Crazy Quilts to Wear
A Look at my Personal Collection
Patricia Cummings
Any Victorian lady worth her salt made all kinds of items during the height of the Crazy Quilt phase. This file features clothing that has some crazy quilt piecing and embellishments. The earliest of these pieces was constructed in 1991. Seeing all of these items together allows you to consider my progression from pastel colors and a lot of solid fabrics, to more bold color statements and use of decorative stitches and trims. However, the items are not shown in the order they were made.
This jacket was inspired by the beautiful Hoffman print in orange and blue, and by a piece of early twentieth century fabric with cats. There is writing on this quilt, on the front and on the back. I have stitched my monogram and the date ('93). I've added lace, an appliquéd blue hexagon on top of a handkerchief, ribbons, buttons, embroidery stitches, Battenburg lace, a cameo, and clothing labels, one of which says, "Pride's Landing," on the back of the garment.
The back of the jacket has lots of patches, lace, Battenberg lace, writing ("A true friend is life's best treasure," and more cats! The left sleeve is not faded, by the way. It just had direct sunlight hitting it, when the photo was taken, near a window.
Above is a matching skirt that I wore with the jacket. The crazy quilting extends to the back, and the patch edges are all embroidered.
This vest is an eclectic mix of colors and themes and is truly "crazy." I've decorated it with two shadow trapunto motifs, a heart, and a crescent moon with a hat and a jingle bell at the tip of that. The background fabric on each patch is heavily hand quilted. There are buttons, ribbon, embroidery stitches, a ceramic apple, lace, and a ribbon rose, and my (appliqué, store-bought) initials. The interior is lined with a fabric that has sewing motifs.
This is a vest for a small child, made in complementary colors of blue and orange. I had a lot of fun designing this. The back has trapunto motifs. Made in 1993. I can't remember if this is a size 2, or size 4.
This vest has a little story to it. The shape on the upper left side that has flowers on it was given to me, courtesy of the Pfaff machine demonstrator at the Vermont Quilt Festival. I created a similar shape for the right hand side. I've added a lacy heart; a Sunbonnet Sue tack pin; an embroidered spider, and spider web for good luck; my embroidered initials; a ribbon, twisted and tacked with French knots; ceramic buttons; and an embroidered piece of traditional "Deerfield Embroidery" that I embroidered. The design was given to me at the last workshop ever given by the late Margaret (Peg) Lunt.
This vest truly reflects my "pastel" stage. Made in 1993, I wore this vest when I was invited to speak the same year, in Boston, at the International Conference for Neurosurgeons, in the hospitality lounge. The topic? Crazy Quilts and their History!
I wanted a bright, colorful, seasonal vest to keep my students awake, when I was substitute teaching. The result is this reversible vest with autumn colors and themes. We have pumpkins, black cats, candy corn, ghosts, Indian corn, and bats. I love the colors in this piece!
The predominant color in this vest is a muted shade of yellow. I was shooting for an African theme, and I utilized a face with some tribal masks. This vest also has a story. When my husband invited me to attend a quilt show at Bridgewater State College, I was game. I am always eager and willing to get in the car to go to a quilt show! Anyhow, I wore this vest. I am not sure who was more surprised, the quilters who put on the show, or me, when I walked in. The "Sisters in Stitches," is a group of African-American quilters. They liked my vest; and their show, by the way, was wonderful!
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©Copyright 2007. Patricia Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, New Hampshire. All Rights Reserved. e-mail: pat@quiltersmuse.com