I found this old Victorian Crazy Quilt I bought years ago in the garage. This is my research thus far.
Dated May 16, 1888
*This gorgeous example embodies the best of what emerged from this magnificent era of over-the-top quilts; dense embroidery of every imaginable size, shape and design covers the high quality and rich variety of silks and silk velvets produced in the 1880’s before the onset of large scale manufacturing of more affordable silks for the masses starting in the early 1890’s.
“The heyday of Victorian Crazy quilting was circa 1885. However, these quilts were made from 1880 until the late 1890’s. Any Crazy quilt containing a date prior to 1879, would most likely indicate a special date from the family’s history.
During the height of the Victorian era, homes could not have enough embellishment. Women wholeheartedly threw themselves into decorating every inch of the floors, walls and furniture. The culture of the times was full of symbolism, poetry and romance. Crazy quilting allowed women to display their artistic abilities in needlework, oil painting, and arrangement of embellishments. Silks, silk velvets and chenille, and threads of every hue were used to incorporate names, dates, pictures, and a wide assortment of symbols.
Antique Crazy quilts are judged by design, graphics, level of embellishment and overall condition. We have antique quilts truly astonishing in their level of needlework and graphic impact, and as always, guaranteed to be the very highest quality.”
http://www.rockymountainquilts.com/files/antique_quilts_crazy.php