In my last post I wrote about how I decided on the final setting of my latest crazy quilt, Christmas Crazy. Here are a few close-up photos from the quilt. I have made the photos a bit larger than usual but I cannot make them too big or else some people have too much trouble getting the blog to load onto their computers. The Nutcracker block is a 9 inch block and is one of my favourites. Nutcracker Block The Rocking Horse block is the only 12 inch block that I ended up putting in the quilt. I made two others that I am now making into wall hangings. Rocking Horse Block Here is a close-up photo of the sleigh from the top block. Sleigh This is what the reindeer looked like before he was embellished. A bit of embellishment really makes a difference, doesn't it? Candle Block Present Block I put some of the blocks onto a different shape because I found having the blocks all round was making the composition of the quilt more difficult. Pudding Block Snowman Block Detail from the top block Detail 2 from the top Block I hope that you enjoyed looking at some of the detail of the quilt. I have an idea for a new quilt but also have a long list of other things to do as well, including another daughter's wedding later this year and running the Waverley Patchworkers next quilt show. There are always plenty of things to do around here! Bye for now, Linda
Ooops, this one has the right orientation to go into the set. But I won't delete the other one, as M3 and I have been nattering over there. I like the way you can play a set through, and watch a block developing. But it doesn't work unless all the pictures of the same block face the same way.
A blog about Crazy Quilting and Embroidery. Home of Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine.
When I am stalled on a quilt (as I am currently with the Ohio Star), or if I am waiting in an office for Karl or for car maintenance, I take along handwork to keep busy.Quite a while ago (years and years) I began making Christmas stockings, table runners, wall hangings, ring bearer pillows, etc., using Crazy Quilting as the medium. I fell in love with the art form quite unexpectedly. < As a younger woman I always found Crazy Quilts to be especially unattractive, and wondered "what would possess someone to create such monstrosities?" Then, one day while shopping in my first true quilt shoppe, I found a CQ sampler hanging on a wall, with a sign-up notice for a class. There was something about this woman's work that made me really stop and look at the mixture of materials and embroidery work with curiosity and excitement instead of the typical dismay and repulsion. It was beautiful and compelling, and no longer a gruesome mash of confusion and mayhem. I wanted to learn this art form...I wanted to Crazy Quilt! I signed up right on the spot! These are some of my Christmas stockings, with a close-up view of my needlework: Sometimes the stockings have themes; either color, or a specific idea. This particular stocking centers around fishing. For children the themes can be based on toys or cartoon characters, or even Santa himself. Or, perhaps something reflecting what it is they would like to "be" when they grown-up. Of course, a good theme could be sports- or hobby-related, too. Perhaps a favorite team....or all about travel. This purple and cream colored confection was my first attempt at creating a stocking pattern of my own. I drew up a stocking shape pattern (with a shape and size I could work with) and set to work collecting remnants of many types of material other than cotton to use. Sometimes I broused flea markets or barn sales and had great luck. Other times I had to stick with sorting through remnant bins at the local chain fabric stores. Then I began to add beads, laces, pieces of doilies, old hankies, ribbon and the like to my stash. It's just the thrill of finding another way to use material, and combining different material textures and threads in one place, that keeps me working with it. This piece is still in process (a lot of stockings are in process), and the yellow thread you see is my method of basting - to keep the pieces in place while I quilt them down.I was taught to use long straight pins to hold the edges over and everything in check while embroidering, but I found it painful to work around all of the straight pins, so I adopted the practice of basting the edges very loosely to accomplish the task. I don't mind pulling the threads out as I work, and I certainly don't mind not being gored every time I handle the work! As you can see, it doesn't compromise the final results in any way, either.This last little sample is simply to show that I also use traditional blocks in creating stockings. Although, I do allow myself the fun/luxury of adding beads and gold thread to the quilting process. The fun is in the selection of materials for the blocks, and then embellishing like mad on the top (in this case, the front of the stocking). If you look closely you'll see I stitched a holly leaf and berry design at the intersection of the half squares, then echo-quilted the holly leaves with a matching cream thread before adding the gold beads as specular highlights. Anyhow, besides making clothes every once in a while, I do have other sewing projects besides the quilts. And, as my sons have pointed out, if I would finish them I could sell them (which I have done a time or two in the past). So here goes nothing!
