We have begun our ambitious crazy quilting class with seven lovely and talented ladies. As we mentioned in a previous post, Crazy Quilting—Start to Finish, we have created a six-month crazy quilting class that teaches our students how to piece their blocks, stitch and embellish them, and finally put them together in the format of their choice. Taking photos of the class models for reference All our ladies had been eagerly awaiting this class and were ready to get started. Each student was instructed to bring at least 24 different fabrics, which could include cottons, silks, satins, or any other fabric they liked. We did have some fancy fabrics for sale to help their collection, but some of our ladies had been collecting fabrics over time, just for a future crazy quilt. A rainbow assortment of silks, satins, and velvets Many of these fabrics were sourced from thrift stores. One student's collection Each lady received four different patterns, as well as a fabric Little Red Riding Hood vintage postcard print to use as a center for one of their blocks. Most of the patterns were put together the same way, by having a center piece and then sewing each section around that center piece. We had the ladies bring in four 9" squares of flannel to be used as a base for the block, and Teri demonstrated how to construct the block with the flannel base. The flannel base provides a great support for the future block embroidery, and it also helps manage some of those slippery fabrics. The first piece is centered on the base. The second piece attached. As each piece is added, the excess underneath is trimmed away. Ready for embroidery After the demonstration, the ladies got to it and began constructing their blocks. Getting ready to choose fabrics Going around the center block with the next piece Checking if this fabric is a good fit This block is ready to be trimmed to its finished size. Such beautiful, bright colors We designed the patterns to be 8.5" finished, so having 9" base allowed for a little wiggle room as we pieced. An 8.5" square ruler was used to bring the pieced blocks down to their finished size. Trimmed and ready to go After the block was finished, the ladies basted around all four sides, and their blocks are ready for next month's embroidery session. Some of our students' finished blocks: The silver fabric in this block is a lacy overlay. Most of these fabrics were found at local thrift stores. As an unexpected treat, one of our students brought in some antique crazy quilt blocks that she had purchased. The blocks were in various stages of completion, absolutely beautiful, and she has more of them to bring to the next session. We can't wait to see them, and we will be sure to share them with you as well. Such lovely embroidery This unfinished, basted block is mostly made of silk. Another block a little further along in regard to the stitching Everyone was able to complete one block and will have the other three ready for our February meeting, where we will be focusing on motif selection, transferring design, and stitching the motifs. Thank you for joining us as we build these crazy quilts, and please come back to see the outcome of our next session.

I've taken a lot of pictures of vintage Crazy Quilts, but not very many modern day interpretations. I was especially happy to see 2 contemporary CQ versions at the Arizona Quilters Guild show. All Creatures Large and Small by Gerlinde Hruzek won First Place in the "Other" category. This artist used so many mediums in the making of her quilt: Needlepoint, embroidery, applique, crochet and ribbon work to name a few. The far away picture just does not give justice to how wonderful this quilt really is. The close up shots give a much better visual. Look at the imagination and variety! Someday I would really like to make a Crazy Quilt. (Maybe it's because I'm a little crazy?) These pictures bring wonderful inspiration. I could have stared for hours to visually absorb all there was to see. It almost felt a little bit like an I-Spy quilt. Do you spy 3 cats? Or a fish? Imagination made and quilted by Sheila Groman Sheila wrote "Imagination is a fanciful Crazy Quilt created with applique, standard and silk embroidery, ribbon, lace, heirloom gloves, needlepoint, crewel, beads, cross-stitch, and tatting." Whew! Yes, I'd say Imagination is a perfect title.

Quilting inspiration and tutorials; dimensional wool and cotton applique; stories of quilts; applique patterns

The description card reads, "Crazy Quilt 1883-1893 Silk, cotton, wool, and linen, pieced and embroidered with silk and cotton threads Crazy quilts, which emerged after 1850, were usually composed of small, irregular-shaped fragments of silk, wool, and other fragments pieced together. The seams were then embroidered using a variety of stitches. They acquired the name “crazy quilts” because of the strong colors and busy, confusing nature of their designs, typical of Victorian taste."

There are so many things about CQ that I love - but one of the aspects I get the most pleasure from is teaching. I teach approximately 45 st...

These simple words speak tons. A touch... a life... a change... a difference. You make a difference. You touch lives.

Go crazy with these free crazy quilt and crazy patchwork quilt patterns and projects!

