The haphazard, asymmetrical piecing of Crazy quilts is strikingly similar to the Asian design motif sometimes referred to as “cracked ice.” Usually used in Chinese and Japanese design as a fill pattern, the motif forms the background for elaborate embroidery in the American Crazy quilt. Many scholars believe that Japan’s display of decorative arts at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition was one source of inspiration for the Crazy quilt, which was at its peak of popularity in the 1880s.