Lancaster Amish quilt, Crazy Quilt pattern and rectangular shape, c. 1925. Although there are four similar Crazy Quilts in this collection, it is not assumed this was a common pattern among the local Amish. They consist of a small group of quilts influenced (like the Baskets pattern) by local "English" traditions, and likely made by only a closely related group of Amish women.
Top: Plain- and twill-weave wool and crepe wool, with cotton embroidery floss. Pieced Crazy patchwork blocks of multicolored solid colors are embroidered at seams with various "turkey track" stitches Blocks are set on point in centerfield with bright pink alternate blocks. Inner border is green with blue-gray corner squares. Outer border is blue with no corner blocks.
Binding is the green of inner border. It is machine sewn to front and whip-stitched to back.
Back: Black & white woven-check, plain-weave cotton. Machine-joined in 3 widths.
Quilting: Pink blocks have a single feather circle filled with cross-hatching. A single tulip is quilted at each corner triangle. Inner border has pumpkin seeds within triangle points. The corners have an 8-point star. Outer border has interlocking S-shaped feather scrolls. Very short feather segments added at odd intervals.
Note: Width discrepancy between top and bottom is 5 inches.
Provenance
Esprit purchased from Holsteins June 12, 1986 for $8,500. Reportedly made by Mrs. Gorman of Lampeter, PA. The Gorman name is not found in the Fisher book of Amish genealogy.
Quilt report of Jan. 1990 by conservator Linnea Davis. Outer border contains areas of abrasion, particularly along the "top", where adhesive was used to stabilize/stiffen fabric. Fabric is also fragile in inner border and very fragile on binding with some large old splits and holes. Some repairs with heavy black thread.
Backing has a small L-shaped tear about .75 x .50 inches, now repaired, with several other small tears.
