The crazy quilt block detail for day 89 in this series looks slightly different from my normal seam embellishments. It starts with a series of scallops I worked in Chain stitch. I used a hand dyed silk thread that is the same thickness as DMC perle #5.
Between the base of the curves I worked three straight stitches in a rayon ribbon floss. Next I topped each of the straight stitches with a yellow seed bead. At the base I stitched a larger pale yellow glass bead. Hanging from these beads, is a Long Tail stitch worked in the same black rayon ribbon floss that the straight stitches are worked in.
If you are just swinging by, or a search engine has landed you here, this is day 89 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 this series? 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! No sign up or anything required its a free resource without strings.
Have you seen my book?
My book The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design: Simple Stitches, Stunning Results
Sharon, thanks so much for the links to your previous posts. Since I just recently found your site it will take me years to go through all the archives and this has helped me tremendously.
I really enjoy watching the wip of these blocks. I first started watching as Pam started her quilt over on her EZBoard site and have been watching and learning since. I now have the courage to do one of my own. Whether or not it *fails* I think the learning process will be worth it.
Kathy aka The Mad Stitcher
Pam and Beth- I don’t feel apprehensive as such it is more habit than anything else that I didn’t realise I had! Also it finally dawned on me that people are interested in the process rather than the finnished product.
Also as Beth says I simply forget to take photos but I think I will attempt to develop a new habit there. If the camera sits in my sewing box it will be in the way so much that I will rmember to take a photo!
Chaya
here is the link
http://inaminuteago.com/blog/index.php/archives/2006/03/16/wordclouds-of-daily-stuff/
you could use Bubble Jet Set and print them on to fabric
A while back, you introduced your faithful readers to “word clouds”. I just don’t remember where. Could you provide the link again, please? Is it possible to print the clouds onto fabric? Thanks.
I’ve also found that I get the most interest and comments on my posts when they show work in progress or even failed work. For the last few months I’ve been trying to concentrate more on showing process in my blog entries – although right now I’m blogging my sketchbook from Europe and there’s not much art going on for it to displace either.
My biggest challenge is that unless it’s a larger piece with natural stopping points I have to remember to take pictures while I’m working on it – and without getting paint on the camera if I’ve been collaging instead of stitching.
Sharon, I’ve always felt apprehensive about sharing photos of my Works In Progress. However, when I started doing that with my crazyquilt projects, I recieved alot feedback from stitchers, telling me that they loved seeing my pieces “grow”.
Honestly, I think it’s very interesting to watch, on a daily basis, how each crazyquilter works. Both from the technical perspective to the creative end of it.
I for one, never work two blocks the same way. Sometimes I do all the embroidery first and then do the embellishing and sometimes I just start in one corner, embroidering and embellishing each section as I go. This keeps me from being “set in my ways” and prevents my work from “looking all the same”. At least I think it does!
For me, crazyquilting is a reflection of my state of mind. I’ve noticed that when my mind is “all over the place” it shows in my stitching. When my mind is more peaceful and relaxed, my quilt pieces look a little more organized (if one can say that about crazyquilting) and planned out.
I think we can learn alot about ourselves by giving careful study to how we work, and by looking at the creativity in our stitching as well. Several things that we can look at would be,
“what colors do we tend to use alot”, “what stitches and types of threads do we like” and “what types of embellishments do we use”. “Do we try to reproduce the look of traditional Victorian crazyquilt pieces or do we prefer the contemporary look”.
I hope you can see where I’m going with this. I truly feel that crazyquilting is one of the only needlework forms that reflect our personalities and mindstates.
Pam