My first experiment with quilting began in the crazy arena when I saw this technique on a television show. I loved that nothing really needed to line up. For me, it was the perfect place to start my quilting journey. So here is a simple technique for creating a crazy quilt block. The final block size is 8 1/2". 1. Get Fabric: Start with five different 10" squares of fabric. You can use a layer cake if you'd like. These are just some scraps that I had. 2. Stack: Stack your fabric on top of each other - right side up. Get ready to cut your fabric; you'll be making one less cut than to the total number of pieces of fabric. So, I have five pieces of fabric and will be making four cuts. If I had four pieces of fabric, I'd make three cuts. 3. Make your first cut - usually somewhere in the middle. Just do it! Don't worry about perfection. You now have two pieces/sections. 4. Cut again: take one piece and make your second cut. It doesn't need to be exactly like this! 5. Make your third and fourth cuts. I made four cuts and end up with five pieces. The five pieces represent the five fabrics you started with. 6. Re-stack the fabric: Leave stack 1 alone. Take the top piece from stack 2 and place it on the bottom of stack 2. It should look like this. 7. Stack Again! Take the TOP TWO pieces from stack 3 and place them on the bottom of stack 3. It will look like this! 8. And Again! Take the top THREE pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. Then take the top FOUR pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. 9. Done! You'll end up with five blocks (layers) that are all mixed up. But there is a correct order, so don't start moving them just yet. 10. Separate Layers: Take each layer and separate them into your five blocks. You will have one piece of each fabric in a different spot on each block. I put a piece of paper under each set so I could easily carry them to my machine to piece. This helps me keep things sorted. 11. Sew Together: Sew 1 to 2 and then 2 to 3. Then sew 4 to 5. You'll have two parts. You will want to off-set your seams about 1/4" so the edges of the fabric line up more closely. They won't be perfect. 12. Trim your edges: you'll be sewing this to the 4/5 pieces. 13. Trim your other edge. It should look like this - nice and clean! And one piece is a little bigger than the other - not a problem. 14. Sew together. 15. Square it up! I used an 8 1/2" square ruler. Here it is! All trimmed and ready to go. And here are the completed blocks. You can take it from here! You can make a quilt or sew these together, quilt, and make a tote or purse. In any case, have fun with this technique! Here is my very first crazy quilt. Thanks for stopping by! As a gift, here's a free pattern for a round, zippered pouch. It's easy to make...you don't have to cut circles! UPDATE: I've added some information on other cutting options!
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…
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...
Explore marcie carr's 223 photos on Flickr!
My first experiment with quilting began in the crazy arena when I saw this technique on a television show. I loved that nothing really needed to line up. For me, it was the perfect place to start my quilting journey. So here is a simple technique for creating a crazy quilt block. The final block size is 8 1/2". 1. Get Fabric: Start with five different 10" squares of fabric. You can use a layer cake if you'd like. These are just some scraps that I had. 2. Stack: Stack your fabric on top of each other - right side up. Get ready to cut your fabric; you'll be making one less cut than to the total number of pieces of fabric. So, I have five pieces of fabric and will be making four cuts. If I had four pieces of fabric, I'd make three cuts. 3. Make your first cut - usually somewhere in the middle. Just do it! Don't worry about perfection. You now have two pieces/sections. 4. Cut again: take one piece and make your second cut. It doesn't need to be exactly like this! 5. Make your third and fourth cuts. I made four cuts and end up with five pieces. The five pieces represent the five fabrics you started with. 6. Re-stack the fabric: Leave stack 1 alone. Take the top piece from stack 2 and place it on the bottom of stack 2. It should look like this. 7. Stack Again! Take the TOP TWO pieces from stack 3 and place them on the bottom of stack 3. It will look like this! 8. And Again! Take the top THREE pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. Then take the top FOUR pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. 9. Done! You'll end up with five blocks (layers) that are all mixed up. But there is a correct order, so don't start moving them just yet. 10. Separate Layers: Take each layer and separate them into your five blocks. You will have one piece of each fabric in a different spot on each block. I put a piece of paper under each set so I could easily carry them to my machine to piece. This helps me keep things sorted. 11. Sew Together: Sew 1 to 2 and then 2 to 3. Then sew 4 to 5. You'll have two parts. You will want to off-set your seams about 1/4" so the edges of the fabric line up more closely. They won't be perfect. 12. Trim your edges: you'll be sewing this to the 4/5 pieces. 13. Trim your other edge. It should look like this - nice and clean! And one piece is a little bigger than the other - not a problem. 14. Sew together. 15. Square it up! I used an 8 1/2" square ruler. Here it is! All trimmed and ready to go. And here are the completed blocks. You can take it from here! You can make a quilt or sew these together, quilt, and make a tote or purse. In any case, have fun with this technique! Here is my very first crazy quilt. Thanks for stopping by! As a gift, here's a free pattern for a round, zippered pouch. It's easy to make...you don't have to cut circles! UPDATE: I've added some information on other cutting options!
