What's In A Quilt - 13

I recently completed my crazy quilt project Crazy for Crazy, and now want to write its history.

The thirteenth block is in the second row from the top, the orange (salmon) with green details.

The block is made up of five pieces of fabric. There is some salmon batik, quilting cotton with metallic print, and in the middle, a remnant from a ballgown sewn by Mrs I. This I have also used for the hearth (middle piece) of the Log Cabin Challenge quilt.

The other two pieces are the pink at the top, and the orange with a pattern in lime green. 

Let's start with the pink first. Once upon a time I bought a pair of trousers from Japanese fashion designer Kansai Yamamoto. He was famous for his large and colourful designs, real energy boosts. However, he also made some very plain and simple garments that made the dramatic patterns look even more outstanding when these clothes were worn together. 

(You can read more about this fashion designer, and the stage costumes he made for David Bowie and the Super Show he had in Moscow's Red Square by clicking on this link.)

My trousers were of a soft silky fabric that were warm in winter and cool in spring and autumn. They were so well made they lasted for ages, I am sure I used them at least once a week (autumn, winter and spring) for about 12 years. The piece I have used here is that little swatch you get together with a spare button in a small plastic bag when you buy quality garments.

The other piece, in orange and lime green, is dress fabric from the 1960s. I found it among my mother's things when I cleared out her sewing room. I know I have seen it, but am not sure where or in what form. Mum would never wear orange, so she can't have made it into a dress for herself. Nor did she make anything for me with this fabric. Did she use it for grandmother or an aunt? I have racked my brain all week, but can simply not remember... it is so frustrating. Still I have this vision of a sleeveless dress, nipped in waist and full skirt, a zipper in the side seam... Am I just dreaming?

The octagon block is decorated with a lace ornament and a length of lace, both given from a good friend and hand dyed. I added seed pearls and stitches on top.

I stitched a paisley shape with Alternating Magic Split Stitch, filled in a grid, edged it with Fly Stitch and French Knots.

The curved seam is edged with  Indian Edging Stitch.

I joined two spring rings (the ones used for keys) and covered them with Buttonhole Stitch before attaching them to the block with a thin ribbon (ribbon embroidery). Next to them is a row of Buttonholed Lazy Daisy Stitch.

The block also has a cluster of small buttons and a row of floral sequins.

I started this block in March 2020, almost seven month after I had completed block 12. Why did I take such a long time between the blocks? Was it the pandemic that put a damper on my energy? Any way, this block only took five weeks to finish.

Thank you to: Mother, Auntie, Kansai Yamamoto, Maureen, Mrs I, Kathleen, Sylvia and all my readers.

WIPW - A Star

Welcome to my Work In Progress Wednesday report.

Log Cabin Challenge

Twelve blocks got quilted, here marked in olive green.

Sunday Stitch School Stitch Sampler

I made a star and used the following stitches (from outside to in):

#97 Satin Threaded Chain

#69 Point Russe

#164 Satin Threaded Running

May I Suggest ... Monday?

Every Monday I want to promote blog reading. The names of blogs I like have been written on pieces of paper, and today I picked two slips at random from my box.

Both are quilting blogs and you will see some very colourful work.

Please visit:

 High Road Quilter

Shasta's quilting style is very flexible, it is not confined to one style. You can see quilts of various sizes and many techniques. Maybe like me she needs variation, so there is always a new approach to her work.  One thing is constant though, colour, there is always colour. Sometimes simple like the red quilts, while on other work she has blended hues beautifully.  

Shasta and I also share the joy of slow stitching. Why rush to finish? Shouldn't a bit of stitching each day be a target, not a rule. 15 minutes will do, the minutes add up to a lot of work in the end... Then again, we should never beat ourselves up for having stitch free days!

On many blogs you can see a Gallery tab with quilts on display. At High Road Quilter there is a whole  museum! Have a look at Musée de la Grande Route and enjoy portraits, elephants, a Stars and Stripes Eagle quilt, and clouds faded by washing detergent. I, too, have used household chloride to bleach patterns on fabric.

Shasta joins in Blog Hops and photo challenges so there are other interesting things to look at apart from the quilts.

Enjoy!

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Do you want even more of a colour explosion. Then head over to

Crazy Victoriana crazy for quilts

Janie is also a flexible quilter. At the moment she is concentrating on crisp, geometric quilts. Roller cut, machine pieced, PERFECTLY joined pieces of various sizes make up many of her quilt tops. The most striking though, is colour. Janie has superb colour confidence. She can make most colour combinations sing by adding one contrasting colour, e.g. her Primary Plaid quilt where pale yellow and light blue get an instant spice shock of hot orange. Another trick she has is to use black and white striped fabric to shake up 'monochrome' quilts (red/orange, or yellow/green). No wonder she has teaching experience.

These quilts are not only a delight on the front, the back is often as beautiful. I love the idea of paying as much time and attention to the back. Either you can use such a quilt as a reversible quilt, or just surprise the person who looks at the back. 

Now I said that Janie is concentrating on geometric quilt at the moment. If you look at her tap My Crazy Quilts and Sewing Projects, at the top of the blog, you will see that she has many other strengths, too. Janie makes these beautiful and useful bags, and fantastic crazy quilt items. The Suffolk Puffs (in the US they are called Yo-yos, I believe) are delectable confectionaries. It was the crazy quilting that first drew my attention to her work.

On the blog you will also see photographs of beautiful flowers, magnificent views and things of colour that inspire her, like her colour calendar or a basket of fruit.

There are many links to good books, shops, teachers and projects.

Each blog post ends with ... 'I'm remembering to be thankful'. I am so grateful  for this reminder, as I too, need to be thankful for all the good things in life instead of sulk over the bad.

Sunday Stitch School - Revision: Stitches 176 - 180

Welcome to evening class at Sunday Stitch School.

It is time to look back at the last five stitches. Click on the title to see the instructions.

176 Buttonhole Cross Stitch

This stitch was found in a Scandinavian book and I have never seen it anywhere else. It is easy and looks good, too.

177 Double Seed Stitch

Surely this is one of the easiest stitches there is - just make one Seed Stitch next to another!

178 Floating Loop Stitch

This stitch, however, is far trickier, both while you stitch it and afterwards, as it is so easy to pull it out of shape by mistake. It looks neat, though.

179 Double Pekinese Stitch

Once again, here is a double stitch. It is easy, and actually sits better than the single Pekinese Stitch.

180 Fancy Stitch

Want to fill an area? Then here is one stitch you could try - Fancy Stitch.  It is easy to mistake it for Cloud Filling (which is a TAST stitch), but there is a difference in the foundation stitches which makes the overall look slightly wonky.

Homework:

How can I use these five stitches for the Sunbonnet Sue sampler? Try crayon and black thread!