This Quilt is Crazy

It’s beautiful and in absolutely lovely condition for its age. The quilt features multi-colored silk patches, delicate embroidery and a gray velvet border. Sarah Rogers of Buffalo, New York made this crazy quilt ca. 1890, about three years before she married oldest Ball brother, Lucius. Sarah brought it with her when she and Lucius moved to Muncie and established their home on Minnetrista Boulevard. The quilt was handed down to Sarah’s only child, Helen Ball Robinson, who donated it to the Minnetrista Heritage Collection.

So, what makes this quilt “crazy?” Crazy quilts, which became popular in the late 1800s, featured randomly shaped patches of fabric with seams heavily embellished with embroidery. Buttons, lace, and ribbon were also often worked into the pattern. Instead of using utilitarian cotton fabrics found in many quilts, crazy quilters usually used velvets and silks, just as Sarah did. One more thing—crazy quilts aren’t necessarily quilts, as they are made without batting or quilting stitches.

It’s possible that the crazy quilt craze started because of the popularity of the English embroidery and Japanese art that was displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Initially, crazy quilting tended to be done by urban, middle to upper-class women who had readier access to fine materials. Crazy quilting is still popular as a way to create colorful quilts using a variety of scraps and machine embroidery.