Craziness Online

I've been noticing a lot of crazy quilts being offered lately over at the online thrift auction. This is probably because 1) it's summer and a lot of quilts are usually donated during warmer times of year, 2) people have no idea what vintage quilts are worth, and 3) crazy quilts cannot be laundered easily. But are they worth acquiring, even for cheap?

The high bid on this 86" X60" beauty current stands at $55.00, and I expect it will go for twice or even three times that in the end. It's hard to say from the condition in the photos if it's worth even that. Some of the patchwork is shattered, and the center motif embroidery looks incongruous with the rest of the stitching on the quilt. I'd pass.

Bidding on this velvety stunner sits at just $21.00 for the high bid currently. It's the right colors, the stitching is quite nice, and we have a patch embroidered with 1915 on it to assure us it's vintage.

Here's the thing about vintage quilts with velvet patchwork: they shed and go bald. Also, old velvet fades in color. Even if it was kept in a hope chest, this quilt looks to be in too good condition to date back 111 years. There are no fold marks, no indication of true age at all. If it's real, it probably can't be cleaned, so it's a very large odor and dirt collector. Again, I'd pass.

One last crazy quilt currently up for auction, with the high bid standing at $25.00. It looks authentic. It has nice patchwork and stitching. It could be a nice vintage quilt to add to your collection, except for two problems: the patchwork contains a lot of wool, so it would have to be dry cleaned forever, and it's been repaired with newer fabric on the backing, and not very well. That affects the value if you're a collector. I always avoid wool crazy quilts, so it wasn't for me.

Crazy quilts are becoming more rare these days as more degrade, shatter and fall apart due to age. Keep this in mind whenever you see one offered for sale, even at a thrift auction, do your homework, and invest wisely.