knick knacks & ric rac » Blog Archive » crazy quilt stitches

If you are one of those people that creates things with your hands, you really are very lucky. Apart from the calming effect that handwork has, using your hands to do meaningful tasks benefits both your physical and mental health. I know that it benefits me, curbs depression and boredom, gives me purpose. It definitely calms me and as I mellow with age it tends to make me so laid back that I am almost horizontal. Nothing wrong with that and I feel real sympathy for those that have not discovered the joy of handwork. We all know them – those that say that life is boring (how can you ever be bored I ask, with tears in my eyes), those that look for their kicks at the bottom of a bottle or those that spend their time mall-cruising munching on medication. Sad, really. For those of us that have discovered handwork and, in particular, those of us that discovered it early in life, the chances are we’ve tried the lot. I have. From watercolours to miniatures, dressmaking to felting. And everything in between. The only thing I have never tried is pottery. The idea didn’t grab me, bit messy. But needlework, done with my hands, no machine involved? What can I say? In reality, I have devoted all of my spare time and much of my life to it. I think it would not be unfair to say that most hand-stitchers have tried all of the different arts associated with their passion. Quilting, beadwork, lace making, embroidery, patchwork. They’ve probably also enjoyed crochet, knitting and tatting. But seldom do they combine these different arts. Some years ago I started building a doll’s house. One twelfth scale, everything made with my own hands and a few simple tools. It gave me the opportunity to use every craft that I had ever learnt. From wood carving to gilding, stitching to moulding with polymer clay. I was in my element and, particularly because I was forced to be innovative. I was so pleased with myself when I worked out how to make a wooden floor that looked like the real thing, using a roll of oak strip that kitchen-builders use down the sides of cupboard doors and a carton of wood filler. In my mind, crazy patchwork is the needlework equivalent of that doll’s house. It is an opportunity to use every kind of needle art that you have ever learnt. When I stitch, I spend some of the time thinking up what I am going to do in the future. A few years ago I had this thought that I would like to embellish crazy patch in such a way that not one thing is bought and stitched on, nothing should come out of a stash and, definitely, nothing that decorates it should be a machine-made applique or strip of lace. Everything that forms the embellishment should be made with nothing more than a needle, a thread, some beads and my own imagination. I tucked the idea behind one of my ears for future consideration. It was still sitting neatly behind my left ear when my fabulous publisher and I were sharing far too much French Red in Paris a few years ago. She asked me if I could write a book for quilters. I said no, I’m not an expert on quilting. Then suddenly, fuelled by Bordeaux and Beaujolais, this crazy patch thing came screaming out from behind said ear. And that was it. Or rather, this is it. Two of the projects in the book include crazy patchwork panels that have been put together with a sewing machine but, other than that, everything has been made by hand with a needle. What you might call ‘crazy patch from scratch’. That necessarily means that there are a lot of techniques’ galleries in the first half of the book. These include embroidery, bead embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beadwork, tatting, needle weaving and needle lace techniques’ galleries. That’s for the embellishment. There is a techniques’ gallery for crazy patching and also simple quilting techniques for finishing off. We decided to count the number of techniques the other day and it came to something in the region of 160, depending on how you count it. For that reason alone, we are hoping that the book will be of interest to all sorts of needle artists from quilters to embroiderers. Even if the actual projects are not necessarily something they would want to do. However. I had such fun working up the projects. I was barely restricted by lines, I could use every technique that I had ever played with and I could invent different ways to use them. Gussy Up This is the first project in the book and is truly ‘crazy patch from scratch’. I drew a circle with a large soup plate, ruled some lines to resemble crazy patchwork and then had fun. I filled the blocks with either needle weaving or otherwise, crewel embroidery stitches that created a background that loosely resembled fabric. And then I embellished. No applique, but daisies embroidered with thread. No buttons, but three-dimensional flowers made one bead at a time with beautiful Miyuki beads and beading thread. No machine made lace, but needle lace techniques stitched through the fabric to resemble insertion lace, then threaded with Di van Niekerk’s hand painted silk ribbon. Silk ribbon roses, bead embroidery, tatting and even some simple beading techniques that are generally used to make necklaces or bracelets, rethought to resemble braid. Of all the designs in the book, I had the most fun with this one. Nightshade The embroidery in the middle, although resembling crewel work is largely done with needle weaving, needle lace and bead embroidery, with a few crewel stitches pulling the whole thing together. The outside border is, as with the previous project, crazy patch from scratch. Every block is a needle weaving technique and where the two parts of the design meet, the intersection is worked with a beadwork jewellery technique. My friend Pat van Wyk took my line drawing, enlarged it and (being a hand quilter at heart) recreated it with applique and traditional crazy patch techniques. A photograph of the exquisite cushion that she made it into appears in the book. Waiting For Santa The cuff of this Christmas stocking is, like the previous two projects, worked from scratch. Just lines on the fabric to resemble crazy patch, then lots of fun filling in with once again, a selection of all of the techniques – embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beadwork, needle lace, needle weaving, tatting…….and the pattern to make up the stocking is in the book. Rambling Vine If you thought that I might have forgotten my readers who are embroiderers pure and simple, then the Rambling Vine design would put your mind at rest. It is a wall hanging (or whatever you would like to make it) that comprises an ornate Jacobean-style embroidered branch lying adjacent to a panel of traditionally-worked crazy patch, machine stitched with 15 different fabrics onto a natural-coloured linen/cotton blend base. And madly embellished, in line with the general style of this book. There are of course, needle artists out there who don’t want to embroider and to show them that they don’t have to, my friend Margie Breetzke has worked the Jacobean panel using a combination of applique techniques, bead embroidery and simple embroidery stitches. A photograph of the stunning result is in the book. Savannah Winter The day before I started this project, I had driven back from Johannesburg through the dry Highveld, as we call it in South Africa. A long, straight, flat, rather boring drive, it was mid-winter and everything at first glance appeared to be dead, dry and frigid with frost. I was, however, in the right frame of mind, not ever having really noticed how splendid the colours were on previous drives at the same time of year. For the better part of six hours I watched the road through my windscreen, all the time marvelling at the colours that were there. The gold and khaki of the dry grass, the grey-blue of the winter sky, the purple of the mountains in the distance, the green of the few evergreen trees, the crystal of the frost on the ground and some pink. When I got to Harrismith, decided it was time for a break and took off my sunglasses, I realised there was no pink in the landscape. It was my rose-tinted spectacles. But, what the heck, it’s a nice addition to the palette and so it was included. This project is machine-pieced crazy patchwork, the embellishment is of course, all hand worked using the same variety of techniques and I have made it into a lid for a covered basket. So…. Once again, Liezl Maree, Metz Press’s amazing book designer has taken my ramblings and turned them into a masterpiece. Between us all we think that we’ve caught all the errors and typos in the interminable proof reading process (if we haven't, please forgive us - with the best will in the world, it's an impossible task) and it goes off to print this week. The publishers, the printers, the ship that brings it to us from Malaysia, the warehouses, the distributors and any other players that I may not have mentioned, are working to a schedule that will mean that it is available from the 15th of March 2016. And where to get it? If you want to pre-order you can do so at: Amazon; The Book Depository; or Search Press. If you’re in South Africa, or indeed anywhere on the African continent, it’s not up there yet but you will be able to get if from: this website; or Takealot, who have taken over Kalahari.net and really do deliver. I know. I order from them all the time. With this book I set out to show readers and needle artists that they can combine the needle arts. All it takes is imagination and many enjoyable, calming hours. I hope that my intention will be achieved.

