Some time ago my friend Alex Dupre made a wonderful crazy quilt block and sent it to me as a gift. The fabrics are mainly raw silk and metallics and the piece has both our names on it. Alex was a Tennessee girl who had ended up in New York City. We met and instantly hit it off. Crazy quilts aren't usually my cup of tea but this one's a personal favorite. Alex is gone now and this little baby is a tangible reminder of a sweet and funny soul.
The wool quilt is a French piece and wonderfully over-the-top with folky embroidery. I mean, if you're gonna be crazy, why not go all the way? It tries to start out with squares in the middle but then devolves to its true crazy nutzo nature at the sides.
And then there's this quiltmaker who started crazy in the center and then seemed to have a change of heart. You can almost imagine her drawing herself up and saying, "That's enough of that!" and quickly surrounding her patched crazy block with geometric Log Cabin blocks and long strips. Finally! Got that crazy block surrounded and controlled...
