Table cover, embroidered and appliqued patchwork of silk and wool, Great Britain, 1900-40.

Table cover. Unlined and unfinished patchwork of brightly coloured taffeta silks and silk satins, and plain and twill weave wools in the design now known as 'crazy' patchwork. Heavily embellished with applique and embroidery in cotton, wool and silk threads.

Given by Miss Constance Evelyn Marks-Groves

Registered File number 1994/1678.

From Linda Parry, 'Complexity and context: nineteenth-century British quilts', in Sue Prichard (ed.), Quilts 1700-2010 (London: V&A, 2010) p.81

'By the 1860s fashion journals either ignored cotton patchwork altogether or declared it unsuitable for modern homes. Instead, urban middle-class women turned to using silks and velvets for furnishings throughout the house, encouraged by a new exciting range of colours that had recently become available. Chemical aniline dyes, first discovered in 1856, proved particularly successful when used on the weighted silks 37 of the period. Britain led the field in dye technology, and brighter colours and new shades were soon developed. At first patchworks used plain silks and velvets in simple diamond and hexagon patterns, which showed the new colours to perfection, but by the late 1860s a new technique – called crazy or Japanese patchwork – took over as the most widely practised form of domestic needlework, and hundreds of examples have survived. As a technique requiring patience, yet limited sewing skills, it proved perfect for the socially active. It also provided an excuse for the most extraordinary application of objets trouvés, with the silk and velvet grounds being covered with a range of applied embroidery, buttons, bows, braids, laces and beads, to name but a few of the items used. Japanese patchwork became the perfect furnishing accessory for the cluttered Victorian home.'

'Crazy' patchwork was employed for numerous household articles, including quilts, cushions, piano covers, table covers and sofa pillows, and for small articles such as theatre and work bags.

In the 1880s ‘crazy’ patchwork became immensely fashionable. It took its name from the seemingly random placement of brightly coloured velvets, satins, twills and other fabrics used in the design. Many makers exploited the vivid and eye-catching colours that flooded the market with the introduction of chemical dyes. Crazy patchwork was employed for numerous household articles, including quilts, cushions, piano covers, table covers and sofa pillows, and for small articles such as theatre and work bags. Magazines such as Weldon’s Practical Guide to Needlework and The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine (edited by the husband of the noted cookery writer Mrs Beeton) illustrated examples of what was alternatively termed ‘Japanese’ or ‘kaleidoscope’ patchwork. Embellishment, appliqué and embroidery were all promoted as the height of taste and fashion, contributing to an opulent and luxurious interior.

T.682-1994