Verbal Description Transcript

Gypsy Baron Crazy Quilt. Made by American artist Mrs. Jones circa 1887. Silk velvet, metallic thread, jacquard woven silk, and paint. 5 feet wide by 5 feet 8 inches tall. A border of deep burgundy velvet runs along all four sides of the quilt. The patches within the border, which are made of both silk and velvet, are all cut in asymmetric shapes, with varying numbers of sides, curves, and edges. The quilt is made up of different browns, reds, and grays, with occasional pops of bright greens, blues, pinks. Long triangular patches are placed edge to edge to create outward facing fans in each of the four corners. These, along with the border, are the only sense of symmetry on the quilt. The rest of the quilt follows no existing pattern. Patches of all shapes and sizes may seem to be assembled randomly, but they are actually placed with extraordinary care. They somehow find their place within the straight lines of the border, like a pane of glass shattered and put back together. If you step back, you can see the grid-like format used to assemble the quilt, with shapes breaking into and over the lines. The shapes are connected with large, robust stitches in contrasting colors to emphasize the artist’s handiwork. The thread is thick and jumps off the otherwise flat quilt. Some patches contain an embroidered motif, mostly floral in nature, but some depict birds, children, Japanese style fans, lined patterns, and even a fish can be found swimming along the top edge. The images pull the focus from one spot to another, adding an eye-spy aspect to the jumble. Though made of knots and thread, these images provide a small insight into the meaning of the quilt, known only by the quilter herself.