics and embellishments! They're a true showcase of creativity and craftsmanship from the Victorian era.

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  8. WOW, dear Kathy, I didn't know about Crazy Quilts either - they look wonderful! Thank you for explaining and showing!
    All the best, Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/06/weltreise-2024-immer-noch-neuseeland.html

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  9. Those crazy quilts are beautiful, Kathy, thanks for all the information about them.

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