Abstract
It has been suggested that as the popularity of crazy patchwork quilts waned at the end of the nineteenth century, the decorative features which characterized them also declined in quantity and quality. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis as means of understanding how needlework styles may change throughout the duration of their popularity. In order to determine the characteristics of the crazy quiltfad, a sample of 37 dated Victorian crazy quilts was examined. A method was developed to quantify the features found on the sample quilts, such as average number ofpatches and different embroidery stitches for a given area on the quilt. The distribution of the number of quilts by year of origin supported documentary evidence of the fad's appearance, duration and decline. Deviations from the popular form of the crazy quilt did not occur until after the fad had lost its mass appeal.
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