For Crazy Quilt Lovers

Detail from Aunt Bess' Crazy Quilt

I follow the blog of my former embroidery teacher, Gail Harker.  There's much by which to be inspired when one visits her studio!  This morning I read this post, and just had to share it with my CQ buddies out there.  Enjoy!

Quiet Weekend

Sort of.

NFS - before soles

• I rarely talk on the phone, but this weekend I was in touch with three good friends, and each conversation was an hour (or nearly so).
• I puttered in the sewing studio, making yet another sample for my 'Best of the West' piece.  
• I watched three episodes of The Quilt Show, completed two of their online jigsaw puzzles, and took in Episode Seven of "Why Quilts Matter".
• I cast on and knit 26 rows of the Dr. Who Scarf, a gift for the son of a good friend (due date: September).
• I sewed the non-knit soles onto the bottoms of the Non-felted Slippers for my friend J and took them to her today at church.  She's thrilled.  :-)  (Note: this pattern is a free Ravelry download, so if you're a Ravelry member (that's free too), you can find 'em there.)
• I started a new book: Ella Minnow Pea, an epistolary novel (i.e. written in letters, a style of which I'm very fond) by Mark Dunn.
• I ran (jogged) for an hour yesterday, and napped for two today.
• And eventually I was inspired to create this week's crazy quilt block, featuring the stitch for Week Nine of Take a Stitch (on) Tuesday: Couching.

Materials: pieces of one randomly-selected silk tie, some of the lining of the tie, a snip of shiny red fabric of unknown origin, a bit of green velveteen, some gold silk dupioni, gold cord, ric-rac, and cotton embroidery floss; one fancy button.  Stitches used for couching: herringbone and fly stitch.  See if you can find all the couching...

As I type, the wind is rising and I am wondering if we are going to get the forecast snow after all.  Time to curl up in bed with my cuppa and my book. G'night all.  :-)

Finished on Tuesday...

Posted on Wednesday.  Here's my latest crazy patch block for Take A Stitch (on) Tuesday -- Week 7 in the series (already!), Unattached Chain or Lazy Daisy stitch.  We were challenged not to make just flowers with it, and a challenge it was!  

I found a tee-shirt in the thrift shop in which I volunteer monthly, and scavenged all the sequins and beads used here from that one shirt.  The neat thing is, the shirt itself is in good condition -- it had simply lost some of its beads so we didn't put it out for sale.  Now that the beads etc. have been removed, it's clean and going back to the shop!

The paisley was my Week 7 silk necktie; the red to the right on that same 'row' was a wee bit of sculptured velvet (or maybe velveteen) I had in my scraps.  The elaborate piece at the top left corner was cut from a piece of drapery/upholstery fabric scraps that a draper friend of mine gave me when I still lived in the City.  I had great fun adding to it with the Stitch of the Week.

Now on to Week 8!

Stitches in the Snow

Tomorrow is Tuesday - Take a Stitch (on) Tuesday, to be precise.  Those of us following along will be introduced to our fourth stitch challenge.  This past week it's been all about Feather Stitch.  Just as I was beginning to work on my block, Jude posted this, which I think dovetails (pun intended!) so very nicely with this:

Birdie tracks, airy fronds of under-sea plants, equally airy wisps of feathers...so many possibilities!

Meanwhile, next to my sewing machine is a stack of winged half-square triangles, patiently awaiting assembly into border blocks for the OBMQ.  

When finished, there'll be 100 of these little blocks, ringed around the centre section, which measures 66" wide by 74.5" long already -- definitely one of my larger efforts!

And in my City and Guild workbook, next to "Empty Space", is a wee four-patch constructed with my own  hand-dyed and stamped fabric and quilted by machine.  Here it poses on my design wall -- 7" square.  we were asked to extend the quilting lines across the plain parts of the block, which I did -- at first in an orderly fashion and then -- to their logical conclusion.  ;-)

It's Take A Stitch Tuesday...again

In the Sewing Studio, I continue to quilt and stitch and work on the C&G.  Startitis seems to have hit me here too, for since mid-November I've fallen prey to a Mystery Quilt Project, a Crazy Quilt Journal Project, and now, TAST -- Take A Stitch Tuesday!  

In an attempt to achieve some sort of stitching economy, I decided to combine the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) -- which is monthly -- with TAST which is, of course, weekly.  However, now it seems that my addled brain, flush with startitis, has decided that means that I should do all 52 Tuesday stitches in crazy quilt form -- creating, that is, a small crazy quilt block each week.  I seem to have succumbed to the appeal of this idea...and present to  you my block for TAST, Week I, featuring the Fly Stitch:

The coloured fabrics were cut from two of my collection of men's neckties; the centre fabric is a scrap from my drapery/upholstery stash.  It took me a while to warm up to the embellishment of this block, as I've not done any of this art form for a couple of years.  Once I got going again, however, inspired by a my library resources*, I began to loosen up and have fun with it.  Perhaps the second block -- featuring blanket stitch -- won't take me as long.

