The Crazy Quilt and the Aesthetic Movement
At the same time, the Aesthetic Movement in England was in full force – an idealistic view of beauty, bringing hand-made artistic items into the interior of the home. And when the women of America discovered this trend, they embraced it. Sunflowers and lilies were symbols of the Aesthetic Movement and these motifs show up embroidered into many of the antique crazy quilts found today.
The Crazy Quilt
The crazy quilt isn't technically a quilt. It doesn't traditionally have an inner layer for warmth, but is simply two layers front an back. The crazy quilt was used primarily as coverlets in the parlor, as piano shawls, or simply placed on the back of the sofa for decorative reasons.. They were primarily artful.
The crazy quilt was most often designed in small blocks as with most patchwork quilts and then the blocks were stitched together with the seams embroidered in to make a cohesive coverlet.
The Story of an American Crazy Quilt
The quilt pictured was made for a mid-west minister by the name of Jonathan Wright, by his parish. The first blocks were started in 1882 and the work continued for 8 years. The embroidery work shows a variety of stitches, and there are over 500 separate pieces of silk and velvet in the finished work. Numerous embroidered motifs were worked into the quilt and it has stood the test of time. It's a stunning example of an early crazy quilt made during the Aesthetic Movement.
Where to Find Antique Crazy Quilts
The best places to find antique crazy quilts are online and at auctions and antique stores. EBay always has at least two pages of listings for antique crazy quilts. The most sought after and the ones that fetch the highest prices on eBay are generally those signed by the maker.
Tips for Buying Crazy Quilts
The best antique crazy quilt investments are made with these considerations.
- When buying antique crazy quilts, look for those that are in the very good condition, even with age consideration.
- Shattered silk pieces in the crazy quilt can certainly lower the price. These parts can be restored, but it's expensive and can actually do little in the way of furthering the investment as it's no longer original.
- Look for signed and dated quilts, and those with the lots of fine detail, embellished with numerous and different fancy embroidery stitches.
- Look for embroidered pictures of of buildings and flowers, especially the lily and sunflower.
Antique Crazy Quilt Price Guide
As with anything antique, a crazy quilt is worth only as much as someone is willing to pay for it.
Antique crazy quilt prices vary with the above criteria. On eBay, an antique crazy quilt can sell for as little as $20, or as much as $5000 for a truly spectacular piece.
Wools and heavier textiles were also used in crazy quilts as a more primitive way to use scrap fabrics. These quilts were generally more functional as bed quilts. One from the early 20th century recently sold on eBay for $200. And this particular crazy quilt had several worn and frayed patches.
A stunning 1880s patchwork quilt signed, dated and extensively embroidered sold for as little as $160.
Collectors will also find crazy quilt blocks or small squares from earlier periods for under $50 and these are worthy of framing.
