Antique 1884 Crazy Quilt – Hand Painted Silk Blocks Dated 1860 – 52” x 60”

This beautiful Victorian crazy quilt, dated 1884, features earlier hand-painted silk blocks from 1860 and comes from the Sleepy Hollow/Ichabod Crane area of New York state. The original ink inscription on one corner of the back connects two generations:

“Quilt made by Mary L. Allen 1884
Painted blocks made by her mother
Adelia Hulce May 6 – 1860”

The elaborate piece-work, hand-embroidery and painted motifs include many flowers, birds, a cat chasing a mouse, fans, butterflies, and more. There are dozens of different embroidery stitches including feather stitches, herringbone, chain stitch, blanket stitch, cross stitch, lazy daisy, French knots, spider wheels, fern stitch, chevron stitch and more.

The back is a very light pink cotton, as is the binding that has been hand-stitched to both sides. There is no batting.

The quilt is in excellent vintage condition with shattered silks as expected from quilts of this era due to the way silks were manufactured at the time (with metal salts that lead to shattering). There is also some age-related toning on the light pink fabric. See photos.

🧵 Details
• Entirely hand-pieced
• Hand embroidered seam treatments
• Silk, silk satin, silk velvet, and plush fabrics
• Decorative feather stitch, herringbone stitch, and other embroidery
• Hand-painted silk panels featuring florals, birds, and botanical motifs
• Classic asymmetrical Victorian crazy patchwork layout
• Rich jewel-tone velvets and satins
• Botanical hand-painted blocks (c.1860)
• Embroidered initials
• Black velvet medallion floral panel
• Elaborate fan and ribbon piecing
• Size: 52” x 60”

From a smoke-free, pet-free home, the quilt has a display sleeve sewn into one side of the back.
CZ0011