Day 87 of 100 crazy quilt details is a small patch motif. It was not so much designed as pushed into the shape on the block that I wanted to fill. The motif consists of two daisies stitched using Detached Chain stitch using cotton.
The daisies are made of Detached Chain stitches worked in thread the same weight as cotton perle #8. The centre of each flower is a cluster of French knots.
The twiggy bit that surround the flowers are worked in fly stitch using cotton perle #5. Fly Stitch was quick and easy way to fill the area. I then added French knots to arms of the V. At the base I added some detached chain stitches using cotton perle #5 thread.
On one side of the motif is a row of feather stitch worked in a hand dyed cotton perle #8. The arms of the Feather stitches have been topped off with blue beads the size of seed beads.
If you are just swinging by, or a search engine has landed you here, this is Day 87 of 100 crazy quilt details in a series of articles that aim to give you embellishment ideas that you can use in your crazy quilting. If you want to print out this series 100 details for 100 days they are listed under that category.
Have you enjoyed seeing Day 87 of 100 crazy quilt details? If so you may be interested in a tutorial I have written on how to work decorative crazy quilt seams. The tutorial is a comprehensive tutorial that I converted to a pdf file (a link to the download is in the article) When I converted it I realised how comprehensive it was. At 19 pages of information it is a resource worth investigating!
Thread Twisties!
Experimenting with different threads can be expensive, as you would normally have to buy a whole skein of each type of thread. So I have made up my thread twisties which are a combination of different threads to use in creative hand embroidery. These enable you to try out stitching with something other than stranded cotton. For the price of just a few skeins, you can experiment with a bundle of threads of luscious colours and many different textures.
These are creative embroiders threads. With them, I hope to encourage you to experiment. Each Twistie is a thread bundle containing silk, cotton, rayon and wool. Threads range from extra fine (the same thickness as 1 strand of embroidery floss) to chunky couchable textured yarns. All threads have a soft and manageable drape so that twisting them around a needle makes experimental hand embroidery an interesting journey rather than a battle. Many are hand dyed by me. All are threads I use. You may find a similar thread twist but no two are identical.
You will find my thread twisties in the Pintangle shop here.
I have been following this blog for several months and enjoy watching all of the different projects take shape. I like embroidery, and once embroidered birds, flowers and butterflies along the hem of a skirt, with the aid of a little how-to embroidery book. I learned many new stitches and blending them together to create different shadings was both interesting and challenging. It was viewing your blog that prompted me to begin a similar thing for tatting. http://25motifchallenge.blogspot.com/
It is very true that a large group of people with similar interests automatically stimulates enthusiasm. As the various participants have worked on and displayed the progress of their projects, more people have become interested and been challenged to stretch their wings too.
I am a Cross Stitcher! There, I’ve said it. But I have done many types of embroidery throughout the years. My Mom taught me crewel work and freestyle embroidery as a child. However, it has only been recently that I became interested in Crazy Quilting (thanks to Pam Kellogg) and I have found the 100 details in 100 days to be invaluable to me. Although I haven’t actually stitched any of the treatments yet, I have saved each and every one that I have found and plan to reference them often in my stitching. I would like to thank you Sharon as well as all the other ladies who have shared so generously your knowledge and talent.
I do have one question however. As I am more accustomed to counted threadwork and fabrics I am having trouble visualizing how to do some of the stitches on an uncounted type of fabric. All your stitches seem to be so even but when I try them they look very uneven and raggedy. Do you have any advice for me and possibly other *newbies* on how to make these stitches more uniform? Thanks, again.
I.ve only been quilting foive years though life long stitcher. Never done Crazy Patchwork, but your lucious work has made me want to try thanks for the inspiration. I will follow the 100 days from now on.
how about New Stitch Wednesday for the title? I’m not sure it’s real zippy, but it is descriptive…
I like the idea of a stitch book. I think I would organize mine so that each page (or hopefully group of pages!) would feature one stitch as the base, with other stitches providing color/detail/interest. In other words, I would have a herringbone page with herringbone as the first stitch (or base stitch), with other stitches embellishing the base stitch.
Or alternatively, one could organize the book by fiber… or color…
hmm… this is sounding more and more fun! I’ve been wanting to do a fiber book for ages (and I have one started, but it got put away because I wasn’t happy with the way it was coming out), so maybe this will be the impetus to do it (and finish the first book!).
Dear Sharon and all,
Thanks so much for the daily fix, I have been looking for a month or so now and I am really excited about the Jan 2007 start date.
Thinking about the project, I will probably try to work postcards and unify them in a colour theme with framing in mind, not one frame but random collections of the finished peices. Now for a name….. sending stitches; what do you think? maybe that is too limiting re the postcard idea. Stitchobibliograpy? I don’t know will keep thinking about it, might get a brain wave later.
I have not done the blog thing but who knows I could get up to speed at some stage and get my act together.