Learn the creative art of crazy quilting, also known as crazy patchwork. This page tells all about how to make a crazy quilt, including supplies and embroidery

I'd hoped to finish two PIGS (Projects in Grocery Sacks) in May but it didn't happen. I had a project for Creative Machine Embroidery to make. See my blog here to see that pretty quilt.

Pat Winter of Gatherings shares images of some of the many crazy-quilt projects she has completed over the years. And she encourages us to participate in Crazy Quilts Are Quilts, Too! sponsored by …

Explore marcie carr's 223 photos on Flickr!

Antique Victorian CRAZY QUILT Silk Satin Velvet Embroidery 61 x 53” circa 1880s | eBay

I've taken a lot of pictures of vintage Crazy Quilts, but not very many modern day interpretations. I was especially happy to see 2 contemporary CQ versions at the Arizona Quilters Guild show. All Creatures Large and Small by Gerlinde Hruzek won First Place in the "Other" category. This artist used so many mediums in the making of her quilt: Needlepoint, embroidery, applique, crochet and ribbon work to name a few. The far away picture just does not give justice to how wonderful this quilt really is. The close up shots give a much better visual. Look at the imagination and variety! Someday I would really like to make a Crazy Quilt. (Maybe it's because I'm a little crazy?) These pictures bring wonderful inspiration. I could have stared for hours to visually absorb all there was to see. It almost felt a little bit like an I-Spy quilt. Do you spy 3 cats? Or a fish? Imagination made and quilted by Sheila Groman Sheila wrote "Imagination is a fanciful Crazy Quilt created with applique, standard and silk embroidery, ribbon, lace, heirloom gloves, needlepoint, crewel, beads, cross-stitch, and tatting." Whew! Yes, I'd say Imagination is a perfect title.

What a whirlwind two weeks it has been for Teri and me! We hit the ground running at the Birmingham Festival of Quilts and didn't stop until Teri hopped on a plane to return home. With all that activity behind us—trips to France, castles, and cathedrals—posting about the amazing quilts we saw at the quilt show is now possible. There were so many wonderful quilts, that it would be challenging to show them all in one post. Today's quilts are from the exhibit hosted by the British Quilt Study Group (BQSG), while some of the other quilts from the festival will have to wait for another time. The BQSG began in 1998, and you can read more about their aim and purpose here. Of course, any time there is an exhibit of antique quilts, Teri and I make a beeline for it, and this one did not disappoint! Here is a gallery of just some of the splendid quilts from the past and a little information from the display about them. Whole Cloth Quilts Red wholecloth quilt, circa 1900. Detail: red wholecloth quilt. White wholecloth quilt, circa 1920-30. Detail: white wholecloth quilt. Blue wholecloth quilt, circa 1920-30 This quilt was quilted in the "Hawick Style," which included motifs such as thistle, hearts with spiky-leafed centers, and daisies, The thistle motif. Crazy Quilts The level of detail in this crazy quilt is fantastic! The Seward Wall Hanging, circa 1889 This quilt was made by an invalid, Emily Seward, who passed away at the age of 29. Center with signature of maker. Very detailed dancers. The shading on the lions mane is perfect! This quilt was a history lesson in and of itself! Crazy quilt, circa 1900 Made by Mrs. R. Ruttle What a clever way to make this posy. We can't wait to try these flowers! Another spectacularly embroidered crazy quilt! The maker of this quilt used the smallest scraps to create this masterpiece. What a creative way to use a Log Cabin square. Center medallion Signature Quilt Bratton Baptist Church Bazaar Coverlet, circa 1913 Made by the members of the church to raise funds. Detail of a few of the 270 squares. Patchwork Quilt This patchwork quilt, circa 1800-20, is pieced with four different sizes of half-square triangles. Some of the scraps in the center are from the late 18th century! Finding out how to become a member We had such a wonderful time examining these beautiful examples of Britain's quilt history. The members supporting the exhibit were so helpful and willing to share their knowledge and passion. Who made the quilt? What was going on in society at the time the quilt was made? How old is the quilt? Why were those fabrics used? These are just some of the questions asked by those whose research and dedication allows the stories of these quilts and others to be brought to light and shared with the world. Do you have a passion for old quilts and their stories? No matter which side of the pond you live, there is a quilt study group for you. To join the British Quilt Study Group click here and to join the American Quilt Study Group click here.

