Crazy Quilt

Object NameQuilt

Artist / Maker Lydia Carver Stark (American, 1850 - 1926)

Datec. 1881

MediumFabric

Dimensions65 × 65 in. (165.1 × 165.1 cm)

ClassificationsTextiles and Apparel

Credit LineGift of Margaret Johnson. In the Farm House Museum Collection, Farm House Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number86.4.1

Status

Not on view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextThis quilt won a prize in the Illinois Fair in 1888 (Fair premium is included with quilt). Look for Lydia's signature in square by border. By Lydia C. Stark (American, 1850-1926). ____________ From the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: Quilting represents one of the older textile arts and is most commonly associated throughout time with women’s domestic production. During the Civil War and Victorian eras, women showed off their wealth, creativity, and artistry by transforming scraps of silk or velvet, lace, ribbons, and other costly materials into bold decorative quilts. Quilts allowed makers to demonstrate needlework skill, stitchery, and express personalized flair as seen in this Crazy Quilt example. Crazy Quilts became popular in the U.S. in the late 1800s, likely due to the influence of English embroidery and Japanese art displayed at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The design is often abstract and free flowing, ignoring the common block style treatment of traditional quilting patterns. In the Farm House Museum, the collection holdings include other wonderful examples of one-of-a-kind quilts. Lydia Carver Stark (American, 1850-1926) handmade the Crazy Quilt pictured in 1881-82. The quilt has a burgundy velvet border with chaotic patchwork shapes of different colors, fabrics, embroidery pieces, appliqué and even some hand-painted sections. Large feather stitching links seams between sections in brightly colored embroidery thread. This quilt won a prize at the Illinois State Fair in 1888.

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