Mary Ricard, a middle-class woman from the Boston area, spent 35 years making this elaborate Crazy quilt. Although she came from modest means, she used available resources (likely scraps from her millinery business) to construct this tour-de-force piece. My Crazy Dream demonstrates how an expensive-looking textile can be more an investment of time and dedication rather than money.

Title: 
My Crazy Dream, detail
Maker: 
Mary M. Hernandred Ricard
Dated
1877
1912
Made in
Boston and Haverhill
Massachusetts
United States
74
68.5
IQM, Ardis and Robert James Collection
1997.007.0541