* Suggested resources:

• A - Z of Embroidery Stitches -- Country Bumpkin Publications, 1997 (Reprinted March 2005);
• Stitches: New Approaches -- Jan Beaney, Batsford Classic Embroidery, 2004;
• The Magic of Crazy Quilting -- J. Marsha Michler, Krause Publications, WI, USA, 1998;
• The Crazy Quilting Handbook --  Judith Montano, C&T Publishing, 1986;
• "Men's Ties = Crazy Quilts" by Vivian P. Leidy, Miniature Quilts Magazine, Issue No. 81, 2002; and
• Notes from "Encrusted Crazy Quilting" taught by Sharon Boggon.  (As of this writing, this class is not under way, but keep an eye on Sharon's site for possible future sessions.)

A Full Start to the New Year (Long -- With Photos!)

For the past couple of days I've been fully involved with all things textile.  Where to begin?

First, with the OBMQ, which has (at least online) reached its Grand Finale with the revelation of Part 8 on New Year's Day.  Where am I with it?  Well...as of last night (10 p.m.), I'd finished the rectangles, and put a couple of blocks up on my design wall to see how they looked.  My first reaction: Ouch! Noisy!


However, after a good night's sleep, they looked a bit better, and I decided to assemble the first couple of rows to see...and yes, indeed, there is potential!  Row 1 (all blue squares and rectangle units) is now lining the top of my design wall, and part of row two (all rectangles and Ohio Star blocks) is lying underneath it.  Clearly this assembly is going to be something I do slowly and gently, taking great care that the units match and fit together properly.  So far, so good, so stay tuned!

Next, in the Knitting Department, I've turned the heel on the first Veil of Rosebuds sock and have made my way down the foot by a couple of inches (24 pattern rows).  I confess I had my doubts about this heel at first, but now that its finished I can say it's definitely going to be one I try again.  It may not prove as sturdy as my standard 'Dutch heel', but I like how neatly it finishes without any additional fussing over picking up stitches along a flap, and creating a long gusset.  Pretty, isn't it?

On into the C&G Classroom -- where I've just completed Activities 5 and 6 of Module 5.  I am now in the throes of all things pieced.  Activity 5 was simple: identify the type of basic block used in an illustrated star block pattern (I assessed that it was a four-patch).  Activity 6, though, was more extensive: research some quilt blocks and pick three favourites; document their origins (or what you can find out about 'em); draw them on graph paper -- and then draw them again, skewed. Finally, colour them in and create 3-4 copies; then arrange the copies in some sort of design.

Just picking blocks was the first dilemma -- there are so many to choose from, especially if, like me, you are a long-time fan of Quilt Blocks Galore!, a resource simply overflowing with wonderful free quilt block patterns, most of which have a traditional, timeless origin.

After browsing for nearly an hour, I came to my sense and picked these three: a Basic Nine-Patch; a "Dutchman's Puzzle" (aka "Flying Dutchman" or "Windmill") and the trusty "Ohio Star" from the OBMQ (aka "Star", "Eastern Star", "Lone Star" or "Texas Star").

In recent months I've used the 'Disappearing Nine-Patch' that's been making the rounds.  I had great fun with it earlier this year when I did up comfort quilts for Japan in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.  This exercise, however, is different.  Rather than make an original block, slice it and re-arrange the pieces, I was asked to shift the original design lines of the block to create something different altogether.  Ditto for the 'Windmill' and the 'Star'.  See what I mean?  It gives this piecer an entirely new way to think about her blocks!

Lastly, I got myself caught up with TAST -- Take A Stitch Tuesday -- which I've joined for 2012, in combination with the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP).  The idea behind this is three-fold:

• To have an opportunity to do hand embroidery, which I love but for which I don't make enough time;
• To revisit the art of crazy quilting, thus improving my skills in this art form; and
• To use up stash -- including a mountain of neckties I've acquired over time -- some from my late husband, and some from the local thrift shop, because they were too pretty to resist.

Just look how much fabric there can be in a single deconstructed necktie!  (The orange bits are lining.)

I began to prepare for this endeavour before Christmas, when I washed all the ties in my collection -- simply threw 'em into the washer and then into the drier, regardless of fabric content.  None of them disintegrated and (apparently) none of 'em shrank.  Amazing!

Diagram: stitching.com

Now TAST is weekly, and the CQJP is monthly.  My initial thought was to create one crazy quilt block per month (6" finished), with enough seams and space in which to incorporate the four or five Tuesday stitches in each given month.  The first stitch for the first Tuesday in this first month of 2012 is Fly Stitch.   In Sharon B's inimitable way, she illustrates a multitude of ways in which it can be used, so now I'm beginning to think I might try a block a week.  (In addition to giving me lots of space to explore the weekly stitch, it'll use up more neck ties!)

My first block uses fabric from two ties, plus a bit of velvet and another plain scrap to give myself some working space.  In this photo, you can see I've only just begun to build...

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some stitching to do...  :-)    See you later!