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Rescued

I bought this tattered old crazy quilt on eBay. It was advertised as being from 1866, which I took with a grain of salt. It's very rare to find a crazy quilt that old still intact. Also, eBay. Anyway, it arrived today:

It's mostly silks, with a few satins, brocades and velvets; 100% hand-pieced and embroidered patchwork. I do believe the top is 153 years old. Nearly all the silks have shattered, the velvets are rubbed bare, and the very fine embroidery stitches are starting to come apart. Weirdly embroidery is always the last to go on crazy quilts.

There are other unmistakable signs that it was made by a Victorian-era American. Here are some:

Hand-painted flowers on silk linen, possibly a hankie being recycled. I also found two other hand-painted patches; a piece of silk ribbon with flowers, and the tiniest trace of flowers on some brown velvet.

Sparse but inventive applique work, like this lovely little artist's palette.

Several patches of tiny petite point needlework like this one. Gorgeous, gorgeous stitching on these.

A wee little American flag patch, still recognizable despite the wear and fading. It doesn't appear to have 50 stars.

Finally, in the center of the quilt is this patch with two dates: 1866, and 1894. Based on the type of thread and signs of wear around the stitching, I'd say both are original to the quilt, not to eBay. Sometimes makers would put the date they started making the quilt, and the date they finished it. The needlework is amazing, but I don't think it took 28 years to create this. They're years that probably had some other significance.

The backing of the quilt is much younger pieced linen, definitely sewn on later by machine, maybe by a descendant who wanted to display it. I also see a few newer-looking satin patches that were basted on the quilt here and there, likely as a repair start that never got going.

I did unpick one corner to take a look, and the top and foundation are definitely much, much older than the backing.

Unhappily this old beauty is so fragile it can't be used, washed, or even repaired (unless I want to spend a couple years trying to tack down, mend or lace over the shattered silks, which I don't.) So why rescue it from the cutter craft sharks who would just slice it up for parts?

Dude. It's a 153-year-old quilt. While the maker was putting together her patchwork and patiently embroidering it, Andrew Johnson was President. Jesse James was robbing his first bank. Congress approved the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the first legislation to protect the rights of African-Americans. You're damn right I rescued it.

Also, I could afford to. I paid less than ten bucks for it. The shipping cost more than the quilt. Aside from the history and wonder and pleasure it will give me to own it, it's basically worthless.

I can't save them all, of course, but I'm glad I could keep this piece of history from being cut up. To me, it's priceless.

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Comments

nightsmusic said…
It's absolutely beautiful! And yes, think of the history that surrounded the quilter at that time. What was her life like as she stitched it together? Did she use it as a calming influence when times were harsh and during that era, you bet they were! I don't blame you at all for saving it. It's a little piece of history that would be such a travesty to lose.
October 22, 2019 at 1:31 PM
the author said…
Thank you for being on my side! Ha. This maker also lived through the Civil War -- which President Johnson declared as officially over in 1866 -- and Lincoln's assassination, too. Boggles the mind, really.
October 23, 2019 at 7:47 AM
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