Here are some more photos of Gwen's intricate work. Enjoy! XXXX jenny

I can finally show you my completed crazy quilt block made for our 2008-2009 guild president. She received her quilt last night. I was so pleased she chose this theme for her quilt. I really enjoy hand embroidery. It was so much fun to see all of our unique styles blended together in a quilt. This quilt is such a treasure!! Guess What? Can You Tell I'm Excited?? Yesterday I woke up to the news that I had won such a beautiful gift from Embellisher at Million Little Stitches. For her 125th post she gave away this amazing heart sampler. I have been following her blog for a long time and always enjoy seeing her creative ideas and little pieces of her life far across the oceans. Thank you so much! I will cherish your gift. My new bolts of fabrics have arrived and are ready to be dyed. Keep an eye on my blog. I plan to pass my good fortune on with a Dye Candy Fabric giveaway in a week or two (once my dye lots are finished and photographed). Have a wonderful rest of your week! Chris

The theme of Bees, Butterflies and Beetles was so popular, that a second group of stitchers formed another round robin so they could play, too! In BBBII, the talented stitchers were Margreet, Darlene, Cathy L, Ritva and Beryl - representing countries from all over the world! BERYL’S BLOCK Beryl’s Naked Block Cathy L’s work on Beryl’s block Darlene added the beetles and the Beatles! Margreet’s work for Beryl This gorgeous butterfly was stitched by Ritva More of Ritva’s work Beryl’s completed block CATHY L’S BLOCK Cathy’s Naked Block Darlene’s work for Cathy Margreet’s work Detail of Margreet’s work Ritva’s work Beryl’s work Cathy L’s completed block DARLENE’S BLOCK Darlene’s Naked Block Margreet’s lovely work Darlene was next to stitch on Ritva’s block Beryl;s work Cathy L’s work Darlene’s Completed Block MARGREET’S BLOCK Margreet’s Naked Block Ritva’s work Beryl’s work Cathy L’s work Margreet’s block after Ritva, Beryl and Cathy Darlene’s work Completed Block after Margreet finished and framed it. RITVA’S BLOCK Ritva’s Naked Block Beryl started off on Ritva’s block Cathy L added these critters More of Cathy’s work Ritva’s block after Beryl and Cathy Ritva’s block after Darlene added her stitching Finished block after Margreet’s work Ritva’s lovely block after she framed it.

Mostly about needlework: quilting, crazy quilting, embroidery, designing, silk ribbon embroidery, beading, w/ free tutorials & embroidery charts.

Here is another fun craft to try :) Choose complimentary fabrics Cut a square the size you want of a base fabric ( it does not matter what you use as long as it doesn’t stretch as you will no…

We are onto our last block. Apologies for the slow down in the posts - but with the Covid restrictions being lifted here in Queensland, my...

Explore Pussman & co's 6676 photos on Flickr!

Hello and thank you for visiting me! Today I would like to share with you the progress I have made learning how to construct a crazy quilt block. I am following the Basic Crazy Quilt Course which is organised and run by Kathy Shaw. Last time, I had learned how to choose a balanced combination of fabrics, how to piece a basic crazy quilt block and then how to hoop it up correctly following Kathy's brilliant instructions. Since then, I have learned all about various beads, charms and trims. It is incredible the number of different types available and their uses for embellishing crazy quilts. It has been extremely interesting and I am really enjoying extending my knowledge. In the last couple of days I have learned how to plan the embellishment of my block and, how to use a template to mark the seams ready to embroider. I had never really thought about doing this before but, I can now see how important it is to plan your crazy quilt block embellishments in advance. It enables you to make sure the block is balanced and, avoids any clashes of embellishment on the seams. This is going to help me tremendously when I start embellishing my February CQJP Challenge block. I have now completed the first stage of the embroidery on the seams and I am very pleased with how the block is looking. I can't wait to move on to the next stage!

Crazy quilts, which had their heyday in the late 1800s, celebrated an age of progress. Today, thanks to a focus on personalization and embellishments, crazy quilting is surging in popularity.

