February block for CQJP

Here is my bare block for February, which will be part of my 25th Anniversary crazy quilt:

Since I love the blocks in antique crazies, I modeled this block after the four corner blocks in the quilt "Aesthetic Dress Crazy" by Caroline Kountz Jones, showcased on page 49 of Cindy Brick's book, Crazy Quilts.

When I was making my first CQ, I bought an old hanky that's monogrammed with an "S," since my last name starts with S. I didn't end up using it on that CQ, so I decided to use it on this block. The edges of the hanky are plain (you can see at the top or side of the block, where the fabrics extend past the 6" stitching). I added lace on the two sides of the hanky.

Here's the block with some embroidery:

For the edge where the lace is sewn onto the hanky, I used three different-sized button-hole stitches. Then I made a diagonal chain stitch at the top of every third button-hole. I added some feather stitching to the backwards L shape, with some of the stitching holding down the edges of the lace.

That's about all for now.

Finished January Block

Here is my finished block for January for CQJP 2012. This block is for the 25th wedding anniversary crazy quilt I'm working on. To see other blocks I've made, click on the "Anniversary Quilt" label at the end of this post.

This block commemorates the two trips my husband and I have taken to Canada, in 1994 and in 2011. The first trip was without kids and the second was with kids and with another family who we're close friends with.

Awhile ago, I thought I saw some small number beads at one of the local craft stores, but when I was working on this block, I couldn't find them! So I decided to just use a thin Pigma pen to write the two years. From now on, I guess I need to just buy things for this quilt when I see them. There's nothing wrong with a big stash, right?

When we were in Toronto last summer, we went to the top of the CN Tower. Since I had already made some of the other blocks for this quilt, I bought a tie tack to go on this block. I think it looks great in the triangle-shaped fabric:

At Niagara Falls, I couldn't find a charm or tie tack that was specific to the Falls, so I bought this Canadian Maple Leaf:

January block continues...

I've got most of my beading done on my January block for CQJP 2012. Here's how the whole block looks:Here's the seam by the lace on the left side. Besides the clusters of 3 seed beads, I put a larger clear bead on the lace in the center of each motif:

Here's the seam on the far right side of the block. I used sead beads, bugle beads, and large beads that look like donuts:

On the ribbon/trim on the right side of the block, I sewed a mother of pearl button with three gold seed beads inside each of the three shapes that I had previously outlined in embroidery:

Finally, I added seed beads to this seam treatment on the left side of that ribbon/trim. I just love that hand-dyed silk ribbon I used in this seam. The variegated colors are so pretty:

That's it for now. Have a fantastic week!

January progress

I've got all the embroidery done on my January block for CQJP. On the white trim on the right side of the triangle, I outlined three of the designs to make them stand out more.

For the velvet piece in this picture, I did a design similar to one on the Maria Wilson Beardsley quilt on page 92 of Penny McMorris' book, Crazy Quilts. Yep, I told you I love those antique CQs!

Some of the other stitches are ones I saw in Allie Aller's Crazy Quilting book and some are from Sharon Boggon's Encrusted Crazy Quilting online class.

I've started beading this block, and I'll get pictures of that up soon.

January CQ Block beginning

Happy New Year! Here's what my January block looks like without any embellishments.

Although I like to make some CQ blocks the "stitch and flip" method, I also love the way antique crazqy quilt blocks are very unique and individual. A few years ago, I found a copy of the wonderful book Crazy Quiltsby Penny McMorris at an antique shop for $5.00. Of course I snatched it right up! I love to get inspiration from there for some of my blocks. My January block was inspired by one of my favorite quilts in that book. It was made by Maria Wilson Beardsley, circa 1883, featured on pages 92 - 93. Although my block is different from hers, the block I modeled this after is on the top row, the second from the right.

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012

So I've decided to do the "Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012." I'm not sure if I will actually be able to make one CQ block each month next year, but I thought that it would be a good incentive! In the summer of 2010, I took Sharon Boggon's "Encrusted Crazy Quilting" online class. (A wonderful class, by the way!) I made one block, with the intention of making a 25-block CQ by December 2015 for my 25th wedding anniversary. Here it is, a year and a half later, and I've made three blocks. Not a good start. As it happens, my blocks are 6X6 inches, which fits the criteria for the CQJP 2012. I emailed the chairman to make sure I can make the blocks for a project I've already started, and Kathy Shaw replied that, "Twelve new blocks would fit the intent of the challenge...and would be fine as long as each block is at least 6x6 inches in size."

I'm showing my first three blocks, so you can get an idea of where I'm headed in 2012. I'm sticking with a monochromatic color scheme of whites, creams, and golds, with some black embroidery added. Although there will eventually be 25 blocks, I'm not making one block to correspond with one year of marriage.

This is the first block I made in Sharon's class:

This block commemorates our first trip to Europe. My husband Mike is a high school social studies teacher, and in 2006, we helped chaperone a group of 24 students on an educational trip to France and Italy (there were three other chaperones). I embroidered the Eiffel Tower in black floss and added gold beads to represent the lights at night. In the upper right corner, I embroidered the Leaning Tower of Pisa, although it didn't turn out so great. I added a "Rome" charm I bought at Hobby Lobby on the left side. You can't really see it in the photo, but I used some gold thread to embroider the year 2006 in the lower right patch.

Below are two close-ups of the block (Oops ~ I forgot to turn the photo of the Rome charm before I uploaded it.)



This is the second block I made. I embroidered the US map in black. When a local bead store was going out of business, I bought a string of about 50 light brown Swarovski crystals at a great price. I sewed one bead onto each state that Mike and I have visited together. If we visit more states before our 25th anniversary, I will add those beads to this block.

Some closeups of block 2:

There's a small lace flower under this button. I used acrylic paint to add color to the lace.

This is the third block I've made. It represents our second time chaperoning a trip to Europe, in 2008. This trip we went to Ireland, Wales, and England. I used some rubber stamps and acrylic paint to stamp the year. In the center, I embroidered Big Ben in black, and used a small mother of pearl button for the clock face. In the lower right corner, I used pre-made ribbon roses to make a circle, then I placed a shamrock charm inside.

Closeup of the shamrock and roses. I put a cream bead in the center of each rose:

Closeup of the little gathered ribbon flower I made. There are a few clear beads in the center of the flower.So there you have it: my first three CQ blocks for my anniversary quilt. Now I just need to be consistent working on the next 12 blocks in 2012!

Thanks for stopping by!

My Mind's Eye November Challenge

For this month's challenge, all the products I used are from the "Lost and Found Two" collection. Love those! The background paper looks black in the photo, but it's really a dark brown. I used some crocheted trim from L&F2. You probably can't tell from this photo, but the tree in the picture is covered in frost. I thought the pearl swirl added just the right touch to the frost. Thanks for looking:)