Surprising Fact: Victorian Crazy Quilts Are the Orignal Embroidery QuiltsCrazy quilts considered the original embroidery quilts are enjoying a comeback, in fact, I am taking an embroidery class just so I can create a Victorian Crazy Quilt. The colors are amazing and the embroidery stitches setting off each block are unbelievable. The 1880’s was the high point of the Victorian Era and the Crazy Quilts. At first people thought that the crazy quilts came from colonists because fabric was so expensive that they would use every scrap. They did, it just wasn’t silk! They didn’t have access to silk, only the hand loomed fabric they could grow or trade for. The 1876 Centennial Exihibition Spawned a New CrazeIt is almost certain that Victorian Crazy quilts were started from the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 held in Philadelphia. This was the first time American women were introduced to to the arts and culture of Japan.For most, it was the first time they saw styles that were amazing. No symmetry. They saw fans and opulent embroidery and silks and colors. 
This was the period when there was an increased supply of reasonably priced silk. This brought the silk crazy quilt into the lives of the middle class. Originally Victorian Crazy Quilts were intended as piano scarves or a parlor throw. They usually don’t have any batting or filler and they are tacked down invisibly, not quilted. Ten to Twenty Years to Create A Victorian Crazy Quilt, Are You Nuts?These spectacular quilts took quilt a long time to make, a decade or two was not uncommon. They were made from scraps of everything, wedding gowns, silk dresses, silk souvenirs, cigar bands and many more items found their way into crazy quilts. These ladies spent a long time gathering the scraps they would need for quilt.After the foundation was created, then the quilt was embellished, with unique embroidery stitches, beads and even paint. The embellishment continued sometimes until the quilters’ death. Patterns, foundations, and even the printed “random” designs were in the ladies magazines of the day. So even though these embroidery quilts appear random, they may have been planned. These quilts weren’t just beautiful, they were considered a status symbol. It might be kinda fun to check it out and see if you could find some of these old magazines. Due to the amount of work involved, this quilt needed many, many hours by the quilter and since time was necessary, it was an object not found in a poorer home. It was only found in the homes of the ladies of leisure. A man would invite guests to his home and if they saw proof of his wife’s leisurely pursuits it was sure sign of his prosperity. Many of these embroidery quilts or more commonly known as Victorian Crazy Quilts exist today because they were treasured items and still are today. To Return to History of Quilting - Click Here.
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