Crazy quilt stitch along Tumbling block 6

Tumbling block 6 sits in the middle of the top section of the ‘Diamonds are Forever’ quilt.

You can download the patterns for the three diamonds that make up tumbling block 6. Here is light tone diamond 1. The mid tone diamond 2 , and the dark tone diamond 3 can be found here.

The pdf file is to scale, but it has no seam allowances. Be sure to set your printer to print to the actual size. Do not use the ‘fit to page’ option as it will reduce the diamonds by half an inch or so. When you print them out, they should have 6-inch sides. I advise you to use Adobe Acrobat™ as a PDF reader (it’s free).

Tips

If you need a tutorial on curved piecing. I recommend a tutorial written by Allison Aller. You can find Curved Foundation Piecing here.

Remember when embellishing your diamonds, feel free to follow what I have done, or adapt my ideas to your liking. Embellish the blocks as you see fit and have fun and there are no rules in Crazy Quilting!

Light toned Diamond on Tumbling block 6

The Pdf for the Light toned Diamond Tumbling block 6 it is here.

The first thing you notice about the light block is that it is covered with silk ribbon embroidery. So much so, that when I drafted out the pattern for this block, I was not sure where the seam between piece 1 and 2 was! On the pdf pattern, there is the placement of the key flowers which are Fargo Roses and woven roses which can be found on page 135 of my book: The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design. The other flower is an arrangement of 8 rice grain faux pearl beads. I worked these in a circle with three or 4 seed beads in the middle. I also have some novelty beads dotted about the place. Leaf stitch (page 134 of my book The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design ) is worked in 2 mm silk ribbon and tucked in and around the flowers.

Lines of Feather stitch radiate from the cluster of flowers and I topped many of the arms of the feather stitches with 2 Detached chain stitch worked in the same green cotton perle #8 thread. Each set of Detached chain stitches have a seed bead at the base. The thicker stems you can see poking through were first marked out using my stitchers templates. Using a cotton perle #5 I worked Stem stitch then whipped them in a fine metallic ribbon.

Here, I covered the seam between pieces 2 and 3 with a piece of lace. I secured this to the block with very small stitches. I added the buttons last. At the other end of the block, I also covered another seam with lace.

Mid toned Diamond on Tumbling block 6

The pdf for the Mid toned Diamond on Tumbling block 6 is here.

Piece 1 on the mid-tone diamond is part of an old men’s tie that I cut up. I used a lot of men’s ties in this quilt. Here, I decorated the seam between piece 4 and 1 by covering the seam in a commercial ribbon braid, and then I stitched a serpentine line of seed beads.

I created this seam embellishment by using my stitcher’s templates. First, I marked the lines then covered the lines using a green cotton perle #8 I worked Stem stitch before adding the gold beads. On the other side of the seam, I made a simple arrangement of straight stitches topped with beads.

An arrangement of 3 Oyster stitches is a variation of a little pattern I do all the time. Here I arranged three stitches in a fan shape before I tuck straight stitches between them. These fan arrangements alternate from side to side of the seam.

The last seam I would like to draw your eye to is the line of square metal beads stitched in a row. This line of stitching is actually two rows of Laced Herringbone stitch and the spaces created between the rows were square so I found a square bead to fill the area. At the top of the cross of each herringbone stitch I worked 3 detached chain stitches worked in a fan shape with a seed bead at the base.

Dark toned Diamond on Tumbling block 6

The pdf for the Dark toned Diamond Tumbling block 6 is here.

For the seam between Piece 1 and 6, I covered it first with a commercial braid before attaching some dome-shaped copper-coloured sequins. Along the side of the braid I used my usual motif of 3 detached chain stitches worked in cotton perle #8.

The other use of braid on this diamond, or in this case ribbon sits covering the seam between piece 2 and 4. I first secured it with small stitches using a regular sewing thread before working Laced Herringbone stitch over the top in cotton perle #5. Once again I used my 3 Detached chain stitches worked in a fan shape.

Across the middle covering the seam between piece 1 and 2 is an arrangement of Oyster stitches . I worked a line covering the seam then added Oyster stitches on either side of the line.

The last detail on this diamond is a line of Up and down Buttonhole Stitch feathered. In between the arms, I tucked some straight stitches topped with seed beads.

I hope you enjoy this month’s block!

If you are stitching along please share what you do in either of the Crazy Quilt Divas and/or Crazy Quilt International groups on Facebook.

The quilt is on the front of two of my books: The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design and my new book Crazy Quilting for Beginners Handy Pocket Guide. You do not need my books to join in on this stitch along, but I strongly recommend that you have at least the pocket guide, if not the full Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design.

Previous blocks in the series

Guidelines and general information about the series:

Tumbling Block 1;

Tumbling Block 2;

Tumbling Block 3;

Tumbling Block 4;

Tumbling Block 5;

Tumbling Block 6;

Tumbling Block 7;

Tumbling Block 8;

Tumbling Block 9:

Tumbling Block 10:

Tumbling Block 11:

Tumbling Block 12:

Tumbling Block 13:

Tumbling Block 14:

Tumbling Block 15:

Tumbling Block 16:

Tumbling Block 17:

Tumbling Block 18:

Tumbling Block 19:

Tumbling Block 20:

Tumbling Block 21:

The next tumbling block in the series will be on July 13th. (I publish a block monthly, usually it’s the second Thursday of the month)

Floral-themed Stitchers templates for hand embroiderers

With this set of stitchers templates, you can create your own floral-themed designs. You can easily combine petal and leaf shapes with the curved edges of the templates to create all sorts of floral and organic motifs. You will be able to create hundreds of different patterns to embroider. It is the ultimate mix-and-match fun for stitchers.

The set comes with an e-book with instructions and is filled with patterns and designs that you can create and use as jumping-off spots for your own designs.

They are available now in the shop here

Enjoy your stitching!