Crazy quilt, 1ate 19th century, 180 cm x 126 cm.
Brick Store Museum Collection, 3944. Gift of Mrs. William L. Pierce, 1961.

This late 19th-century, multi-colored crazy quilt is made of silks, satins and velvet, set in squares and embellished with embroidery. The term "crazy" refers to the quilt's irregular pattern. The technique likely evolved as a way to utilize scraps of fabric from other projects, and the style became quite popular in the United States by the 1880s.

There are more than 40 quilts of varying patterns in the Museum's collections, ranging from the 18th to the 20th centuries.

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