Well, maybe we aren't CRAZY, but we do have a slight obsession with crazy quilts. Both Teri and I (Kara) are fascinated with crazy quilts of all kinds, and we have our good friend and author Janice Vaine to thank for it. At the end of the 2013 Elly Sienkiewicz Appliqué Academy, Jan showed us her latest quilt purchase and her thoughts and ideas for it to be the subject of her next book. When we saw this quilt, it was love at first sight. Embroidery and Patchwork Revisited, by Janice Vaine. See grahamcrackercollection.com for more about Jan. We immediately volunteered to help Jan stitch some samples, and much to our joy (and trepidation) she took us up on our offer. Thus, our fascination with crazy quilting began. Oh, the threads, the stitches, the combinations, the colors! So many options were there for our choosing that sometimes we just had to put it down and walk away. At the next Appliqué Academy, Jan unveiled her beautiful book Patchwork and Embroidery Revisited, and we were able to see the fruits of our labors put into a splendid quilt. Last spring our local quilt shop mentioned that they had some customers who were looking for a crazy quilt class and asked if we would be able to put something together. We of course said yes and put together a couple of samples for the new class that would take place in the fall. Kara's crazy quilt sampler Teri's crazy quilt sampler In both samplers, we used a few motifs from Jan's book, and found inspiration for others from pictures or in our gardens. During that summer, we were at Quilt Odyssey in Hershey, Pennsylvania, perusing the vendors when we came across a booth selling vintage items. Our eyes were immediately drawn to an all velvet crazy quilt hanging on the wall. The velvets were all in the most gorgeous jewel tones, yet the embroidery was simple, which only enhanced the velvets. As we were drooling gazing upon this beauty, the vendor approached us and asked if we needed help (most certainly we did). We asked where she had found the quilt and if there was any information as to its provenance. All she knew was that it came from a small town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and probably was old. That was it; no more details about such an amazing quilt. Teri asked the price and seriously contemplated purchasing it but wanted to think about it first. After all, we were teaching a crazy quilt class soon, and what a great teaching tool it could be! We walked away from the booth and I tried to play the devil's advocate (her husband doesn't believe that part), but we didn't even get two booths away before the decision was made. We walked back to booth and the quilt was gone! Fortunately, the vendor had set it aside with thoughts of keeping it for herself, but relinquished it into Teri's loving hands. All velvet crazy quilt, approximately 72-inches square, dated around 1930. Detail: each block is about 18" square. Note the tree embroidered in the center, found in the center of each block, always placed on a red patch. Since there was very little information about the quilt we began to get creative, wondering how someone could acquire all those different velvets. Did they work in a violin case factory, or better yet, did they work in a place that lined caskets? Those were just a couple of the crazy ideas that we suggested, (because it seems that if one doesn't know the story of a quilt, making up its history is the logical result.) Upon further research, we found out that packs of velvets were able to be ordered, and we also discovered that the pattern for the tree design embroidered in each block was published by Singer around 1930. Those questions were answered, but many more still remained. Who made this quilt that had such thoughtfully placed embroidery and colors? Was it made for anyone in particular? Did the maker nearly lose her mind while piecing all that velvet? We will probably never know. Our crazy quilting class was such a success and the demand so high that we ended up teaching two classes this past fall and have another one scheduled this month. We were both surprised at the response to our class, but shouldn't have been surprised that many others shared our love for this particular quilt genre. What is it about these quilts that catches our attention, and how did this style begin? Piecing small pieces of worn out garments into blankets had been a practice since the Colonial times, but it didn't become an art form until the Victorian era. Some crazy quilts were made with nostalgia in mind and might have scraps of garments that brought thoughts of special people or special days. Other crazy quilts were made by wealthy ladies as a way to showcase there needlework talents. Japanese art greatly influenced the motifs and settings in these Victorian-era quilts. When I was in Maine this past fall, I was fortunate to see an amazing crazy quilt. The stunning quilt was a fine example of a Victorian-era quilt. The embroidery was mostly done in vibrant shades of silk perle, and the motifs and edge stitches were clever and creative. That quilt was a splendid example of why I think crazy quilts are so intriguing—that you almost always see something different every time you look at them. Carla's quilt, detail Yesterday, Teri and I stopped into Patches, our local quilt shop, and saw this gorgeous quilt hanging. It was made by Carla Fultz, who works there and took our class last fall. We were stunned by the beauty of her quilt and loved her color selections. Carla's creative motif choices add quite a spark of interest to her quilt. We were honored that she allowed us to share it with you. Carla's crazy quilt Given our penchant for stories, we found this adorable reprint of a Victorian postcard that depicted Little Red Riding Hood at Grandma's house and have pieced this block using more embellishment. At some point in the future, this will be another class and will allow our students to broaden their repertoire of skills that can be used on their crazy quilts. Little Red Riding Hood, as stitched by Kara The sky is the limit nowadays as to what a crazy quilt can look like and what fabrics, fibers and details can be used. Some are simple with just embroidery, and some have fantastic embellishments throughout. A crazy quilt can be themed with a story, or with color elements, or even using one type of fabric such as silk or velvets. Every crazy quilt is unique to its maker and his or her tastes, and not necessarily a reflection of the maker's mental state . . . well, okay, we may be a LITTLE crazy!

