In celebration of National Quilt Month, the Greenwood County Historical Society is “Going Crazy for Quilts” with a display of its collection of crazy quilts.
Crazy quilts conjure up many meanings such as erratic, jumbled, insane and bizarre, and when you look at the irregular shapes, haphazard fabrics and meticulous embroidery stitches on these quilts you can easily see where these definitions might come from.
In truth, these quilts are one-of-a-kind treasures that were intentionally designed and created.
It is not known the precise beginnings of crazy quilts, but their popularity soared in the last quarter of the 1800s, becoming icons of the Victorian era.
The Historical Society’s collection of crazy quilts date from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s. They show a wide variety of fabrics used, some quilts made with specific patterns and others done with the randomness of true “crazy quilts.” There are a variety of embroidery stitches to be admired on all nine of the quilts that are in the museum’s collection and the skill of those that did the stitching is to be admire also.
In addition to the crazy quilts, the museum has baby and doll quilts up for viewing and three quilts done with star patterns. Eureka community member Pat Farr has generously loaned her collection of pincushions to add to the display. Display cases in the Beverly Ditty room showcase occupations and items used by men and women in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
The quilts will be on display through the month April.
The museum is open Monday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come and explore the craziness and the industriousness of the early settlers, the tools they used and the treasures they created with them.
(Photo and article submitted by Robin Himes, Museum Director)