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…
I realised that I haven't added many of these photo's here, so thought I would. These are of my Crazy Quilt with Grandmother's Fans. It took 4 years between 1992-1996 and I sold it in 2009(ish) for $70000AU.
Explore marcie carr's 223 photos on Flickr!
When I was a little girl my mother had several Hummel Figurines sitting on shelves as decorations in our home. Because of their delicate nature, I was not allowed to touch them, so I spent many hours staring at the porcelain details. They became "surrogate dolls" where I would imagine myself inserted into their farmland settings. It brought back a lot of memories to view Geri Hruzek's Little Darlings Crazy Quilt at the Arizona Quilters Guild Show Hummel figurines were based on the drawings of Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel and became popular during WWII. Soldiers stationed in West Germany sent the figurines home as gifts and they quickly became a collectors item. Geri won a Honorable Mention ribbon at the show. She wrote: "Completely handmade including the piecing, embroidery, embellishments, appliques and quilting." Wow Look at the detail! I can't imagine how many hours went into all of the embellishments and stitching's. Apple Tree My mother's figurines are long gone now. I wonder if they might have been donated to a thrift shop when styles of collectables changed. I enjoy the figurines on Geri's quilt even more. Crazy quilts always have so many fun places for the eye to look in just one small section. Beautifully done!
The stitchers of the Wool Do your Block Round Robin were: Karrin H, Cathy K, Leslie E, Hideko I, Simona (who later had to drop out for personal reasons) Marya and Ritva P. HIDEKO’S BLOCKS Hideko’s Naked Blocks Marya’s block for Hideko Leslie’s block for Hideko Cathy’s block for Hideko Karrin’s block for Hideko Ritva’s work for Hideko CATHY K’S BLOCKS Cathy’s Naked Blocks Set 1 (Woodland) Ritva stitched this Woodland theme Hideko stitched a Woodland spring Marya stitched this Woodland block Cathy’s Naked Blocks, Set 2 (Christmas) Leslie created this Christmas block Karrin’s block for Cathy KARRIN’S BLOCKS Karrin’s Naked Blocks Ritva did this basket of flowers for Karen Hideko’s work Marya’s work Leslie’s block for Karrin Cathy K’s work Karrin’s finished blocks LESLIE’S BLOCKS Leslie’s Naked Blocks Cathy K’s work for Leslie Leslie stitched this block herself after Simona left. Karrin’s block for Leslie Ritva’s work Hideko’s block for Leslie Marya’s block RITVA’S BLOCKS Ritva’s Naked Blocks Marya’s block for Ritva Hideko’s block for Ritva Leslie’s work for Ritva Cathy K stitched this block The first four finished blocks for Ritva Karrin’s work for Ritva Ritva’s stitched her sixth and final block SIMONA’S BLOCKS Simona’s Naked Blocks Karrin stitched this block for Simona Ritva also completed a block for Simona Hideko stitched this block for Hideko Marya’s lovely work for Simona MARYA’S BLOCKS Marya’s Naked Blocks Leslie’s work for Marya Cathy stitched this block for Marya This block was Karrin’s for Marya Ritva’s block Hideko’s work for Marya Simona’s final block (stitched by Leslie??)
All the blocks are done now on the quilt from last year. The next stage of putting them together will most likely take me awhile, so a few more close-ups and an all-together shot. Will take a better shot soon. Happy Jewel-tone Stitching Phillipa
November's block is finished! This was a more difficult block to balance out with a large pale area at the bottom, but in the end, i...
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.
It was about this time last year that I was spending more time that usual looking at the latest fashion trends while working a freelance job as a designer for a young menswear brand. It was great to see so much embroidery and embellishment in the fashion collections. I started to feel inspired to try
I realised that I haven't added many of these photo's here, so thought I would. These are of my Crazy Quilt with Grandmother's Fans. It took 4 years between 1992-1996 and I sold it in 2009(ish) for $70000AU.
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!
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.
