Vintage Crazy Quilt

On Tuesday, I met with two high school classmates, Sandra and Larry. They have been clearing and sorting through the belongings of Sandra's mother's home and came across a quilt that Sandra had never seen before. Knowing of my love of quilts, she'd asked if I would look at it and tell her something about it.

What Sandra had was a crazy quilt. It was in such fragile condition, that we didn't unfold it entirely to see the whole quilt. The date on this ribbon dates it sometime after 1902. She's done some research on the ribbon, but did not found anything that provided useful details.

This smaller patch also indicates military involvement - Company C, whose motto must have been 'Pluck, Punctuality, Perseverance.'

While there are quite a few military and patriotic motifs, plenty of other pictures are depicted, too, so I wouldn't consider it to be a tribute to someone's military service.

This round black bit is velvet; it feels very plush and remains in good condition. 

This is an example of how the some fabrics are falling apart. Just about all of this particular patch is gone. And there were other parts that were bigger, and even more shredded with age than this. Look, though, at the variety of stitches in just this one area.

This is the edge of the quilt. It is unfinished, and the maker had the sense to whip-stitch the raw edges. I wonder if the maker intended to use border? How would she have bound it? Did she have plans for more decorative stitches or more ribbons and embellishments?

I have put out some inquiries about quilt restoration, historical preservation, and the like. I've not learned too much, but I think I will be able to provide some direction eventually.

Happy Quilting, Friends!