Imagine doing this!
09-04-2008, 12:12 PM
#21
Power Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 18,726
Oh my gosh!!! That is just gorgeous and you are an extremely lucky girl to have that. Wonder where on earth your Mom got that?? Its funny what we find...I know I learned things about my Mom that I for sure didn't know :shock: No...none of it was bad...just weird.. :lol:
Anyway, I agree...you should definetly work with a museum on that quilt, it would be a shame for it to suffer any further damage.
Anyway, I agree...you should definetly work with a museum on that quilt, it would be a shame for it to suffer any further damage.
09-04-2008, 07:06 PM
#23
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 590
This is a great example of a crazy quilt. These quilts date to the last quarter of the 19th century. About 1875 - 1900.
Some of the fabrics are falling apart, which is very typical of these quilts, due to the metal mordants used in the dyes. The silks are the worst for this deteriation. You will find some patches where the silk threads have gone away, leaving just the linen or cotton warp threads. This is all very normal for these crazy quilts.
Do not wash this quilt.
You can hand tack a piece of organza over the areas that are falling off the quilt to stablize those areas. Do not store it in plastic. An acid free box with acid free paper rolled up and placed in the folds is a great way to store and protect it in your home. You can buy these boxes very resonably these days from mail order houses. Be sure that you are buying acid free boxes.
Dont store on a wood shelf or in contact with wood of any kind. The acid in the wood will transfer to the textile.
If you cant obtain a box, a pillow case will also work to protect it from dust. The most damaging effects on textiles are caused by dust, humidity and light.
Crazy quilts do not stand up to hanging for long periods of time...actually none of your quilts should hang for more that a month at a time.. but crazy quilts are especially fragile. I would not hang it at all unless it is just for a day or so at a show. Even at our shows, we tend to lay crazy quilts on a table rather than hanging. I suggest just getting it out to look at it once in a while and refold in a different place each time.
When you say it is not finished, are you referring to the quilt not having a back or are there sections that are not embroidered?
Many of these quilts never had a backing applied. They cannot be quilted. I have seen some of them that have had a backing applied by seaming around the edge and tacked in a couple of places.
Some of the fabrics are falling apart, which is very typical of these quilts, due to the metal mordants used in the dyes. The silks are the worst for this deteriation. You will find some patches where the silk threads have gone away, leaving just the linen or cotton warp threads. This is all very normal for these crazy quilts.
Do not wash this quilt.
You can hand tack a piece of organza over the areas that are falling off the quilt to stablize those areas. Do not store it in plastic. An acid free box with acid free paper rolled up and placed in the folds is a great way to store and protect it in your home. You can buy these boxes very resonably these days from mail order houses. Be sure that you are buying acid free boxes.
Dont store on a wood shelf or in contact with wood of any kind. The acid in the wood will transfer to the textile.
If you cant obtain a box, a pillow case will also work to protect it from dust. The most damaging effects on textiles are caused by dust, humidity and light.
Crazy quilts do not stand up to hanging for long periods of time...actually none of your quilts should hang for more that a month at a time.. but crazy quilts are especially fragile. I would not hang it at all unless it is just for a day or so at a show. Even at our shows, we tend to lay crazy quilts on a table rather than hanging. I suggest just getting it out to look at it once in a while and refold in a different place each time.
When you say it is not finished, are you referring to the quilt not having a back or are there sections that are not embroidered?
Many of these quilts never had a backing applied. They cannot be quilted. I have seen some of them that have had a backing applied by seaming around the edge and tacked in a couple of places.
09-04-2008, 07:44 PM
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 422
Thanks for an informative post on the proper care and storage of the quilt. The blocks have many different types of fabric in them.
When I said unfinished I mean there are 7 additional plain crazy quilt blocks (about 18" squares) without any embroidery on them that haven't been sewn to the main quilt. The edges of the quilt are raw...no binding.
As far as backing, the crazy pieces were hand sewn onto a square of fabric (some appear to be cheese cloth or linen).
When I said unfinished I mean there are 7 additional plain crazy quilt blocks (about 18" squares) without any embroidery on them that haven't been sewn to the main quilt. The edges of the quilt are raw...no binding.
As far as backing, the crazy pieces were hand sewn onto a square of fabric (some appear to be cheese cloth or linen).
09-08-2008, 08:43 AM
#28
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 3,007
Next to Dresden Plate I LOVE the Victorian Crazy Quilt best. I made a BAG NOT A QUILT years ago and used my sewing machine to do the embroidery and it took forever. What a wonderful old quilt you have and it distresses me that it's disintegrating. Does anyone know how it can be salvaged and how to prevent it's disintegration.
When these old quilts were being embroidered it was at a time when there was no TV or radio for entertainment and the men-folks always retired to the drawing room for a smoke and brandy so the women were left to their handwork. The quality of their handwork (and cooking) were their pride and their joy, like their children and their spotlessly clean homes. I read an article about the handiwork of the Victorian women a few years ago and it was very, very interesting. I think I found the info in a book from the library.
When these old quilts were being embroidered it was at a time when there was no TV or radio for entertainment and the men-folks always retired to the drawing room for a smoke and brandy so the women were left to their handwork. The quality of their handwork (and cooking) were their pride and their joy, like their children and their spotlessly clean homes. I read an article about the handiwork of the Victorian women a few years ago and it was very, very interesting. I think I found the info in a book from the library.
09-10-2008, 07:08 AM
#30
Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 76
Originally Posted by auntluc
I can't imagine doing all this hand embroidery on this crazy quilt top...every time I look at it I see something I didn't see before. Unfortunately, this quilt top was never finished. It is very old...the fabric is so fragile that some of it crumbled when I laid it out to take the picture.
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