"Sweet Repose" Crazy Quilt
Date1896
DimensionsOverall: 162.6 x 172.8 cm
Credit LineGift of Harriet Westman, London, Ontario, 1962
Object number1962.081.004
Label TextKatie Westman used fabrics from family members’ garments to make this crazy quilt. She also included ribbons her husband, Alfred, purchased from customers in his London hardware store. Still other pieces of fabric feature the names of Westman’s nephews (Alfred and Harry) and children (Eldon, Hilda, Kate, DeWitt, Harriet, and Ida). As with other women in the 19th century, she used the quilt to commemorate important relationships. But one name is missing; William, Westman’s eldest, who drowned in the May 24, 1881, Victoria disaster.
To achieve the “crazed” effect, Westman embroidered every seam with a range of different embroidery stitches. Further embellishing this spread, as the fashionable crazy quilt required, she painted flowers, butterflies, and an anchor on it.
NameQuilt
CopyrightPhoto Credit: Alex Walker
c. 1910
c. 1898
c. 1920