At first glance block 58 looks a little dull but when you notice the little piece of metallic fabric in the middle it all of a sudden lifts. The muted tones are designed to fit in with the diagonal bands of colour on the I Dropped the Button Box quilt.
Click on the image to see a larger version.
Just as a reminder, to see the quilt visit the CQ details FAQ page as there is a photograph along side details about this series of articles.
When I made this block up I had discovered a soft furnishing and curtain shop that sold fabric swatches and many ended up in my crazy quilt blocks. I have just noticed I got 12 buttons on this block. Since the block is a 6 inch block I am not quite sure how I did it!
Fabric content:
- Piece 1: Soft furnishing cotton
- Piece 2: metallic fabric from evening wear
- Piece 3: Cotton (under the buttons)
- Piece 4: Cotton (under the crochet lace)
- Piece 5: Cotton (under the crochet lace and buttons)
- Piece 6: Cotton synthetic mix for soft furnishing
- Piece 7: Cotton (curtaining)
Over the next few weeks I hope you enjoy reading about the seam and embellishments and close details of what was done on this block.
Item Count:
This quilt is a Y2K quilt which means I Dropped the Button Box contains 2001 unique pieces of fabric, lace, braids, charms, buttons or ribbons. All pieces are different. It was a way of using a sample of all the bits I had been hoarding! The on going item count listed below represents the items documented to date in the crazy quilt details articles.
- Fabric: 7
- Lace, braid and ribbon: 3
- Buttons and charms: 12
- Total items on this block: 22
- Total tally of items on the quilt so far: 1121
This regularly published series aims to illustrate and document the hand embroidered seams, embellishments and decorations on my crazy quilt I dropped the button box.
All articles are categorised in the projects under Crazy Quilt details which enables readers to browse back through the series.
Free Crazy quilt block patterns
In the process of documenting the seam decorations on this quilt, as I get to each block I am diagramming it out for readers as a free crazy quilt pattern. Links to these free pattern pages are listed on the CQ details FAQ page.
Sharon, I can’t get enough of this quilt! I keep coming back to it. I have a question…do you always sew braid, gimp, etc. over the seam before you stitch your blocks together so that you don’t have unfinished ends? If not, how do you deal with unruly ends of braid, ribbon etc. at the end of the seam? Just cover it with more embellishment?
Gini
Hi Gini I tuck the end of braids and lace into the seams as I go. The get added as I make up the block – then I hand embroider them.
Thanks Cheryl, I scavenge and swap stuff – most of what I use int my crazy quilting, are materials that have been scavenged. For instance this braid was in remnant bag of scraps in a soft furnishing store. The brown trim looks very dull that is why I used a bit of metallic fabric in contrast – to pep it up a bit. I shop mainly at what we call ‘swap meets’ in Australia, in America I think they call them boot sales. I also shop at charity shops or what we call ‘op shops’ the ‘op’ being short for ‘opportunity’. I look for lace, trims, buttons etc on after five wear and have often chopped up a dress to get the buttons or beads etc The excess fabric I dye or I give or swap away.