Quite a while ago, Kathy Shaw asked me if I would be interested in seeing her new book, Stunning Stitches for Crazy Quilts, when it was published. And of course, I said yes! For those of you who have been hanging out with me on Needle 'n Thread for a while, you already know I'm a bit of a book f
My first experiment with quilting began in the crazy arena when I saw this technique on a television show. I loved that nothing really needed to line up. For me, it was the perfect place to start my quilting journey. So here is a simple technique for creating a crazy quilt block. The final block size is 8 1/2". 1. Get Fabric: Start with five different 10" squares of fabric. You can use a layer cake if you'd like. These are just some scraps that I had. 2. Stack: Stack your fabric on top of each other - right side up. Get ready to cut your fabric; you'll be making one less cut than to the total number of pieces of fabric. So, I have five pieces of fabric and will be making four cuts. If I had four pieces of fabric, I'd make three cuts. 3. Make your first cut - usually somewhere in the middle. Just do it! Don't worry about perfection. You now have two pieces/sections. 4. Cut again: take one piece and make your second cut. It doesn't need to be exactly like this! 5. Make your third and fourth cuts. I made four cuts and end up with five pieces. The five pieces represent the five fabrics you started with. 6. Re-stack the fabric: Leave stack 1 alone. Take the top piece from stack 2 and place it on the bottom of stack 2. It should look like this. 7. Stack Again! Take the TOP TWO pieces from stack 3 and place them on the bottom of stack 3. It will look like this! 8. And Again! Take the top THREE pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. Then take the top FOUR pieces from the next stack and place them on the bottom. 9. Done! You'll end up with five blocks (layers) that are all mixed up. But there is a correct order, so don't start moving them just yet. 10. Separate Layers: Take each layer and separate them into your five blocks. You will have one piece of each fabric in a different spot on each block. I put a piece of paper under each set so I could easily carry them to my machine to piece. This helps me keep things sorted. 11. Sew Together: Sew 1 to 2 and then 2 to 3. Then sew 4 to 5. You'll have two parts. You will want to off-set your seams about 1/4" so the edges of the fabric line up more closely. They won't be perfect. 12. Trim your edges: you'll be sewing this to the 4/5 pieces. 13. Trim your other edge. It should look like this - nice and clean! And one piece is a little bigger than the other - not a problem. 14. Sew together. 15. Square it up! I used an 8 1/2" square ruler. Here it is! All trimmed and ready to go. And here are the completed blocks. You can take it from here! You can make a quilt or sew these together, quilt, and make a tote or purse. In any case, have fun with this technique! Here is my very first crazy quilt. Thanks for stopping by! As a gift, here's a free pattern for a round, zippered pouch. It's easy to make...you don't have to cut circles! UPDATE: I've added some information on other cutting options!
A blog about Crazy Quilting and Embroidery. Home of Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine.
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...
Thearica over at Pigtales and Quilts is having a crazy quilt party and contest. The purpose is to raise awareness of the ART of crazy quilting. Crazy quilts are all too often snubbed at shows and competitions because some people do not consider them to be real quilts. Well, they may not be machine stitched to within an inch of their lives, LOL, but the layers are there. Crazy quilts are pieced on a foundation fabric and then backed to form a “quilt sandwich”. Various assembly techniques are used, including attaching front to back with ties, buttons, beads, hand or some machine stitch-in-the-ditch (or any combination of those). We also make use of false backs (the quilting is done to a stabilizing layer that is enclosed within and covered by a pretty backing fabric). All in all, crazy quilts require the same skill set as regular pieced quilts - PLUS embroidery, beading, ribbon work, and any number of other embellishment techniques that the artist chooses to incorporate. But, it’s time for me to step down from my soapbox, and show you some of the crazy quilting I have done over the last 12 years. I have been blessed to have taken classes from Betty Pillsbury, Carole Samples, Judith Montano, Sharon Boggon, Helen Gibb, Candace Kling, Allison Aller, Martha Green, and many others. To the skills I have learned from them I have added my own spin. Here are some of my pieces, in rough chronological order from 2000 - 2011. My first piece was a vest; this is a portion of one side. I entered this block in the first Quilting Arts Calendar contest, and won! This block was featured in the 2002 Calendar as the November block (under my former married name of Cathy Flox). Pansy Block: “Thoughts of You" In 2003, I wanted to try a wool quilt. Got it all pieced, but never finished it. It was fun, though! A ribbon motif from my first round robin in Crazy Quilting International: Roses (2007) An autumn pillow. Mr. Squirrel’s tail is mink. One of several purses entered over the years in the CQI contests. It is up for sale now in my Etsy shop, even though it is one of my very favorites! “Images of Africa" “I Love Paris” purse, Side B “I Love Paris” purse, Side A A round robin block from a couple years ago My stitching contribution on a Hears and Flowers block A Flower Fairy themed block Another Flower Fairy themed block A Teatime wallhanging I donated to CQI. It was auctioned off on Ebay, with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (2011) Another round robin block This block was for a Birds round robin Another block for the Birds round robin Well, I hope you have enjoyed the show. Take some time to visit Pigtales and Quilts and the other crazy quilters who have exhibited their work there. Hugs,
Learn how to crazy quilt with Hope Yoder!
