The year was 1876, and Victorian women were falling in love with crazy quilts. Inspired by asymmetrical patterns in Oriental art, crazy quilts are very different from traditional quilts. They are made with random scraps of fabrics arranged in haphazard patterns. They're often embellished with fancy stitching and embroidery. Some are even painted! Crazy quilts were at first sewn by affluent women who could afford silk, taffeta, and velveteen. Women were expected to be handy with a needle. If she wasn't engaged in housekeeping, she was expected to do needlework. Crazy quilts weren't layered and only served as decorations for the home, which was why they were first made by the wealthy upper-class women. But it wasn't long before less affluent women wanted crazy quilts too. They started making their own with more humble fabrics such as cotton, although sometimes they could buy dress fabric scraps for cheap. Many of the crazy quilts served as a way to record significant dates or to memorialize the death of a loved one. A crazy quilt might be given to newlyweds as a wedding gift, or a crazy quilt might be made in remembrance of a lost loved one. Sadly, antique crazy quilts are deteriorating rapidly. This is because silks were treated with chemicals to make them heavier and give them more "rustle." The result is that the silks are falling apart before their time. Today, crazy quilts are experiencing a revival. Quilters discovered the fun and whimsical method and decided to put their own take on it. Thanks to modern sewing machines and techniques, quilters can create even more elaborate crazy quilts.
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