A Short Sharing Post – Crazy Patch

Making it around to my blog has been next to impossible for over a month now.  I’m very behind in sharing the crazy quilting things I’ve received or worked on.  This day is not fit for man nor beast outside so maybe I can manage getting a post up when I take a break from pickle making.  Would you believe I found over thirty pounds of pickling cucumbers…fresh and pretty…in December?  You may, but I was amazed.  I believe finding the cucumbers was a huge hug from God.  My pickle stash was almost gone, and He knew I needed the cucumbers to make more.  (God definitely cares about the little things.)  Now back to crazy patch…but I had to praise God for His goodness.

A while back I took part in a three-way heart swap.  One was from Stephanie and the other was made by Cris.  I’ve not yet shared it.  It’s another beauty.

I also swapped a heart with Marianne…she said she loves it, but o how I wish I could make changes to it now.  I’m not at all happy with the work I did on the top portion of the heart.  Still, it was made with love and well received.  I don’t know why I didn’t trim it before I took the picture and mailed it Marianne…

Since my last round robin update I’ve taken my turn on two blocks and mailed them on their way to the next stitcher.  I worked on a Kate Greenaway block and a gray study block.  I’m trying to add something I’ve never done before on any block I work on (after testing it on a doodle cloth).

The Greenaway block belongs to Nark (Nancy from Arkansas).  It’s from the Kate Greenaway Round Robin going on at WWCQ.  The block is made completely of beautiful silk.   I don’t seem to have a picture of her whole block so I am sharing close-ups of the work I did.  Here is one taken before I started working on the it.

I beaded a grape vine on Nark’s block.  This is the first time I’ve stitched a beaded grape vine on anyone’s rr block.  I love the outcome and hope Nark will, too.  The technique is one I learned from Nancy Eha’s Bead Creative Like Crazy.   I also stitched the scalloped seam treatment with detached chain and bead flowers.

This shot is a close-up of the spider web and spider I added to Nark’s block.  I also stitched the sheaf stitch above the spider web to embellish a tiny seam and the seam treatment below the web.  For it I used the straight stitch, bullion stitch and colonial knot.

The last picture shows an overview of the work done by me.  I also added the pretty Nicki Lee Venice lace butterfly.

What started out to be a short post has ended up being a bit long so I am going to close this one out and share the gray study in another post.  I didn’t realize I’ve completed two gray blocks rr blocks and a one gray one of my own (my July CQJP 2013 block…I’m a wee bit behind) without posting them.

Until next time…

Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.  Hebrews 1:3

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CQ Updates

Since my last post I’ve completed my share of two round robin blocks.  Both blocks are from the Kate Greenaway round robin at World Wide Crazy Quilting.  The first block I worked on belongs to Diane.  It winged it’s way on to the next stitcher earlier this month.  The second belongs to Carol.  I enjoyed working on both blocks and tried something new or used a technique I have not used in a long time on each block.

Diane’s block…I was first to stitch on Diane’s block so it was up to me to set the tempo.  Because Diane used a bright fabric as a highlight, I capitalized on that color.

Diane’s block after me…

The theme for this RR is Kate Greenaway, so I transferred a line drawing illustration by Ms. Greenaway and stitched it in redwork style.  I’m not sure why the little girl was jumping in Kate Greenaway’s illustration, but I added a couched jump rope for effect.   I also added a Nicki Lee Venice lace and embellished it with orange seed beads to pick up the orange color in the anchor patch.  One of my favorite stitches is the feather stitch so I used it on the seam above the flower and embellished it with seed beads and colonial knots.  I added a piece of green, cotton lace and worked a line of buttonhole stitch and detached chain stitch along the straight edge.  Seed beads embellish the lace.

I adore spider webs and am fascinated by spiders in real life.  A crazy quilt block is not complete to me without one of each so I added one to Diane’s block.  I also added a stem stitch vine along the left seam and embellished it with tiny silk ribbon flowers and leaves.  It has been a long time since I’ve used silk ribbon, and I enjoyed stitching with it.

The butterfly is another lace piece painted by Nicki Lee.  I hope someone adds some beads to it before it flies home to Diane.  My final addition was the pretty lace piece along the right corner patch seam.  I stitched a row of Cretan stitch along the top.  The lace just seemed to belong to Diane’s block.

That’s a wrap for my work on Diane’s block.  Next up is Carol’s block.

Carol anchored her block with a Kate Greenaway silkie and asked for a theme reminiscent of a gentler time…childhood.  Though I toyed with the idea of embellishing the silkie, I never came up with a plan for it so I left it for someone else.  Diane was the first stitcher and sent Carol’s block on to me.

After Diane…She added lovely feminine touches to the block.

Carol’s block after me…It’s likely feminine blocks are my favorite to work on so I pulled out some pretty laces and pink and powder blue stuff and let my work begin.  It flowed.  I love it when the stitching flows.  🙂

I added more pretty white lace following Diane’s lead and embellished it with blue straight and fly stitches, pink seed beads and pretty oval pearl.  The blue accent beads and sequins were already part of the lace.

Next I added a feather stitch seam and patch treatment and embellished it with more pink seed beads and colonial knots.  This view also focuses on my blue silk ribbon embroidery irises and the chain stitch seam embellished with pretty pearl beads.  The sweet little blue bird is one I bought from Thearica’s Crazy Quilting Supply shop.  It fit perfectly in the tiny triangle that edges the anchor patch.  I also added the blanket stitch along the seam.

Finally, I added another piece of white lace and embellished it with (you guessed it!) pink seed beads and Farago silk ribbon roses.  Because Carol wanted her block to be sweet and a reminder of the gentle days of childhood I resisted the urge to add a spider web and spider.  It took a lot of self control…but I managed.  🙂

I hope Diane and Carol will both be pleased with the work I did on their blocks, because I thoroughly enjoyed working on both of them.

Until next time…

This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” (1 John 5:6)

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