I was unaware of this home’s history [located in Cedarville, VA] until I began researching some of the antique textiles that I purchased at the estate auction. Who would know that a bag of threads, unfinished textiles, and a few antique quilts would give me the clues to research local history?

(In preceeding blog entries, you can see detailed photos of this antique crazy quilt.)

Since I enjoy researching history and particularly find it fascinating to learn about those who made quilts I have.  Sometimes it’s not possible to discover this information, so then I try to research the fabrics.

I have been doing more research about the Trails End Quilters of my ancestry, where my quilting roots began.  Trails End was the farm where they lived and quilted and where that crazy quilt of my childhood was located.

Do you have quilts in your heritage you’d like to tell us about?

More Crazy Quilt posts at Quilting & Patchwork:

The Fascination of the American Crazy Quilt

Crazy Quilts from Yard Sale Fabrics

Sharon B’s List of Crazy Quilt Resources

Post from: Blisstree

An Enchanting Crazy Quilt & It’s History

Heather, at A Creative Journal, has written an informative post, Making Your Own Journal Covers.  She gives close to a dozen resources where you’ll find tutorials and information about materials to use.

One I found particularly interesting  is How to Crazy Quilt which Heather found at DIYnamite: let’s create.

(And thanks, Heather, for giving me credit for inspiring you to write about journal covers!)

Post from: Blisstree

Make a Quilted Journal Cover

Cyndi, of Layers Upon Layers, called my attention to a list of online crazy quilt resources found at Sharon B’s In a Minute Ago.  This is a fabulous resource where you can find just about anything you need about crazy quilts.

For more crazy quilt resources, check out some books, too.

Post from: Blisstree

Sharon B’s List of Crazy Quilt Resources

Nancy Kirk is holding a free teleseminar for the Crazy Quilt Society, on Tuesday, March 6.  This discussion will include information about their retreat. You may want to check this out at….. where you can register and post a question. 

You also can find more information about the Crazy Quilt Society here…….

Post from: Blisstree

Crazy Quilt Teleseminar

As children, my sister and I used to enjoy sitting there and studying it.  We’d try to imagine what the various fabrics had come from.

Crazy quilts are part of our American heritage.  These coverlets of many colors have long been associated with the Victorian era.  However, actually they go back to early America and are considered by some quilt authorities to be the first quilts made in this country.

As the early coverlets of the American colonists began to wear out, they couldn’t afford new ones.  They simply patched those existing ones with whatever old fabrics they had, usually worn-out clothing.

These much patched bed coverings resembled the later “crazy quilts” designed to look ”patched” and utilized decorative stitching around and on the pieces.  Those of the Victorian era (the days when Queen Victoria ruled) were bright in color and rich in exotic fabrics.

               Quiltmakers still make the crazy quilt today, and may encompass many types of fabric.  Mixed media artists often use this style and incorporate items other than fabric into it.

Post from: Blisstree

The Fascination of the American Crazy Quilt

Cathy, at the Tangled Thread  blog (www.tangledthread.com) features a number of Christmas ornaments you may want to make.  These include: a Yo-Yo Christmas Tree Stocking, Crazy Quilt Stocking, Christmas Countdown Calendar, and a Counted Cross Stitch Tree Skirt.  Simply browse down her blog for more information and where to find patterns and directions.

Creating Christmas and holiday ornaments and decorations with your youngsters can be a fun time.  My daughter and I have memories of those we made when she was young.  I also used these as projects with my 4-H Club members.  These items also are nice to give as gifts.

Post from: Blisstree

Quilted Christmas Ornaments

This let me to thinking.  “Why not add variety to a meal, any meal, with different placemats and table coverings?”

So why not make some patchwork or appliqued placemats for yourself, to give as gifts, and to sell?  When I operated a quiltmaking business from my home, selling in shops and by mail order, one of my popular items was placemats.  I used simple designs so I could price them in a range customers would buy readily.  One of the popular ones was the Rail Fence pattern.  Crazy Quilt patterns sold well, too.

Find a pattern for placemats or decide upon the size and make enough blocks with border to fill the space.  Use random colors or those that coordinate with your dinnerware. 

Potholders also can be adapted to placemats by sewing 2-4 together, or sewing borders around one. 

Folded Fabric Fun and A Star for All Seasons are two books with potholder or placemat ideas.

Post from: Blisstree

Patchwork Placemats for Meal Variety

Karen Zoback of Woodstown, NJ  creates these whimsical necklaces with crazy quilt designs.  She even will personalize the necklaces utilizing pieces of favorite and memorable fabrics and adornments.

Isn’t it amazing what quilting and fabric artists can visualize and create?  What are some of your unique ideas?

Post from: Blisstree

Crazy Quilt Necklaces – A Unique Quilting Idea

Another quilter browsed through the packages of buttons my daughter had culled from her collection.  “I use buttons on my quilt projects,” she explained when her husband joked about all the many buttons she bought.  She said she decorated quilt hangings with unusual buttons, just as my daughter does.

The previous year, a quilter bought my daughter’s whole button offering at that yard sale.  She makes patchwork Christmas stockings for sale at craft fairs and decorates them with buttons.

So quilters, in addition to collecting fabric, often become button enthusiasts, too. This then can lead into the interesting history of various buttons and how they were made.

Post from: Blisstree

Using Buttons for Enhancing Quilts

“We saw a crazy quilt at a shop in our travels,” one of her teenaged daughters said.  “Mom said we could make our own instead of buying one.”

What an enjoyable mother/daughters project, I thought. 

They further explained they were finding fabrics at yard sales and fabric shops for their quilt.  I realized my vest would make a lovely addition and wondered why I hadn’t thought of that for some of my fabric art projects.

However, a quilter can only save and use so many fabrics, so I was pleased they could turn my vest into a quilt.  If you haven’t thought of combining fabrics from various sources for your quilts, take a tip from this mom and her daughters who were having an enjoyable day visiting yard sales and fabric shops.

Post from: Blisstree

Crazy Quilts from Yard Sale Fabrics