The 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was a big event in Victorian society. One of the most popular exhibits was the Japanese pavilion with its fascinating crazed ceramics and asymmetrical art. Women were eager to incorporate this new look into their quilts and with the help of popular women's magazines the making of crazy quilts became quite the rage. Creativity was wide open with women sewing asymmetrical pieces of fabric together in abstract arrangements. This enthusiasm for this quilting fad continued until about 1910. They were fitting showpieces for the lavish interior decoration of the day. These quilts were usually made using velvet, silk and brocade fabric, cut and pieced in random shapes. Using silk thread, women placed lovely decorative stitches on each seam. We find a great variety of stitching styles and embroidered motifs on these quilts.

This very unique crazy quilt is made primarily of silk, with some velvet and cotton pieces mixed throughout. It is a nice combination of colorful solid and printed fabrics. It measures approximately 58” by 68”, with a beige cotton lace border measuring an additional 3” all around quilt. Backing is muslin.

Quilt shows a total of three silk Confederate reunion ribbons, one Spanish / American War veteran ribbon, different types of decorative stitching, floral embroidery, and lettering stitched on the fabric. Colors used for the stitching are ivory, orange, pink, light blue, yellow, green, gold and red.

Unique features of this crazy quilt are – an ivory silk Confederate reunion ribbon showing colorful images of the Confederate battle flag and the Virginia flag. Blue lettering reads, “STONEWALL CAMP, C.V. PORTSMOUTH, VA”. A gray silk Confederate veteran ribbon featuring a bow at the top. Faded black lettering reads, “EX-CONFEDERATE ASSOCIATION / CHICAGO”. An olive green silk Confederate veteran ribbon stamped in black reading, “EX-CONFEDERATE”. Gold bullion fringe hangs off the bottom.  A small silk ivory Spanish / American War veteran ribbon with crossed U.S. and Cuban flags. A gold colored silk piece with, “STRATFORD” in dark red stitching. A dark red silk piece with beautifully embroidered initials, “MEP”. A gold colored piece of silk featuring a silver and gold bullion butterfly. Lastly, a beige silk piece with an embroidered turtle.

Overall, quilt is in good condition. Several silk pieces are fraying or splitting, and there is light yellowing and spotting in areas, all of which is typical for a textile of this age. The lace is good with no tears or fraying. Each of the crazy quilts made by the Victorian ladies were unique works of art, but this quilt is even more so with the veteran ribbons woven into the history of this piece.  [sm] [ph:m]

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