Oi, sorry for being gone so long y'all. I missed the writing and the sharing and the reading, glad to be back for sure. So our whirlwind o...
A blog about Crazy Quilting and Embroidery. Home of Crazy Quilt Quarterly Magazine.
I am so impressed by the embroidery on this quilt. Someone put in a printed piece (the one in the center here), entitled "Love's Blessing." It's cool how much creativity they had before TV rotted people's brains, and the time to carry out their vision, too!
Here's a crazy quilt stocking featuring one of my favorite postcards from my personal collection. It's C204 from my Vintage Postcard CD. Print the stocking directly onto computer printer fabric with your inkjet printer, then use it as the foundation for your crazy quilt stocking with the center image already in place. To use this foundation pattern, align the edge of your fabric with the dotted line and sew on the straight line. Flip the fabric over and press toward the dotted line. Stitch three pieces of fabric together (6-1, 6-2 then add 6-3). Treat as one piece of fabric for 6. Applique the toe and heel (7 and 8). Piece the stocking, then embellish it with threads, trims, ribbons and beads. When you have time to browse, please visit Vintage Vogue.
In my last post I wrote about how I decided on the final setting of my latest crazy quilt, Christmas Crazy. Here are a few close-up photos from the quilt. I have made the photos a bit larger than usual but I cannot make them too big or else some people have too much trouble getting the blog to load onto their computers. The Nutcracker block is a 9 inch block and is one of my favourites. Nutcracker Block The Rocking Horse block is the only 12 inch block that I ended up putting in the quilt. I made two others that I am now making into wall hangings. Rocking Horse Block Here is a close-up photo of the sleigh from the top block. Sleigh This is what the reindeer looked like before he was embellished. A bit of embellishment really makes a difference, doesn't it? Candle Block Present Block I put some of the blocks onto a different shape because I found having the blocks all round was making the composition of the quilt more difficult. Pudding Block Snowman Block Detail from the top block Detail 2 from the top Block I hope that you enjoyed looking at some of the detail of the quilt. I have an idea for a new quilt but also have a long list of other things to do as well, including another daughter's wedding later this year and running the Waverley Patchworkers next quilt show. There are always plenty of things to do around here! Bye for now, Linda
Explore Crazybydesign's 125 photos on Flickr!
If you celebrate the season, here's a crazy quilt stocking featuring one of my favorite postcards from my personal collection. It's C224 on my Vintage Postcard CD. Print the stocking directly onto computer printer fabric with your inkjet printer, then use it as the foundation for your crazy quilt stocking with the center image already in place. To use this foundation pattern, align the edge of your fabric with the dotted line and sew on the straight line. Flip the fabric over and press toward the dotted line. Stitch three pieces of fabric together (6-1, 6-2, then add 6-3). Treat as one piece of fabric for 6. Piece the stocking, then embellish it with threads, trims, ribbons and beads. When you have time to browse, please visit Vintage Vogue. And...have a Merry Christmas!
In my last post I wrote about how I decided on the final setting of my latest crazy quilt, Christmas Crazy. Here are a few close-up photos from the quilt. I have made the photos a bit larger than usual but I cannot make them too big or else some people have too much trouble getting the blog to load onto their computers. The Nutcracker block is a 9 inch block and is one of my favourites. Nutcracker Block The Rocking Horse block is the only 12 inch block that I ended up putting in the quilt. I made two others that I am now making into wall hangings. Rocking Horse Block Here is a close-up photo of the sleigh from the top block. Sleigh This is what the reindeer looked like before he was embellished. A bit of embellishment really makes a difference, doesn't it? Candle Block Present Block I put some of the blocks onto a different shape because I found having the blocks all round was making the composition of the quilt more difficult. Pudding Block Snowman Block Detail from the top block Detail 2 from the top Block I hope that you enjoyed looking at some of the detail of the quilt. I have an idea for a new quilt but also have a long list of other things to do as well, including another daughter's wedding later this year and running the Waverley Patchworkers next quilt show. There are always plenty of things to do around here! Bye for now, Linda
My block is not completed to finish up the Winter/Christmas DYB.
Explore Happy 2 Sew's 346 photos on Flickr!
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.
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.
Blog of Susan Elliott where she shares her life through her needlework and photography.