Explore Happy 2 Sew's 346 photos on Flickr!
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.
My first experiment with quilting began in the crazy arena when I saw this technique on a television show. I loved that nothing really ne...
Here is my square for February for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014. Since it is February I thought I would do a heart to celebrate Valentine's Day. February was a busy month for me and I was not able to finish my square, but here is what I managed to do. I hope to add a little more embellishment in the future. I use DMC thread. Below is a rose bud vine made using a double featherstitch, accented with lazy daisy stitches that are outlined with a fly stitch. Below is a herringbone stitch anchored with straight stitch and accented with lazy daisy stitches. For this seam treatment below I wanted to mimic the fabric and decided to make bullion roses. These roses have a double layer of bullion roses (using a single thread of DMC). Leaves are made using a Fishbone stitch. This is made using a straight stitch accented with French knots. I used a lighter color for the French Knots, other wise this stitch could have been done in one thread color by doing a pistol stitch. thanks for stopping by!
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!
Whether you're an experienced sewist or a beginner just starting out, here are 15 sewing tips and tricks you need to have in your arsenal.
Learn how to cut and assemble a crazy patchwork quilt block with the Accuquilt Go! Big and their Crazy Quilt block on board die.
by Cathy by Debbie by Hideko by Jo
Transform your scraps into something amazing with this crazy quilting technique. With the bursts of color and pattern, each block is unique!
Explore ivoryblushroses' 10029 photos on Flickr!
One of the easiest and most popular styles of quilted clothing is the “crazy patch block” style. A sewist begins with a focal fabric on a muslin or flannel
Here are some more photos of Gwen's intricate work. Enjoy! XXXX jenny
2020 crazy quilt block 3 with a free pattern,information on how it was made, embellished and hand embroidered
I went looking through my photos the other day and have discovered so many that I have not loaded onto the blog. So, I have decided get it d...
It was a busy and beautifully clear spring week here in the Salt Lake Valley! Everything is greening up and the trees are bursting with pink and white blossoms everywhere. I got a few pictures and things hung on the walls of our new condo (“few” being the operative word), we got the internet and cable all set up, the title company and the HOA got everything cleared up and all funds applied, and we got busy setting up the garage (Bruce) and courtyard/garden (me). Pictures later in the post. And I got some sewing time!! This week I concentrated on sewing blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I finished my 11 crumb blocks for RSC’s Purple March …as well as the purple scrap column. I don’t think I’ve shown these before, but each column is roughly 4” wide and 58-60” long. I’ll just keep making these in various colors, and neutrals too, until I have enough to sew up into a decent-sized donation quilt. So then I moved back to yellow, April’s color for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I got four 8” (finished size) blocks done. I have the stars blocks all cut out and ready to sew, as well as my yellow strings for the coming week. I’ll be in a good position to get more sewing time in next week as each week progresses and our household moving and settling chores lessen. Our family contractor decided he doesn’t have the time or “bandwidth” to tackle our kitchen remodeling project. His late wife (our Cousin Carrie) passed away three months ago from cancer. We didn’t know if keeping busy would be a blessing or a hardship for him, so we totally support and respect his choice not to take it on. We do have a connection to an electrician, and we will start there, adding the necessary fixtures and lighting to the kitchen and two bathrooms first. It will give us time to research design professionals for cabinets and countertops. And then will come the painter, and lastly the flooring. All things in time. I hope we can be done by autumn. Time will tell. I do have some pictures of our courtyard to share with you. It’s a much more manageable size for us than the old house was with a big patio, 8+ grow boxes, lawns, flower beds, etc etc. After collecting the necessary supplies early in the week, Bruce set out emptying his bins of projects and electronics and Stuff into the cabinets and built-in storage in the garage. He’s getting excited as his workshop in the oversized double garage gets set up! Meanwhile, I worked on the courtyard. I trimmed down and dug out 3 barberry bushes (sticker-y things), with one more to go. I’m keeping two smaller ones for their color (dark red/maroon), but trimmed them nicely. I got my blackberry canes planted and the rhubarb and irises as well. Then I weeded and mulched the entire area, hung most of our metal art, and put out some decorations. But the biggest project (this all took 2 days) was filling the pots and Greenstalk vertical garden with potting soil, setting it up and testing it. It works like a charm! This