I love to quilt! And sometimes Mr QuiltinAnnie helps with the design; figuring out the angles and measurements! This letterbox series will highlight a traditional quilt block or pattern beginning with the letter of the stamp found inside the cache. You will need to supply your own stamp pad.
Crazy Quilt
The Crazy Quilt is probably the oldest of quilt patterns, and became popular in the late 1800's. These were utilitarian quilts. Early quilters used any scrap or remnant available, regardless of its color, design, or fabric type. Worn out clothing, women's calico dresses, men's pants and shirts, household linens, and other oddly shaped fabric scraps were fitted and stitched together. The result was a hodgepodge of color, and a quilt with a story behind each scrap. The Crazy quilts or throws of the early 1900's featured rich colors and textures and were used to decorate the parlor. Skill in fine embroidery was emphasized. Victorian quilters filled their quilts with bits and pieces of their personal past; a piece of father's vest, a husband's tie, lace from a wedding veil, or ribbons commemorating political events. Crazy quilts are extremely labor-intensive. An estimation from 1884 suggests that a full-size crazy quilt could take 1,500 hours to complete. Now that's crazy!