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Crazy Quilt with Masonic York Rite Knights Templar Ribbons
1888-1900
Maker not marked
USA: Illinois (probably)
Silk, cotton
overall: 79"h x 65"w
Gift of William C. Roseboom
82.6

Crazy quilt made out of silk and velvet fabrics and Knights Templar ribbons. The ribbons represent a number of events and Commanderies including those in Pottsville, PA, Crawfordsville, IN, Cincinnati, OH, Frankfort, KY, Ionia, MI, New Orleans, LA, Evansville, IN, Danville, IL, Beloit, WI, and others. The quilt shows a variety of embroidered motifs (owl, fan, flowers) and stitches. It is backed with dark orange cotton. Pieced and tied (on the front). Made up of 12 blocks that are roughly 11 1/2 by 22 inches. Back to front binding; medium cotton batting.


In the late 1800s as Westerners became better acquainted with Japanese culture, many Americans embraced styles derived from Japanese art. Crazy quilts were one pervasive expression of this widespread interest. In these quilts, makers collected small and varied scraps of fabric from various sources. Some of these pieces, such as those taken from wedding dresses or children's clothes, represented family and personal memories. But women incorporated more than just pieces of dress silks in their quilts. The maker of this quilt composed entire blocks out of the ribbons that men wore and traded at Knights Templar gatherings. This quilt features ribbons that were amassed at the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar held in New Orleans in 1874 that came from commanderies in many states. Completed several years after the 1874, it is a lasting record of one member’s participation in Knights Templar activities.



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