first picture was taken through one of the living room windows, through the courtyard to the street. You’re looking east, to the mountains, which are more clearly visible when seated in the courtyard. The Japanese maple isn’t leafed out yet, but the pink blossoms are beginning to appear. This next picture shows the fresh mulch, trimmed barberry and garden decorations. There is drip irrigation along this side of the courtyard. Back in the corner there near the short wall is where I removed an overgrown barberry and planted the blackberry bush (bare root at this point). There’s a trellis standing along the wall there - hard to see - that will be home to a climbing rose eventually. And I’ll likely plant a few annual flowers along the front edges. This next photo was taken from the front door steps and shows the other half of the courtyard entry area. Yes, there’s an old bird’s nest (unoccupied this season) in the tree. Should I leave it or take it down? You can also see where I sawed off one limb of the tree that was sticking out (low and potentially hazardous) over the seating area. This side of the courtyard has sprinklers. In that front corner, I planted some iris rhizomes that I brought along from the old house. Next up is a photo of the seating area. We will definitely need to get an umbrella to shade this area. You can see our neighbor’s umbrella in red over the wall. The orientation of our place is such that we have direct sun in the courtyard until about 2:00 in the afternoon, at which time the house begins to create shade as the sun moves in the west. There was a big, bawdy barberry bush (awesome alliteration) behind the love seat that met its demise this week. It’s remnants, along with the limb trimmed from the tree, are slowly being chopped and broken up by me to add in to our weekly trash pickup. One more bush to remove - the red thing you see back in the corner. Good riddance! I don’t know what will go along that wall yet. I’ll take this year to study the light patterns and decide next year. But there is one sweet bleeding heart bush there, which makes me so happy because I had one at the old house. You can see the Greenstalk vertical garden there on its spinning base. There are five tiers of six pockets (10” deep) for a total of 30 planting pockets. I filled all the tiers with soil. What you can’t see is the white watering tray between each layer. The very top is the watering bowl that you fill with water. Then the water flows down to the five white trays on each tier. There are holes in those trays for the water to drip out into each planting pocket. So ingenious! I need to wait another couple weeks before it’s safe to begin planting, but I have lots of seeds - basil, cilantro, lettuce, CARROTS!!, spinach, rosemary, and more. And I’ll add some strawberry plants, and flowers as well. Our bigger Talavera pots will house tomatoes and flowers. Here’s a close-up of the Greenstalk. The base not only spins, but I can move the whole unit on wheels to chase (or avoid) the sun or foot traffic patterns. This will be an easy garden for us to maintain and scale down if necessary as we age. And the lady in charge of HOA gardening for our condo complex has already asked me to provide some of my (presumably planted) Talavera pots for the Cinco de Mayo dinner next month! Next week I hope to have some interior pictures to share. Many of them will be “before” shots - like my 1979 kitchen. But the process of making things our own is part of the fun, isn’t it? I hope you’ll be along for the whole process! See you next week, friends! (And I’ll try to do a better job of answering comments next week! xo
Welcome to finish it up Friday! When making this quilt, I had visions of a larger lap size quilt or a pillow cover, but then I did a reality check. If I put that much time and effort into something that size, no one would be allowed to use it. Ever! So, a mini it is! I absolutely love how it turned out! The measurements are here, if you'd like to make one of your own. It's a great way to use up some teeny tiny scraps! The quilt measures about 13 1/2" x 16 1/2". Speaking of teeny tiny scraps....I was in Duluth earlier this week and I had a chance to meet up with my friend Sue for lunch and shopping. She made the sweetest little pin cushion for me! Thanks so much, Sue! The scrappy patchwork above the pin cushion is her work as well. There was more than a little squealing going on at the table. I feel the need to dive into my scrap bins again--surprise, surprise! (The blocks were made using Victoria's technique.) Now it's your turn! Please link up your finishes for the week. Thanks for joining me for finish it up Friday!
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.
Crazy quilting became “all the rage” in the US after people saw something similar done in the Japanese Pavilion at the Philadelphia Exposition in 1876. While traditional quilting…
Descubre todo sobre el crazy patchwork, una técnica super creativa para tus quilts, cojines, tapices... visitanos y conócela.
Crazy Quilt Block 99 is part of a series offering free crazy quilt block patterns, techniques, and tips on how to decorate seams with hand embroidery.
Blog of Susan Elliott where she shares her life through her needlework and photography.
