Crazy Quilt Block 78 on the I Dropped the Button Box Quilt

 Crazy Quilt Block 78 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 written an article on each block and 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 and I have diagramed each block my readers. 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 on the block. 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 represents the items documented to date in this series of articles.

Crazy Quilt Block 78  is a darker block that is part of the dark diagonal line that runs across the quilt.

Fabric content on Crazy Quilt Block 78:
Piece 1: brocade
Piece 2: Silk
Piece 3: Silk
Piece 4: Velvet
Piece 5: Cotton

Item Count on Crazy Quilt Block 78:
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. This is the  on going item count list.

Fabric: 5
Lace, braid and ribbon: 4
Buttons and charms: 7
Total items on this block: 16
Total tally of items on the quilt so far: 1485

How I embellished Crazy Quilt Block 78

The  seam that joins fabric piece 1 and 2 was first covered with some hand dyed cotton cutwork lace. I cut it off the edge of an old petty coat found at a second hand charity shop. I hand dyed it purple. Since it was disappearing under the button bead trail I emphasised it with a few straight stitches in a contrasting thread using stranded cotton floss.

 

The next seam embellishment is easily missed on the block as people look at the bead and button trail. It is made up of Feather stitch worked in rayon thread. I added small seed beads to each arm of the feather stitch.

 

The button and bead trail is the most noticeable thing on the block. I have stitched on buttons and beads as if they had spilt over the block. They are fun to work but time consuming. Also they can totally dominate a block if you are not careful. To create them I usually start with the buttons and add the smaller beads around the edges of them.

 

Fabric patch 5 has a seam embellishment which started with a small thin commercial braid that I attached to the block with small stitches. These stitches were to have the braid stay in place so I used regular sewing cotton that was the same colour as the braid. Using perle cotton #5, I worked a row of Herringbone Cretan stitch each side of the braid. I then laced it with a metallic thread. Next I added beads before I surrounded them with a long Bullion knot of about 25 wraps. The thread I used for them is cotton perle #5.

 

After I had attached some hand dyed green lace I then embroidered French knots using a wool thread. I then added the heart shaped beads along the edge of the lace.

This article is part of a series that highlight the hand embroidered seams and Crazy Quilt details on the quilt blocks that make up my crazy quilt I dropped the button box. Each block on this quilt has a free pattern which are listed on the CQ details FAQ page.

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 mini ebook and resource worth investigating!

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Have you seen my book?

My book The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design: Simple Stitches, Stunning Results  shares practical methods about how to design and make a crazy quilt. I teach how to balance colour, texture and pattern, in order direct the viewers eye. I show you how to build decorative seam treatments in interesting and creative ways using a handful of stitches. My book is profusely illustrated as my aim is to be both practical and inspiring.