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Crazy Quilts
Few antiques are as well, or as poorly, named as the crazy quilt. Although some may see a hint of insanity in their giddy colors and riotous designs, these kaleidoscopic marvels of textile art brilliantly portray the Gilded Age psyche in all its fragmented glory.
The crazy quilt craze raged in the 1880s, fading by around 1900. Promoted by retailers of sewing supplies and publishers of popular women’s magazines and pattern books, the quilts reflected the major cultural trends of the day. Crazy quilts, in their own jumbled way, tell all. Calling to mind the magnificently leaded and jewel-toned Tiffany glass lamps and windows of the same period, crazy quilts are characterized by irregular snips of cloth pieced together and attached to a solid fabric backing. The word “quilt” is a misnomer. Because of their weight, tops and backs were more often tied together than quilted.
True crazy quilts are completely random in their composition. A modified style, the so-called organized or contained crazy, joins crazy-patched blocks or strips of uniform size and shape. Crazy quilts were most often made of fancy dress fabrics such as silk and velvet, but cotton, wool, and—from decades later—rayon examples also survive. Whole-cloth quilts of silk date to the 18th century, but it wasn’t until 1830 that pieced bed coverings made of the costly, imported fabric appeared in the United States.
Crazy patchwork adorned home and body, ornamenting throws, table mats, pillow covers, robes, and even slippers. Most quilts themselves weren’t large—rarely do you find one even bed-sized.
By 1884, the word “crazy” was regularly used to describe a randomly patterned textile. Advertisers exploited the word’s double meaning, playfully advising readers to take their time and not become “crazy” to finish it.
But “crazy” had assumed other associations for Americans, who were exposed to crackled or “crazed” ceramics, imagery drawn from nature, and principles of asymmetrical design in 1876 at the Japanese Pavilion of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Besides the Japanese Pavilion, the 1876 Centennial Exposition showcased work from the Royal School of Art Needlework in London. Fascination with Japanese design and a new appreciation of needlework were two important features of the Aesthetic Movement, which in the 1880s dominated the visual arts, affecting everything from painting to architecture.
Every serious quilter of the time made at least one crazy quilt. It was seen as an exercise in displaying her skills as an artist. Women’s magazines typically offered instructions on the most commonly used stitches, among them the outlines stitch, Kensington stitch, and the plush stitch. Feather stitching held patches in place and tidied up their edges.
Women who weren’t handy could buy appliqués. Though disparaged by at least one decorating magazine as “not particularly beautiful,” these ready-mades were expensive. A 16-inch rose sprig cost $6, a huge sum in 1880. Patches were also decorated with painting, beads, ribbon, and metallic thread. Inexpensive transfer prints were applied with a hot iron.
Studying a crazy quilt’s decoration is one of the most reliable ways of dating it. Sunflowers, lilies, and cattails were popular from 1881 to 1884. By 1900, Japanese motifs were replaced by more farm animals, birds, and flowers. There are also less embroidery, more wool, and larger pieces at this time.
Experts counsel would-be buyers to consider three essential elements: condition, which is paramount; design; and workmanship. The earliest crazy quilts, those dating to the 1880s, tend to be the best. In general, they have smaller pieces, employ a greater variety of stitches and motifs, and incorporate better fabrics. Collectors should also learn to distinguish among original designs and those based on published patterns. All things being equal, a unique quilt is more desirable. Despite their fractured appearance, exceptional crazies are often lucid self-portraits or vivid accounts of historical events. Photographs, inscriptions, bits of clothing, and other personal items combine in these revealing collages.
The fad for crazy quilts fizzled by 1900. The dark, velvety textiles seemed fussy to a new generation of homemakers drawn to simple cotton patchwork in light, bright colors. Crazy-style quilts of sturdy wool or cotton were made in the decades that followed, but most lacked the showy exuberance and willful impracticality of their 19th-century predecessors. It was the art quilt movement of the 1970s that prompted needlework fans to take another look.
Needlework hasn't died out, it's still a beautiful art that people collect. Tell us how you display and collect or even make your own.