Crazy Quilting International 2016 Spring Challenge Best Extended Seam For fun, our group has offered quarterly challenges. This year, several of our members donated items to be given away as prizes. The challenge is only for Crazy Quilting International members, but any crazy quilters may join. We meet on Facebook. And on Yahoo we meet within these 5 groups: the main CQI group, gallery one, gallery two, gallery three and our swaps & activities group. If you are wondering what an extended seam is, Wilma shared a great post on her blog, Wilma Goes Crazy. Here are the rules the members have for this challenge: Rules: 1) Create an extended seam. This is a combination of stitches used to build a seam on a current crazy quilt block of your choice. 2) Entry Deadline: March 31, 2016. 3) Submit the photo for the challenge. Directions are found in the Facebook CQI Files and in the Yahoo! CQI Swaps & Activities Group Files. 4) You will receive a confirmation when your photo entry is received. 5) Administrators will create albums on Facebook and Yahoo with entry photos. Names will NOT be included. We would like to keep the entries anonymous until the winners are selected. 6) Limit of 1 entry per member. 7) Winners to be announced April 7th: 1st Place: Crazy Quilt Template Set 2 donated by Sharon Boggon of Pintangle.com. 2nd Place: $20 Gift Certificate to Raviolee Dreams on Etsy for laces hand dyed by Barbara Nicki Lee Seavey (Certificate may be used toward purchase of lace. Excludes shipping expenses.) 3rd Place: an Antique Dutch Cigarette Silk Fruit Basket from A Crazy Quilt Journey on Etsy, donated by Wilma van Wagensveld. 8) We are thrilled to announce Jo Newsham and Kathy Shaw have agreed to judge the entries for this challenge. Future 2016 Challenges with details coming soon: Summer Challenge: Crazy Quilted Heart Fall Challenge: New CQI Logo Winter Challenge: Crazy Quilted Purse Our generous prize donations for this year’s challenges are from: · Barbara Nicki Lee Seavey – Raviolee Dreams on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/RavioleeDreams · Elizabeth Rudder – CQI Moderator · Janet Stauffacher – VintageVogue.com https://www.vintagevogue.com · Kathy Shaw – Shawkl Designs http://www.shawkl.com/ · Marcy Wyatt – Crazy Quilt and Other Crafts and Handmade Needle Arts Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/suppliesforcrazyquiltsandothercrafts/ · Sharon Boggon – Pintangle.com http://pintangle.com/cq-stencils/ · Thearica Burroughs – crazyquiltingsupplies.com http://www.crazyquiltingsupplies.com/ · Wilma van Wagensveld – A Crazy Quilt Journey on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/shop/aCrazyQuiltJourney And here are the entries we have received as of March 30, 2016 listed in the order they were submitted. * PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THESE PHOTOS ON PINTEREST, AS THE ARTIST WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT FOR THEIR WORK. * IF YOU RECOGNIZE THE ARTWORK AND KNOW THE ARTIST, PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THAT INFORMATION. ENTRIES SHOULD REMAIN ANONYMOUS. THANK YOU! Entry 1 - by Marilyn Entry 2 - by Janet Entry 3 - by Kathy Entry 4 - by Heather Entry 5 - by Patricia Entry 6 - Lower seam with green ribbon between blue and cream fabric - by Kathleen Entry 7 - by Carol Entry 8 - by Nina Entry 9 - by Margaret Entry 10 - by Katie Entry 11 - by Casey Entry 12 - by Terry Entry 13 - by Joy Entry 14 - by Ritva Entry 15 - by Diana Entry 16 - by Cindi Entry 17 - by Sandra Entry 18 - by Pamela Entry 19 - by Margreet Entry 20 - by Donna Please note: This page has been created for all Facebook and Yahoo CQI members to view the challenge entries. After the challenge a new post will be added to the main blog page and this page (and its comments) will be deleted.

Get 480 ideas for crazy-quilt seams. Achieve uniform spacing with five pages of full-size stitch templates and dozens of step-by-step illustrations.

We are sew excited to share our ultimate guide on how to make a crazy quilt! From planning to stitch type, we've got everything you'll need!

The TAST FAQ explains what TAST (Take a stitch Tuesday) is, how to join, what materials and equipment you need join TAST the list of TAST stitches

How to Sew an Easy Crazy Quilt Block: It is ungodly hot outside, so it seemed like a pretty good day to sit in the basement and play with my sewing machine... and on days like this I tend to go for Crazy Quilt blocks, which look awesome, are super easy, and require very little actual m…

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Join me, as I make a crazy quilt block - step by step photos showing how to foundation piece your crazy quilt with flip and stitch

The Magic of Crazy Quilting

While shopping at the antique mall, one of the things I’ve been noticing re-surge more and more are Victorian Crazy Quilts and all of their lovely styles and forms. Since I cannot begin to to…

