Crazy Quilt Block 80 on the I Dropped the Button Box Quilt is very red! But as you can see if you look at the quilt this block is part of a diagonal line of blocks that all have tones of red and black in them. (If you click on the image of the quilt you will see a larger photograph of it.)
As you can see this a very red block but in the set of the quilt it does not look so dramatic.
Gosh we only have 20 more blocks on this quilt to go. They are all 6 inch blocks and were made as a Y2K quilt so I have 2001 different fabrics, lace, braids, buttons and charms on it.
Anyway on with introducing crazy quilt block 80.
Fabric content for Crazy Quilt Block 80:
- Piece 1: Cotton with a metallic thread woven through it
- Piece 2: metallic evening/costume wear fabric
- Piece 3: Satin
- Piece 4: Cotton
- Piece 5: Heavy Cotton
- Piece 6: Brocade
- Piece 7: Synthetic
Item Count for Crazy Quilt Block 80:
The on going item count list below represents the items documented to date in this series of articles. This is a Y2K quilt and the challenge is to use 2000 different bits! I guess you could say it my way of making sure I got the count right! (I have no idea what I will do if I get to the end of this exercise and discover a miscount!)
The on going item count list below represents the items documented to date in this series of articles. I guess you could say it my way of making sure I got the count right! (I have no idea what I will do if I get to the end of this exercise and discover a miscount!)
- Fabric: 7
- Lace, braid and ribbon: 3
- Buttons and charms: 5
- Total items on this block: 15
- Total tally of items on the quilt so far: 1520
How I hand embroidered and embellished the seams on Crazy Quilt Block 80
As you can see the first detail looks like a big red London bus …well it is not actually a London bus but it is a charm of a London bus. I purchased it as a souvenir when I visited London. It was on one of those hideous tourist key rings. I always look at what is on key rings and often all you need is pair of pliers and bingo you have an interesting charm with a story. The block was very red and I felt once set in the quilt, it was going to stand out like a double decker bus! It does not but at the time I felt it might.
This is a very simple and quick seam embellishment. I used a commercially made gimp braid to cover the small seam in the middle of the block. Next I stitched the braid to the block and then added red/orange beads.
I often dye lace and use it to cover a seam. In this case the hand dyed red lace is set against a black background so I did not need to do too much with it. Using a rayon thread I attached the lace with Detached chain stitch, Oyster stitch and straight stitches.
The Palace guard charm was a little item I collected on the same trip to London as the key ring charm of the London bus. It balances the charm of the london bus which is in the top right hand corner of the block.
Feather stitch worked in cotton perle #5 thread covers this seam. I added straight stitches also in cotton perle #5 yellow thread and then continued to pep it up a bit with some small gold beads as the block was looking a bit dark.
The next detail is from the top left corner of Crazy Quilt Block 80. I secured some red ribbon over the seam then added metal beads. Detached chain and straight stitches worked in cotton perle # 8 thread. I added straight stitches using a metallic thread to brighten the corner of the block and draw the eye away from the metallic fabric in the middle of the block.
A line of Sheaf stitch along the seam of pattern piece 4 is worked in hand dyed silk thread that is approximately the same thickness as #5 cotton perle thread.
The seam at right angles to it is Laced herringbone stitch also worked in #5 cotton perle thread.
The last detail on crazy quilt block 80 is a cluster of buttons which sit in the bottom right hand corner of the block. The buttons are fun but I enjoyed the seed bead tassel finished with a tiny set of red dice. They add a fun touch!
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. Links to all the series can be found 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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My book The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design: Simple Stitches, Stunning Results
Hi Sharon, I discovered your website via Pinterest and I love it. If there is a link I’ve followed it and have been led to so many beautiful, interesting and, yes, challenging places. It’s been many years since I’ve done any crazy quilting but, through your site, I’ve rediscovered the pleasure I had in doing it and have picked it up again, it is a change from the hours at my sewing machine that are required for larger quilting projects. Your work is exquisite and the time you take to share it and your generosity and encouragement is appreciated. I don’t think you need to consider making many changes to your website – the information is available for those who want to access it they only need to take the time and they will be richly rewarded. BTW I’d love a peek into your stash :)!!
