I have been taking a break from the Crazy Quilt for a while, but am now back at it. I have gotten better at piecing, and can do two six inch blocks in about 30 minutes.
After three blocks, I take a break because the hunching over to sew and iron makes my back tired.
Once I get a good stack of blocks done, I start embroidering. This is fun, because I just start stitching along the edges of the piecing.
Sometimes I go astray, and that’s fun too. I can even sew around the edges of the flowers. It’s up to me.
So now, I’m working on about the 50th block. I’ll need about 140, so my first Crazy Quilt is still a long way from being done!
I started my first crazy quilt just about ten days ago, thinking I would work at it a little here and there. I should have known better!
Once I get started on a project, I find it impossible to let it just ‘sit there’. Unless pulled away, I work on it…. Not constantly, but consistently. At least until something more interesting else comes along.
I am experimenting with how much embroidery is ‘too much’. So far, I haven’t hit that point. I piece the blocks on the sewing machine in the afternoon, and embroider on the couch in the evenings. I use simple, non-floral stitches, because I like the geometry of them. Blanket stitch, French knots, and running stitches go quickly and are very satisfying.
In the last ten days I’ve gotten 36 , 7 inch blocks pieced and 20 of them embroidered, on my way to about 120 total. Each block will be 6 inches square, so the quilt should be 5 feet by 6 feet, good for snuggling on the couch.
I worked out the math, and if I piece three blocks a day, I can have that bit done in just under a month. But don’t hold your breath. This is a ‘just for me’, long term, do-when-I-want project. It might be done by New Years’, or not until 2025.
When I lived just a few blocks from you, we had dinner every week and visited a lot. Now that I am in Portland, I see Auntie Katie more. Last week’s walk in the Fall drizzle ended up at her cozy apartment.
First, I had a piece of pumpkin pie. A slice of not too sweet pumpkin pie delicious-ness is the perfect thing for Second breakfast after a two mile walk.
Restored and refreshed by the pie, I had a visit with Sir Isaac Snooten, Kestrel’s hog-nosed snake. He has a new, larger enclosure and has gotten so big! He is a happy, social, snake boy.
And then, on to the goodies! I have decided to try (after years of feeling intimidated) a Crazy Quilt. You know, non-geometric piecing, lots of trims, and gobs of embroidery. Auntie Katie sweetly offered me her stash of fabrics, and we spent a happy time sifting through four drawers and a basket to find the right textures and colors. It was a real treasure hunt.
We put the chosen fabrics (along with a year’s supply of Publisher’s Weekly as collage fodder) into a sack, had an hug, and I headed back up the hill. I spent a happy hour combining Katie’s fabrics and mine to come up with the color pallet for my first-ever crazy quilt. (Don’t worry, that odd pink flower fabric is not part of the scheme… she just wandered in.)
So now, there are just hundreds of pieces to cut, sew, press, trim, embroider, and piece together. Wish me luck! I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Dear Liza 