The crazy quilt craze raged in the 1880s, fading by around 1900. Promoted by retailers of sewing supplies and publishers of popular women’s magazines and pattern books, the quilts reflected the major cultural trends of the day. Crazy quilts, in their own jumbled way, tell all. Calling to mind the magnificently leaded and jewel-toned Tiffany glass lamps and windows of the same period, crazy quilts are characterized by irregular snips of cloth pieced together and attached to a solid fabric backing. The word “quilt” is a misnomer. Because of their weight, tops and backs were more often tied together than quilted.
True crazy quilts are completely random in their composition. A modified style, the so-called organized or contained crazy, joins crazy-patched blocks or strips of uniform size and shape. Crazy quilts were most often made of fancy dress fabrics such as silk and velvet, but cotton, wool, and—from decades later—rayon examples also survive. Whole-cloth quilts of silk date to the 18th century, but it wasn’t until 1830 that pieced bed coverings made of the costly, imported fabric appeared in the United States.
Crazy patchwork adorned home and body, ornamenting throws, table mats, pillow covers, robes, and even slippers. Most quilts themselves weren’t large—rarely do you find one even bed-sized.
By 1884, the word “crazy” was regularly used to describe a randomly patterned textile. Advertisers exploited the word’s double meaning, playfully advising readers to take their time and not become “crazy” to finish it.
But “crazy” had assumed other associations for Americans, who were exposed to crackled or “crazed” ceramics, imagery drawn from nature, and principles of asymmetrical design in 1876 at the Japanese Pavilion of the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Besides the Japanese Pavilion, the 1876 Centennial Exposition showcased work from the Royal School of Art Needlework in London. Fascination with Japanese design and a new appreciation of needlework were two important features of the Aesthetic Movement, which in the 1880s dominated the visual arts, affecting everything from painting to architecture.
Every serious quilter of the time made at least one crazy quilt. It was seen as an exercise in displaying her skills as an artist. Women’s magazines typically offered instructions on the most commonly used stitches, among them the outlines stitch, Kensington stitch, and the plush stitch. Feather stitching held patches in place and tidied up their edges.
Women who weren’t handy could buy appliqués. Though disparaged by at least one decorating magazine as “not particularly beautiful,” these ready-mades were expensive. A 16-inch rose sprig cost $6, a huge sum in 1880. Patches were also decorated with painting, beads, ribbon, and metallic thread. Inexpensive transfer prints were applied with a hot iron.
Studying a crazy quilt’s decoration is one of the most reliable ways of dating it. Sunflowers, lilies, and cattails were popular from 1881 to 1884. By 1900, Japanese motifs were replaced by more farm animals, birds, and flowers. There are also less embroidery, more wool, and larger pieces at this time.
Experts counsel would-be buyers to consider three essential elements: condition, which is paramount; design; and workmanship. The earliest crazy quilts, those dating to the 1880s, tend to be the best. In general, they have smaller pieces, employ a greater variety of stitches and motifs, and incorporate better fabrics. Collectors should also learn to distinguish among original designs and those based on published patterns. All things being equal, a unique quilt is more desirable. Despite their fractured appearance, exceptional crazies are often lucid self-portraits or vivid accounts of historical events. Photographs, inscriptions, bits of clothing, and other personal items combine in these revealing collages.
The fad for crazy quilts fizzled by 1900. The dark, velvety textiles seemed fussy to a new generation of homemakers drawn to simple cotton patchwork in light, bright colors. Crazy-style quilts of sturdy wool or cotton were made in the decades that followed, but most lacked the showy exuberance and willful impracticality of their 19th-century predecessors. It was the art quilt movement of the 1970s that prompted needlework fans to take another look.
Needlework hasn't died out, it's still a beautiful art that people collect. Tell us how you display and collect or even make your own.
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kjacobso |
Latest page update: made by kjacobso
, May 24 2007, 2:20 PM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| Anonymous | Contemporary Quilter | 0 | Nov 29 2007, 12:39 PM EST by Anonymous | ||
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Thread started: Nov 29 2007, 12:39 PM EST
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I highly recommend the work of folk-artist and art quilter Valarie Jean Bailey. Her work is visually stimulating, and highly collectable. Most of her work is based on her life in the South.
She can be found through Artistic Lifestyling. |
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