It is still so hot but it is already September, only four months for the New Year! Pamela Kellogg's 2016 Calendar just released, I'm looking forward to get my own copy to review it. By the way, I'm so excited for being "May page" of that lovely project. I did a special block according to project format. My friends, followers know it well that I keep some items for the special projects, I used lots of them to create my "May block".Pam sent me a lovely blue bird photo, I printed and decided to create a block mostly with blue+pink colors. I just used a dark blue color lace trim and golden color ric-rac and a beaded lace, I did all other seam treatments myself. There were some dark blue+blue+white combo little oya flowers, I put them on to pink patch, my little bird now looking them:)) The fabric of that mentioned patch specially hand dyed from our southern part. I love to use those fabrics for the quilts that I make according to paper piecing method, their performance is great, no comparison with the standard cotton fabrics. As I mostly do, I used a Chevron stitch as a base, kept stitching, added lots of beads, with some contrast colors. I especially made some long patches to create long seam treatments. I added some other stiff type oya flowers on the dark blue patch, they really popped up. I did spider rose flowers with variegated silk ribbon. It is our locally produced silk ribbon. I really like their natural color scheme. I also used same type of ribbons to create leaves and other SRE works, as well. As I told before, I used many special items. My vintage Czech buttons the most important ones. Their story is interesting for me. I was going to Ankara frequently during my daughter's college years. One day, I went to an old store that was selling elegant accessories in my youth, as being a naval family, we located in different places, one of them was Ankara, our capitol city. My mother's choice was always haute couture and she was getting real special things from that shop for her tailor made dresses. After all those years that little shop's goodies were still so exclusive. I selected lovely trims and I noticed a small button but it was on their little showcase. He told me if I've interested in with buttons he could bring me some boxes from storage. I waited a few minutes, he came back with two boxes which were full of Czech buttons. He said, these are only samples, most of them discontinued products, I bought them long time ago, nobody interested in with them, just select as you wish just pay a symbolic money. You can imagine what I felt that moment, I bought lots of wonderful buttons. But, I still blame myself, why I didn't buy those two boxes with all those buttons!!! In those days I was a Newbie, I didn't know the value of them. I tried to catch color harmony as much as I can, colors of my block are so soft, I tried to take photos in day light however, I believe that they don't justice real colors but I'm happy with outcome, I really enjoyed so much to create something for the coming year. It is a great honor to take part in that project among all those well talented&experienced Ladies:)) So, I tried my best to create a special block using special items from my stash. I hope you like my "May page" and entire calendar. Wishing you all the best....

"If your pieces are of good size, and all fresh and handsome, one way is to cut out blocks of cotton cloth, either square or diamond-shape...

