Mystery of the Heirloom Crazy Quilt

Last week we were homebound due to a blizzard. It was beautiful, bitterly cold, and gave us time to slow down.

On day one I did what a lot of people did: cooked warm meals, watched the snow storm pile on inches of the white stuff, cleaned some cabinets, caught up on laundry and spent way too much time on Facebook.

By the second day I decided cleaning out closets was too boring when I’d discovered a craft project in the linen cabinet — a crazy quilt banner that was never finished. I love crazy quilts. They have so many different fabrics and patterns; and all the different embroidery stitches are fascinating.

This one was a family hand-me-down from my great aunt, via my mom. No one seemed to know who started this project, but it’s been around for years. I’ve got a pretty creative imagination and, after examining the stitches, have ventured a guess it was the project of someone in a hurry. The stitches are a bit large but even, so she was experienced with a needle.

The embroidery is done with crewel yarn. I used to embroider with crewel yarn 30 years ago!!!

I knew immediately I wanted to finish the banner with a few minor repairs, not adding any more embroidery to the unadorned seams.  So I dug into my sewing stash and found muslin for the backing, low loft batting, and black, wide, single-fold bias tape.

I used the tape for the binding around all the edges, and the rod sleeve to hang it with using a small dowel rod.

I decided to hang it in the hall right outside my bedroom door so I can admire it every time I walk down the hall. (If ever I wanted, I could use it as a table-top quilt or a buffet banner, without the dowel rod.) It will remind me that some unknown relative of long ago liked crazy quilts as much as I do! Now if only I knew who started it!

{Note from Amy: This really is a perfect family heirloom for my mum. Check out the crazy-quilt vest and skirt she made years ago.}