This exquisite pillow by French crazy-quilter Evy gives me double joy. As always, I’m captivated by the luxurious detail of seam treatments that incorporate beading and silk ribbon embroidery. What’s different about Evy’s pillow: The complex pattern of the piecing is reminiscent of iris folding in paper arts–a spiral that draws the eye around the piece. See more incredible work at Fantaisies Crazy by Evy.

Crazy quilts were popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They were made out of irregularly shaped fabric pieces that were sewn on a foundation cloth and then outlined with embroidered stitches. The most intricate crazy quilts were made of silk satins and velvets and lavishly embroidered with motifs of flowers and animals. Some crazy quilts were produced as memory quilts (to preserve a family history) utilizing strange objects such as bits of clothes.
The term “crazy” was originally used in the “Cultivator and Country Gentleman” in 1878 to describe a random, asymmetrical design in embroidery. The Japanese trend of purposefully “crazing,” or cracking, porcelain glazes was especially significant.

Looking for a supplier of Silk Ribbon? We love Etsy for finding hand-dyed ribbons as well as imported European silk Embroidery Ribbons. You can see the listings here on Etsy.  Why use silk ribbons? While you can use other kinds of ribbon, it’s best to work with silk because It’s lightweight and very fluid and can easily be manipulated into stitches.