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If you are one of those people that creates things with your hands, you really are very lucky. Apart from the calming effect that handwork has, using your hands to do meaningful tasks benefits both your physical and mental health. I know that it benefits me, curbs depression and boredom, gives me purpose. It definitely calms me and as I mellow with age it tends to make me so laid back that I am almost horizontal. Nothing wrong with that and I feel real sympathy for those that have not discovered the joy of handwork. We all know them – those that say that life is boring (how can you ever be bored I ask, with tears in my eyes), those that look for their kicks at the bottom of a bottle or those that spend their time mall-cruising munching on medication. Sad, really. For those of us that have discovered handwork and, in particular, those of us that discovered it early in life, the chances are we’ve tried the lot. I have. From watercolours to miniatures, dressmaking to felting. And everything in between. The only thing I have never tried is pottery. The idea didn’t grab me, bit messy. But needlework, done with my hands, no machine involved? What can I say? In reality, I have devoted all of my spare time and much of my life to it. I think it would not be unfair to say that most hand-stitchers have tried all of the different arts associated with their passion. Quilting, beadwork, lace making, embroidery, patchwork. They’ve probably also enjoyed crochet, knitting and tatting. But seldom do they combine these different arts. Some years ago I started building a doll’s house. One twelfth scale, everything made with my own hands and a few simple tools. It gave me the opportunity to use every craft that I had ever learnt. From wood carving to gilding, stitching to moulding with polymer clay. I was in my element and, particularly because I was forced to be innovative. I was so pleased with myself when I worked out how to make a wooden floor that looked like the real thing, using a roll of oak strip that kitchen-builders use down the sides of cupboard doors and a carton of wood filler. In my mind, crazy patchwork is the needlework equivalent of that doll’s house. It is an opportunity to use every kind of needle art that you have ever learnt. When I stitch, I spend some of the time thinking up what I am going to do in the future. A few years ago I had this thought that I would like to embellish crazy patch in such a way that not one thing is bought and stitched on, nothing should come out of a stash and, definitely, nothing that decorates it should be a machine-made applique or strip of lace. Everything that forms the embellishment should be made with nothing more than a needle, a thread, some beads and my own imagination. I tucked the idea behind one of my ears for future consideration. It was still sitting neatly behind my left ear when my fabulous publisher and I were sharing far too much French Red in Paris a few years ago. She asked me if I could write a book for quilters. I said no, I’m not an expert on quilting. Then suddenly, fuelled by Bordeaux and Beaujolais, this crazy patch thing came screaming out from behind said ear. And that was it. Or rather, this is it. Two of the projects in the book include crazy patchwork panels that have been put together with a sewing machine but, other than that, everything has been made by hand with a needle. What you might call ‘crazy patch from scratch’. That necessarily means that there are a lot of techniques’ galleries in the first half of the book. These include embroidery, bead embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beadwork, tatting, needle weaving and needle lace techniques’ galleries. That’s for the embellishment. There is a techniques’ gallery for crazy patching and also simple quilting techniques for finishing off. We decided to count the number of techniques the other day and it came to something in the region of 160, depending on how you count it. For that reason alone, we are hoping that the book will be of interest to all sorts of needle artists from quilters to embroiderers. Even if the actual projects are not necessarily something they would want to do. However. I had such fun working up the projects. I was barely restricted by lines, I could use every technique that I had ever played with and I could invent different ways to use them. Gussy Up This is the first project in the book and is truly ‘crazy patch from scratch’. I drew a circle with a large soup plate, ruled some lines to resemble crazy patchwork and then had fun. I filled the blocks with either needle weaving or otherwise, crewel embroidery stitches that created a background that loosely resembled fabric. And then I embellished. No applique, but daisies embroidered with thread. No buttons, but three-dimensional flowers made one bead at a time with beautiful Miyuki beads and beading thread. No machine made lace, but needle lace techniques stitched through the fabric to resemble insertion lace, then threaded with Di van Niekerk’s hand painted silk ribbon. Silk ribbon roses, bead embroidery, tatting and even some simple beading techniques that are generally used to make necklaces or bracelets, rethought to resemble braid. Of all the designs in the book, I had the most fun with this one. Nightshade The embroidery in the middle, although resembling crewel work is largely done with needle weaving, needle lace and bead embroidery, with a few crewel stitches pulling the whole thing together. The outside border is, as with the previous project, crazy patch from scratch. Every block is a needle weaving technique and where the two parts of the design meet, the intersection is worked with a beadwork jewellery technique. My friend Pat van Wyk took my line drawing, enlarged it and (being a hand quilter at heart) recreated it with applique and traditional crazy patch techniques. A photograph of the exquisite cushion that she made it into appears in the book. Waiting For Santa The cuff of this Christmas stocking is, like the previous two projects, worked from scratch. Just lines on the fabric to resemble crazy patch, then lots of fun filling in with once again, a selection of all of the techniques – embroidery, silk ribbon embroidery, beadwork, needle lace, needle weaving, tatting…….and the pattern to make up the stocking is in the book. Rambling Vine If you thought that I might have forgotten my readers who are embroiderers pure and simple, then the Rambling Vine design would put your mind at rest. It is a wall hanging (or whatever you would like to make it) that comprises an ornate Jacobean-style embroidered branch lying adjacent to a panel of traditionally-worked crazy patch, machine stitched with 15 different fabrics onto a natural-coloured linen/cotton blend base. And madly embellished, in line with the general style of this book. There are of course, needle artists out there who don’t want to embroider and to show them that they don’t have to, my friend Margie Breetzke has worked the Jacobean panel using a combination of applique techniques, bead embroidery and simple embroidery stitches. A photograph of the stunning result is in the book. Savannah Winter The day before I started this project, I had driven back from Johannesburg through the dry Highveld, as we call it in South Africa. A long, straight, flat, rather boring drive, it was mid-winter and everything at first glance appeared to be dead, dry and frigid with frost. I was, however, in the right frame of mind, not ever having really noticed how splendid the colours were on previous drives at the same time of year. For the better part of six hours I watched the road through my windscreen, all the time marvelling at the colours that were there. The gold and khaki of the dry grass, the grey-blue of the winter sky, the purple of the mountains in the distance, the green of the few evergreen trees, the crystal of the frost on the ground and some pink. When I got to Harrismith, decided it was time for a break and took off my sunglasses, I realised there was no pink in the landscape. It was my rose-tinted spectacles. But, what the heck, it’s a nice addition to the palette and so it was included. This project is machine-pieced crazy patchwork, the embellishment is of course, all hand worked using the same variety of techniques and I have made it into a lid for a covered basket. So…. Once again, Liezl Maree, Metz Press’s amazing book designer has taken my ramblings and turned them into a masterpiece. Between us all we think that we’ve caught all the errors and typos in the interminable proof reading process (if we haven't, please forgive us - with the best will in the world, it's an impossible task) and it goes off to print this week. The publishers, the printers, the ship that brings it to us from Malaysia, the warehouses, the distributors and any other players that I may not have mentioned, are working to a schedule that will mean that it is available from the 15th of March 2016. And where to get it? If you want to pre-order you can do so at: Amazon; The Book Depository; or Search Press. If you’re in South Africa, or indeed anywhere on the African continent, it’s not up there yet but you will be able to get if from: this website; or Takealot, who have taken over Kalahari.net and really do deliver. I know. I order from them all the time. With this book I set out to show readers and needle artists that they can combine the needle arts. All it takes is imagination and many enjoyable, calming hours. I hope that my intention will be achieved.

This handy laminated reference guide offers you a variety of basic embroidery stitches, variations, and combinations to be used as seam coverings for your crazy quilt. Weve also included spider and web motifs, common Victorian symbols of good luck.

A hussif or huswif is an 18th century term for a basic sewing kit. This article describes how they became modern sewing kits.