Cheers Rosalie
Sharon,
All though I started the 100 daily details, I found it very challenging and hard to keep up when life got in the way,and was dissapointed when I couldn’t keep up, but I still had to get my daily fix to see what you had come up with.
A stitch a week sounds wonderful and more do able for me, I’m always amazed at your stitch combinations and how much you can do with a simple stitch like the detached chain stitch.
Mid week is great, allthough I will be away early January, but will try to find a computer somewhere to join in.
The second week in January would be great…not so soon after New Year.
Hi Sharon, just thought you might be interested in what I’ve done with your 100 details. I’ve been making a book of two day’s embellishment pictures and descriptions on a page that I then slip into a clear page protector and am putting them into a binder. My printer does a great job on Brochure gloss paper and the pictures are about 5″ square, so I can see all the stitches perfectly. When I get the last day in the book I plan to do a day at a time on a CQ pieced “slipcover” that will go onto a doll wingback chair. Can’t wait to get started!
I am okay with any starting date. I also don’t mind if my interpretation is not the same as everyone elses! After all, if I had not walked my own path, I would not have felt compelled to offer my cache of stitching alphabets. 😀 I have a lot of areas I want to explore…I guess I always do.
I love the idea of that book!
I haven’t been doing any CQ recently as I had asthma, but I’m feeling a lot better today and I’m ready to start another block. I finished the last one and had no seams left to stitch. thanks for keeping us all inspired Sharon. And thank you Mary Ann for the suggesting the book.
I’ve been thinking of a book related to stitching as well…this sounds like the type of thing to get me going on it. I’ve enjoyed reading the posts and ideas. One thing we all seem to have in common besides an abbundance of supplies (can one ever have too much?) is wonderful ideas and imaginations. Reading the various sites and blogs has sparked mine and my notebook of ideas is getting very full!
Well, Sharon, I finally found this area after having posted my comments in your Blog award area. It’s too early in the morning for me to be very *bright*!
A book of stitches! I like that idea with a 1st Wednesday in January start up. Right now I have about 20 doodle cloths of all shapes and sizes. I have to go rushing about to round them up for inspiration or details on “how did I do that?”.
definitely, a book!
😀
Hi Sharon,
First, I love this piece that you posted today. The yellow embroidery along with the various shades of blue is stunning!
As for another project, I would like to do some kind of stitch along. I really enjoyed doing the All That Jazz block and I eagerly followed the Bags Of Fun project even though I didn’t have the time to join in. Perhaps a “stitch a week as applied to a stitch along project” would be fun.
I like the idea of offering more patterns depending on what we do (although I’ll admit that one a day has been challenging timewise) and I like the idea of starting in January. Here in the US, January is very boring and this would definately be something to look forward to and focus on.
Thanks so much for everything Sharon. You have quite a knack for “getting the ball rolling” and encouraging stitchers to try new things.
I’ve found this 100 details series really stimulating and come rushing to look each day, and to catch up when we’ve been away. I haven’t done many of the exact things presented but some of my own version. And I’ve made notes on each day in a homemade sketchbook so I have it all for reference. From time to time I’ve looked up stitches in your dictionary. A series as suggested would be great, but don’t overlap too much with your online classes will you. You are very generous in what you share.
It is hard to believe that we are talking about 100 days and 100 seam treatments coming to an end.
I know I have not completed all of the days posted but I have learned so much along the way.
I began CQing this winter and the postings here have expanded my thought process and enabled me to put more than one stitch combination together. Thus, making seam treatments more appealing or extravagant. I love the changes I have made.
Thank you Sharon and all of you busy bee’s keeping this together.
Renea Aldrich AKA: renmedema
I think a january start date is fine…actually, it is up to you…..when you figure it all out and decide what you want to do just let us all know and i am sure that you will get plenty of folks participating.Since it is more of a, hey, I’m doing this, wanna play too…..it’s really your choice.
ktj
I like the stitch a week idea and uusing different treads and fibers, etc. Midweek meets r probably the best idea. Not crazy about Januuary, but then I can’t expect the rest of the world to put themselves on hold cuz I have to endure tax season. lol
I had a thought that maybe a different motif or a theme could be featured each week. I know you like your detached daisies so maybe they lend themselves to unusual undersea designs or something. Just a thought.
The stitch a week sounds good and the starting time of the Wed. in January is good also. Maybe each stitcher could do the stitch in what ever fiber they wish. That way we could use some of our stash. About a notebook that could be an indiviual thing also.
Can’t believe that people are interested in my book idea! I have a passion for books anyway and collect anything I can find about crazy quilting and embroidery. There is a lot of interest currently about journaling and altered art which gave me the idea of doing a technique/sample book of stitches and combinations which can be referred to at any time and would be a work of art in itself.
A mid January start would be great with me. I suffer from the after Christmas/winter blahs (I’m from Canada) and having an exciting new project would be just what I need to keep me going through the rest of the winter!