As part of an ongoing rotation of quilts from its permanent textile collection, The Charleston Museum will showcase the “craziest” quilts in the collection. From December 5, 2009 to March 28, 2010, visitors will have the chance to view twelve “crazy quilts,” a style popular during the last three decades of the 19th century.

Crazy quilts are characterized by the use of lavish fabrics such as velvets, satins, and silks, as well as commemorative pieces, symbols, and needlework embellishments.

“Crazy quilts were not unlike modern day scrapbooks,” notes curator of textiles Jan Hiester. “They were highly personalized, marked special moments in the maker’s life, and preserved memories.”

Crazy quilts were comprised of an array of colors, elaborate embroidery, and were usually fairly small and decorative rather than functional. Oddly shaped scraps sewn to a foundation fabric with diverse stitches are the basics of crazy quilt manufacture. The random, irregular shapes throughout the quilts are “crazed” to resemble
cracked ice and crackled Japanese and Chinese ceramics popular with Victorians. Crazy quilts were also known as kaleidoscope and Japanese patchwork.

For more information about the Crazy Quilt exhibit, please visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call 722-2996.

The Charleston Museum will offer special programming in conjunction with the crazy quilt exhibit. Quilters and non-quilters alike can explore the basics of crazy quilting with Museum staff during a one-day workshop. For a twist on crazy quilting, the Museum will partner with Blue Heron Glass once again for a fused glass workshop. Program details will be available at the beginning of the year. Please visit www.charlestonmuseum.org for more information.

Photos courtesy of The Charleston Museum, Charleston, SC.