“Crazy” Technique
Crazy quilt refers to textile art distinguished from a traditional quilt based on the positioning of the patchwork. Regularly layered blocks of fabric are intrinsic to traditional quilting, while irregularly layered blocks to crazy quilting. At first sight, crazy quilts may appear peculiar, but every detail is thought out. The word “crazy” only points to the asymmetrical and abstract arrangement of each element. Only careful planning contributes to achieving a sophisticated look.
Material
Crazy quilts were usually made using luxurious fabrics like silk, satin, damask, brocade and velvet. One reason for this was that materials, used in crazy quilting, became more affordable and accessible. From an ecological perspective, utilizing all the leftover material was a sustainable move.
Textile companies used the crazy quilt trend as an opportunity to make profit off of selling silk scraps which would have not been the case in the pre-Industrial Revolution era. Invention of sewing machines and electricity significantly expanded textile manufacture giving way to mechanically made textile materials.

Composition
Vibrant fabrics are complemented by rich colours, a number of stitches, diverse embellishments, and plenty of other elements to make each crazy quilt stand out as a unique artistic composition. All of these elements add character to a crazy quilt. Experimentation with ornamentation makes each crazy quilt one of a kind and specific to the maker.

Sporadic embellishments stitched onto our crazy quilt are flowers, hearts and letters.
The stitches that are seen on Rectory’s quilt are: feather, ermine-filling and faggot. The purpose of the stitches is to hold the fabric patches together. The ermine-filling stitch also decorates the quilt in random spots (pictured above). These stitches are primarily done in white, yellow and red threads, with blue and purple resurfacing from place to place. The stitching itself is as important as the fabric panels.
Origins
Social changes from the Industrial Revolution fueled the Arts and Crafts Movement in the 1860s-1920s. Our crazy quilt dates to ca. 1890-1900. Crazy quilting got inspired by the Centennial International Exposition held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to celebrate the United States of America’s centenary in 1876. The highlight was the floor screen composed of peculiarly structured elements at the Japanese pavilion. Japanese motifs in combination with the English embroidery exerted influence on the emergence of crazy quilting.
Women’s Artistry
Crazy quilting originated as the craft performed by women. Originally, only upper class women engaged in quilt making. This form of quilting was used by women as a creative expression to showcase their handiwork, often in the parlour.
Additionally, crazy quilting also became a way that communities of women recorded special events and history. It was common to make crazy quilts for fundraising purposes. Unfortunately, we do not have the data on Rectory’s quilt connection to fundraising.
Imminent decline in crazy quilting resulted due to women’s growing independence and a shifted focus on more productive activities such as reading books.
Rectory’s Quilt

This quilt is a combination of crazy and memory quilting types. A memory quilt is designed to celebrate the life of a loved one, a family history or an important event. This memory quilt was made by local residents of St. Andrews.
The central piece is a big peony print with the names of the contributors signed around. Prominent Red River Settlement area family names connected to this quilt are Sinclair, Gunn, Ross, etc.

Two significant patterns worth of attention are souvenir badges. These badges came with cigarette packages and were common to use in quilting. In some instances, aside from quilting, the badges were stitched onto jackets as ornamentation and identification. For Manitobans it was a sign of pride to showcase a Manitoba badge on their jacket.
This quilt has a lot of country and province crests represented, among which are Manitoba and Canada. Crests of other countries and provinces are also present.
Moreover, some souvenir badges represent sports, among which are lacrosse and snowshoeing – the activities that are native to Canadian indigenous groups and now widely popular across Canada.
Art Through Time Tour
Since this quilt had sustained much damage over the years and is extremely delicate it is not suitable for a permanent exhibit.
Art Through Time Tour on February 26, 2022 served as a limited opportunity to see this crazy memory quilt on display.
Further Readings
https://thequiltshow.com/quiltipedia/what-are-crazy-quilts
http://www.womenfolk.com/quilting_history/victorian.htm
https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/quilt-patterns/history-of-the-crazy-quilt