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Crazy Quilting
 A crazy quilt is a quilt made from irregularly shaped pieces of fabric, arranged with no discernible pattern. The height of the crazy quilt era was between the 1880s and 1920s, after which quilters moved to other techniques and styles of quilting. However, many examples of stunning crazy quilts can be found on display in American museums, and in private collections. Some modern textile artists also create crazy quilts which are usually designed as display pieces.
The roots of crazy quilting can be found in the quilts and coverlets made by early settlers in the United States. As the quilts began to fall apart, they were patched with scraps of other material, slowly obscuring the original pattern. Quilts were also made from small scraps of material, often making it difficult, if not impossible, to create a standard pattern. These quilts made by enterprising pioneer women were one of the primary inspirations for the crazy quilting craze, which began in the mid 1800s among upper class women.
There are several ways to make a crazy quilt. In general, the crazy quilt has no insulating layer of batting, although it will be backed with a solid piece of material. Many crazy quilts were designed to be ornamental throws, rather than functional quilts, and the techniques used to make them were also sometimes used to create dressing gowns and other garments.
In a basic crazy quilt, pieces of fabric are pieced together to create a single solid quilt. The pieces are stitched once they have been laid out to satisfaction, and then the crazy quilt is embroidered and ornamented. Some quilters simply applique pieces of fabric to an already finished piece for the crazy quilt look, a trend which was popular in the early 1900s. Others use odd bits of fabric to make blocks which are assembled into a crazy quilt. Sometimes each piece is made by a different quilter, to create a friendship quilt.
As you make a crazy quilt that might be used as a quilt, you'll want to avoid fabric that is too stiff and might limit the feel of a quilt wrapping around you.
Learn how to choose the right fabric.
Crazy quilts are usually made starting with a foundation piece of relatively sturdy muslin or other type of fabric.
The purpose of this fabric is to hold all of the pieces together, and also act as a kind of lining between the top crazy pieces and your backing - no batting required.
Each foundation piece is as large or small as you want to make it, but generally you'll want to make it a relatively manageable size - possibly in the range of 18 - 24 inches square. The thing about crazy quilts is that you get to make up the "rules," too!
So, if you want your foundation to be 12 inches square - go for it!
Once you have a foundation piece of muslin cut, you can begin adding pieces of the fabric for your crazy quilt top.
Each of these pieces will be cut into random shapes and then added to the foundation.
Many quilters add these pieces on in a kind of sew and flip method. The first piece of fabric will be laid onto the foundation piece either in the center or one corner of the foundation.
The next piece will be placed on one side of the first piece, with right sides together, and then sewn down. Once sewn, flip the top piece so it faces right side up, and you are ready to add the next piece. it is ver similar to foundation piecing a traditional quilt block, however the shapes of the pieces in a crazy quilt are - well, crazy! All random shapes.
Once you have the fabric sewn onto your foundation, it's time to add embellishments. In the picture above, the embellishments are really simple - mostly embroidery stitches; possibly some beads.
Many quilters make them memory quilts, and include bits and pieces of their personal "history" or of their family history.
The embellishments are added to each individual block, and tacking down the embellishment through the fabric and the foundation.
Once you have finished all of the applique blocks, it's time to join the blocks. First, trim the blocks so that the foundation and top pieces are the same size. If you are making square blocks (in contrast to a heart shaped bag, for example), you can easily trim them using your rotary cutter. The beautiful thing is that you really don't need to worry too much about cutting the points off of your triangle tips!
After the blocks are trimmed, you will sew them together. You can use the same method as sewing quilt blocks together, simply place the blocks right sides together and stitch through the top and foundation piece.
Once all of the blocks are sewn into a quilt, you can add any final embellishments - including ribbons or other devices that will hide your seams, if you so desire.
After the top is finished, you are ready to add the backing. Probably the easiest way to add the backing is to place your quilt top facing right side down on a table or other flat surface. Place the backing fabric right sides up on top of the quilt top. (The wrong side of your quilt and the wrong side of your backing will be facing together.
Using matching embroidery weight thread, sew some tacking stitches through the backing and into the foundation fabric - avoiding the quilt top. If you want to completely hide the knots, you can fold the backing back, begin your stitch on the foundation (with an unknotted thread), stitch through the backing, and then tie a knot between the layers. This might take some careful planning to determine exactly where you will place your stitches so you have access to all sections of the quilt.
Once the backing is tacked in place, it's time to finish the sides. This can be done using a knife-edge technique, where you turn the sides of the top and backing under for a seam allowance (1/4 inch or more) and then use a hidden stitch or whip stitch to secure the sides closed. You could also add a narrow binding strip around the outside of your quilt.
NOTE: While they look totally random in design, there are some elements that will set your crazy quilt apart from the crowd:
•Include some repetition in your design - whether it is a particulat fabric, color, or shape, repetition will keep your quilt interesting. Beware of too much repetition, - you want it to still look random
•Maintain some sort of balance - repeat some of the design elements in the various parts of your quilt. A shape or fabric that shows up in the top corner may do well to be palced in the bottom of the qult as well.
•Include a combination of solid and print fabrics. Too much of either will detract from your finished quilt.
•Mix up the textures in your quilt - include satin, velvet, corduroy, chintz
Keep in mind the use of the quilt and how often it will need to be cleaned.
Who? When? Where? Why? Quilts and quilt projects should include this information to preserve the identify of the project so future generations know about it. A quilt label fulfills this objective.
One way to make a label for a quilt is to take a piece of muslin, type or write whatever you want on it: your name, when the quilt was made, who it was made for, what the occasion was, etc.
Once that is complete, place a cloth that has been soaked in a mixture of water and vinegar (in equal parts) on top of the label and iron it. That will set the ink and allow you to wash the quilt.
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