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Crazy

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

5-2-39

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Illinois State Museum

Who documented this quilt?

Illinois Quilt Research Project; Illinois State Museum Collection

Illinois Quilt Research Project Registry Number:

Ie3--Kansas Quilt Project

Alternate inventory control number:

1987.51.1

Person filling out this form is:

Relative of quiltmaker

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public Museum, Library or Institution

Quilt owner's name:

Illinois State Museum

Date or year made:

1891

Name of the group that made the quilt:

Virginia Presbyterian Church ladies

Quiltmaker's country:

United States

How did the owner get the quilt?

Gift

How did the quiltmaker participate in the creation of the quilt?

Made quilt blocks or part of quilt top

Why was the quilt made? Was it made for a special occasion?

Fundraising

Where the quilt was made, city:

Virginia

Where the quilt was made, state:

Illinois (IL)

Where the quilt was made, country:

United States

Anything else we should know about this quilt? (i.e. customs, stories):

Women wrote to well-known people of the time and asked for scraps of fabric from their clothes or money to be used in buying fabric and materials for use in the quilt. Women in the church sewed the patches into crazy blocks, and donor's grandmother helped to put it together. Quilt was auctioned off in 1891 for $1000. Mr. and Mrs. John Stimpson purchased the quilt. He was in the lumber business and in 1902 they moved to Kansas and took the quilt with them. A grandson returned the quilt to Illinois in 1987. A book accompanies the quilt to identify the individual donors of the numbered patches--including Mrs. Gen. Grant, Mrs. Cleveland, Mrs. Hayes, and Mrs. Harrison.

List other materials available about this quilt. This may include oral history, articles, additional photos or publications, etc.

Newspaper article (Jacksonville, Sept. 3, 1967) gives details of history of quilt and is in Museum's files.

Date owner signed the form:

1987

Pattern name; used by owner or by maker:

Crazy

How was the inscription marked?

Embroidery

When was the quilt started?

1886

Date provided by maker/owner:

1886-91

Date estimated by IQRP:

1886-91

Who estimated the quilt's date?

Jan Wass, Curator

Further information concerning dates:

documented in book about it's making

Time period:

1876-1900

Length:

74

Width:

60

Block size:

16

Format:

Finished quilt

Piecing techinques used to make the quilt top:

Hand Piecing; Machine Piecing; Foundation Piecing

Stitches used to apply motifs:

Blocks were machine sewn together, batting is between top and foundation fabric. Embroidered flowers, attached velvet leaves, painted landscape on silk in center.

Construction (top):

Block pattern

Arrangement of quilt blocks:

Straight

Number of full blocks; pieced, appliqued, and plain:

9

Fabric; fibers:

Silk

Describe the fibers or fabrics in the quilt top:

velvet, satin, brocade

Predominant colors (top):

Green

Overall color scheme:

Multicolor

How are the layers held together?

Not quilted

Spacing of quilt blocks:

Side by side

Describe the borders:

Single olive-green velvet border, mitered, handsewn.

Binding and edge treatment:

Edges turned in/ no separate binding

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

Filler:

Cotton

Thickness:

Thin (Less than 3/16?)

Surface decoration:

Embroidery; Painting; Attachments (beading, charms, buttons, etc)

How many pieces of fabric were used to make the quilt back?

3

Backing; fiber content:

Silk

Description of the back:

Pre-quilted with diamond grid by machine

Backing; fabric:

Same fabric used throughout; Solid/plain

Backing; width of pieces (in inches):

22

Backing; color:

Red

Condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe specific damage to the quilt:

Disintegration of fabric

Inscription:

Other

Describe the type of inscription:

Numbers linking patches to famous people

What is inscribed on the quilt?

Mrs. Cleveland

Inscription: front/back?

on back

Describe where the inscription was found:

on one ribbon

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Copyright holder:

Illinois State Museum

The quilt was made to be used for:

Decorative throw

Cite this Quilt

Virginia Presbyterian Church ladies. Crazy. 1891. From Illinois State Museum, Illinois Quilt Research Project; Illinois State Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=5-2-39. Accessed: 03/29/24