I have some good news for crazy quilter this morning! As a result of being accused of leaving Crazy quilters out and requests to document my crazy quilt “I dropped the Button Box” in the same way as I am doing with my band sampler I have decided to do it. 2009 for me is definitely going to be a year of documentation and I hope you all enjoy the process!
I will alternate my band sampler posts with “I dropped the Button Box” details posts. This means one day there will be a band from my sampler and then the next there will be a crazy quilt detail. That should be making everyone happy!
Not a week goes by that I don’t receive an email that compliments me about this quilt. People obviously enjoy it.
Also there are younger stitchers online becoming interested in crazy quilting. I guess I am hoping to seduce these new hands just a little as they will be the next generation of crazy quilters. I figure if I dish out the eye candy they might try working a bit of crazy quilting in their own way.
Also 30 blocks from this quilt are still not online as at the time I found them very difficult to photograph but a solution to this has presented itself because Jerry has new digital SLR and it takes some great close ups!
OK … this is the plan …
I will photograph the quilt in the next few days then start the series. Each block will have ech seam and embellishment documented and presented as a ‘detail’. I plan to start with the first block in the top left hand corner of the quilt and continue seam by seam, embellishment by embellishment until that block is done then move on to the next. This will be done until I reach the last of the 100 blocks. It will take an age but no matter it will be fun to share and I have the added bonus of having it fully documented.
This series should be a little more useful than the 100 details in 100 days series. I will write about the stitches worked, threads used, on what type of fabric and if applicable the type of dyes used to dye lace, trims, thread and fabric. I will present it a bit like I am presenting the band sampler with this information placed in a regular format.
I have a question …
Apart from recording what stitches, fabric, threads, and dyes that I used can you think of any other sort of information readers might want to know? Leave a comment and tell me.
Please spread the word too as I would like to know what questions people have so that I can devise a consistent ‘template’ of sub headings so that each seam is covered properly. Just to recap at the moment on my list of information to be covered is
- Stitches worked
- Thread used
- Fabric the block consists of
- Type of lace, braid or trim used
- Dyes used on fabric, lace, trims etc
- Anything of note about the buttons or charms
Oh YAY! I’ve been waiting for this one. I love the button box quilt and this was the one that inspired me on my journey into CQ.
Sharon – I’m thrilled to see more detail of the "Button Box" quilt! I’d love to hear any details regarding the theme/inspiration for each block, or why you chose the colors you did. Also, I love to read about unusual ways to source bits of lace, charms, buttons and beads. Maybe that’s too much detail for each post, but those background stories are fun if you have time to add them.
What a generous teacher you are! I am looking forward to this series so much.
This will be an amazing gift to all of us. I’m especially interested in the threads that you used. I have to buy almost everything over the internet, so seeing how threads look in use will be very helpful. Thanks so much for putting the effort into it.
Thelma and Elaine
You said you had problems attaching buttons – in many ways this is a design and composition issue because they are points of focus on a block. In my crazy quilting course I spend a lot of time talking about controlling points of focus as part of the design and composition (in fact the whole course is really about that!)
Obviously since the aim is to document the quilt I will mention design decisions but I don’t want to turn this series into a design course. Frankly it’s too much work – the crazy quilting course is over 220 pages to print out. That gives you a little idea about the information in it! I don’t want to have re-write for here. There is also a great difference between documenting a quilt and teaching from the quilt. That said there will be loads of tips that be written about as part of the documentation.
Oh, YES PLEASE, Sharon, to the button box quilt documentation!!!!!! I took your Encrusted Crazy Quilt class from Joggles even though I had never done any crazy quilting and now I love every minute I have to stitch. I have used your blocks as inspiration and studied them over and over. Needless to say, I have learned tons! I would definitely follow this theme because I know I could learn so much more. Thank you for all the info you have provided on this site – now I have finally written to express my gratitude. Carol in Alberta
You are so wonderful to do this, and as I am about to do your crazy quilting course, this I am sure will be most useful. So Sharon, there is only three things to say……. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you………..
Arlene
wel thank you this I wil follow I am so in love with Crazy Quilting
Yay! I am so happy that you are going to be blogging about that quilt. I look at your photos of the blocks every once in awhile, and am always inspired. Thanks so much for sharing. I know it is quite a bit of work, and it is very much appreciated.
I will be so looking forward to this info on your button quilt Sharon. One problem I have had,,but I haven’t practiced much is attaching the buttons,,I don’t know why I have such a hard time attaching the button to a block, but I do. And then trying to figure out how to arrange them where they look really good. Those would be one question I have for you. Your thoughts on when your arranging your buttons, what buttons to use and just attaching them properly to your block.
Sharon, I ‘d love to hear more about how you develop the particular design as you go. So maybe some notes on why you chose put a particular embellishment or color or thread type where you did, especially if it’s something significant that you can recall from this distance in time.
Hi Marty
I approved your comment as I stated to photograph the quilt and realised that I would need a grid numbering system as some sort of context into which to place the discussion of each block which is a long way to say your comment is taken on board.
I am also thinking of diagraming out each block – which would give people free patterns effectively – but that is a heap of work – so I am still thinking about it and wanting to see how people react to the idea.
WooooooHooooooo! I can’t begin to tell you how much your Button quilt made me fall in love with Crazy Quilting…. this is gonna be absolutely fantabulous!! The only other thing I would like to see in your list is notes on the design of the block itself and then how it relates to the quilt. By this I mean how the embroidery and trims flow around the block, etc. This would be especially helpful to anyone starting out.
Thanks so much for sharing so much of your creativity with the world, Sharon… thanks so very, very much.