Thanks Barbara I really appreciate that you took time to answer and let me know you find things on the site. I put lot of stuff online and it is frustrating to think that perhaps people cant find it but so far the feedback has been positive.
Sharon, stop stressing. If people want to find the information they will, if they don’t – for whatever reason (their own limitations, laziness etc) – it is ultimately their own loss. You do an enormous amount of work providing all the stuff you do and you have nothing to reproach yourself about.
I read every word because that’s what I do. I mentally correct your English, your spelling, your punctuation too because that is also what I do (if you ever want a proof reader, give me a yell, lol). I love your site and your work, and you too. You give so much to the rest of us, maybe we should be showing our gratitude rather than pick fault.
HI Chris – thanks for the encouragement. It is more a case of trying to see if I have missed something obvious. If I am not careful am great at being able to complicate things. Interesting about your proof reading skills. I will keep you in mind!
Thank you Sharon. I’ve sent join requests to both groups
Hi Sharon, I’m preparing to start my first cq block thanks to all the information on your website. I find your site very easy to navigate.
Probably for every 1 person who asks a question there are 100 who don’t need to ask. As you only hear from the minority it feels like a lot of people are having problems. You can never please everybody as people have different capabilities.
I’d like to thank you for all the info so generously provided. This has given me the confidence to believe I can do cq. I subscribe to your newsletter and look forward each day to reading it.
HI Janice as a new hand to CQ have you heard of a group call Crazy quilting International – it is a very helpful and friendly online group ( I am one of 5 moderators there) and lots of questions get answered.
Here is the link if you are interested
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/crazyquiltinginternational/info
There is also a novice group but I recommend both as the main group is fun too
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CQINovice_group/info
I will second everything that Queenie has said about your site. Unfortunately you have so many little tit-bits that I find myself exploring and not concentrating on what I was actually wanted to find. But that in itself helps me expand the thought processes.
This site and your ‘in a minute ago’ site are my go to places for inspiration and information.
Thanks Juno – I smiled when I read how I get you sidetracked
Ps. If you find that you have miscounted the items on the blocks, you could always add or take away a few buttons, maybe? ‘I dropped my button box AGAIN’, or ‘I picked up some dropped buttons’!!!
I think posting the photo of the whole quilt for every block you show is a good idea – it could lead to a ‘spot the block’ search.
It will also make us realise the beauty of a crazy quilt seen from a distance. It is easy to study the individual blocks as they are filled with eye candy, stitches we might not know, unusual buttons etc. and forget how stunning a cq quilt is when seen across the room.
As for finding things on your blog, Pintangle is a treasure cove of information, inspiration and visual delights and the links you always provide help us find our way. However, I know with myself that I do not go in search of information I do not need at the moment. An example, if I had been working on a cq block or taken part in the hussif challenge I would have clicked on every link, read every word of advice and studied every picture in detail to help me with the job. As I am not working on either cq or hussif at the moment I don’t read in detail. I am very grateful it is there and I WILL need it all when I do start on a new crazy quilt project.
Thank you for always doing so much for us, Sharon.
Thanks Queenie – I think we all do what you do ie search for information as we need it. Everyone is busy. Thanks for letting me know that you think the photos of the quilt with each block is a good idea as I was worried about overkill.
Hello Sharon. I can see you have a sense of frustration about this subject, but I have to say that I find your Pintangle website very easy to use, and I spend hours devouring your archived information, which is given at the end of each post. Information which is so generously given, and so well documented and photographed. I wonder if people scroll down to the end of the page, to find this fantastic treasure trove of information set out in such a well organised way? This is how I found the ‘I dropped the button box’ quilt, and decided immediately that I had to make it, despite never having done any CQing. And I can only do that by following your very clear instructions. (I am loving it BTW). I’m not a computer literate person, and I honestly can’t see how the dispersal of information can be improved on, as you provide so many links with each post, and in a very user friendly fashion. I can’t offer a solution, but for what it is worth, this is my comment. Claire
HI Clair thanks for your answer – I think people scan rather than read. We all so it as life is busy. Thanks for taking the time to explain how you use the site – it is very valuable information to me as it helps me understand how people come to the site, what attracts them and how they use it.