Crazy Quilt "Topper"
by Patricia Cummings
To show a 43 1/2" square Crazy Quilt "topper," I have placed it on top of a matelassé, that is, an all-white, machine woven coverlet that has a late nineteenth century provenance. This was a customary way of display.
This Crazy Quilt topper is displayed, on point, atop a nineteenth century matelassé spread. photo by James Cummings
Backing fabric for this Crazy Quilt. I haven't checked yet, but this looks very much like a print from the Cocheco Mills, Dover, NH.
Interesting bird motif and mixture of edge stitches
This butterfly seems to have been "cut off" at the top, and perhaps worked over a printed design. Photo by James Cummings
This print motif caught my eye as quite unusual.
I see the initials, "HTN" in the blue stitching. Perhaps I'm imagining things. I like the embroidered motif above that is holding together the fraying silk underneath.
Looks as though the embroiderer combined two different colors of perle cotton for this embroidery, and three different "runs" to complete this composite stitch of elongated Herringbone Stitch, and sets of three straight stitches.
Notice the different textures of cloth shown in the photo above. The middle fabric is intriguing. photo by James Cummings
The juxtaposition of yellow-orange and bright blue are lovely. Notice how she repeats the blue color by using the black fabric dotted with blue, and by choosing bright blue embroidery thread, nearby. photo by James Cummings
Very intriguing part of the quilt: fringe has been added to two sides of this piece of cloth, or so it appears. The cloth looks like silk, due to the fact that it is shredding vertically.
My hope is that you have enjoyed looking at portions of this crazy quilt. Its maker had a good eye for balance and color, and little touches that make her work very special.
For more information about Crazy Quilts, please see our other files as listed on the site map. Click here to read, "Crazy Quilts in America."
Read the poem of Margaret E. Sangster, The Crazy Quilt, published in 1884.
©Copyright 2007. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce any information from this file without the express written permission of the copyright holders. Write to us at: pat@quiltersmuse.com