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Crazy Quilt Block 76 on the I Dropped the Button Box Quilt

Crazy Quilt Block 76 on the I Dropped the Button Box Quilt

I dropped button box quilt Crazy Quilt Block 76 comes from a quilt called  I dropped the button box quilt, which you can see on the left. (If you click on the image of the quilt you will see a larger photograph of it.) I have diagramed the pattern and written an article on each block. With this the series has become a huge offering of free crazy quilt block patterns, techniques, and tips on how to decorate seams with hand embroidery.

The I dropped the button box quilt is made up of 100, 6 inch blocks. Links to these free pattern pages are listed on the CQ details FAQ page. Links in the article lead to tutorials on how to work the hand embroidery stitches that I used at the time. This quilt was a Y2K challenge as the idea was to use 2001 unique pieces of fabric, lace, braids, charms, buttons or ribbons. The on going item count list below is the ongoing count.
Crazy quilt Block 76Crazy quilt block 76  fits the set of the quilt as part of the light the diagonal line that runs across the I Dropped the Button Box quilt. Block 76 is an example of choosing colours that will fit the set of the quilt.

Crazy quilt Block 76 layoutFabrics and Items used in Crazy quilt block 76

Regular readers will know that I made this quilt with the challenge to use 2001 unique pieces of fabric, lace, braids, charms, buttons or ribbons as a Y2K quilt. Each piece is different as it is a Y2K quilt. In this series of articles, the on going item and fabric count listed below is the count to date.

As you can see from this list I am not a fabric snob as many of the fabrics in this block are synthetic.

  • Piece 1: Synthetic fabric from a blouse
  • Piece 2: Velvet
  • Piece 3: Silk
  • Piece 4: Synthetic fabric
  • Piece 5: Cotton Polyester
  • Piece 6: Synthetic stretch lace!
  • Piece 7: Cotton Polyester
  • Piece 8: Cotton Polyester

Item Count:

Fabric: 8
Lace, braid and ribbon: 3
Buttons and charms: 9
Total items on this block: 20
Total tally of items on the quilt so far: 1454

Free Pattern for this BlockCrazy quilt Block 76 free pattern

Hand embroidered seam details on Crazy Quilt Block 76

In the top right hand corner of the back along the seam of piece 7 I covered join with hand dyed lace that was first tacked to the block before I added a line of Palestrina stitches along the base. I arranged 3 detached chain stitches in a little fan formation and added French knots and seed beads. The embroidery is done in # 5 perle cotton.

Crazy Quilt seam detail 498

This seam was started with two lines of Chevron stitch worked face to face. I  added detached chain stitches worked in cotton perle #8. The seam embellishment was completed with seed and bugle beads. This simple seam treatment that employs 2 basic stitches.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

This line of buttonhole stitch is topped with straight stitches worked in perle #8 thread, silk ribbon leaves and seed beads were added. The seam is about an inch an half long  and magnifying it with the camera shows how wobbly some seams can be!

Crazy Quilt seam detail

Feather stitch, a favourite of many stitchers is here further embellished with seed beads and bugle beads.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

This cluster of buttons on block 76 is tucked into the top corner of block.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

A line of Cretan stitch is worked in a hand dyed silk thread that is approximately the same weight and thickness of cotton perle #5. I added detached chain stitches and seed beads between the spines.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

Using perle #5 thread a line of  detached chain stitches is worked along the side of a ribbon which covers the seam of piece 5. I then threaded a novelty thread under them weaving the thread from one side to the other. It is a light knitting yarn that attracted my eye.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

Below the seam are two curves that I worked in Stem stitch using a hand dyed cotton thread. I used the same thread for the detached chain stitches before adding the seed beads.

Crazy Quilt seam detail

I dropped button box quilt

This article is part of a series that highlight the hand embroidered seams and Crazy Quilt details on my I Dropped the Button Box quilt. The patterns provided in this series are free for personal use.   For the rest of the blocks see the list on  the CQ details FAQ page.

Have you enjoyed this article? If so you may be interested in  a tutorial I have written on how to work decorative crazy quilt seams.  When I converted it to a PDF file I realised how comprehensive it was. At 19 pages of information it is a mini ebook and resource worth investigating!

 

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Thread Twisties!


Experimenting with different threads can be expensive. You would normally have to buy a whole skein of each type of thread. My thread twisties 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. 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.

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