This Blog

This is a blog to show off my needlework, mainly crazy quilting, beading and crochet. It makes me happy to create these things and even more happy to share the fun with friends. Pictures of my beading projects are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/37765046@N00/sets/72057594083565963/

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Crazy Quilts are Quilts, Too

www.pigtalesandquilts.com is having a Crazy Quilts are Quilts Too online contest and show. I didn't enter a piece in the contest, but I'm doing the "linky" thing. Here a picture of my latest finished piece, Green Apple Flutter.

It is 14 inches square. It started with a 6 inch square block I made to experiment with the colors orange and lime green. I decided to enlarge the piece to take to the Crazy Quilt Adventure retreat in Connecticut last April for a work piece. I decided to include some plastic stickers I had with uplifting words to go with the bright colors: grow, play and bloom. I used a fair number of new to me techniques on the block, including stumwork wired butterflies. My friend Susan brainstormed to help me chose a new name for it, Green Apple Flutter. I had been calling it red orange and apple green block. That didn't exactly flow.

I've been crazy quilting since a few months after I retired in 1997. I wanted to make a quilt and was looking through old ideas and patterns I had kept. I was struck immediately by a crazy quilt pattern, ca 1960s and started on a full sized quilt I called "The Sampler." I read that a spider and web on a quilt is good luck. I remembered the big garden spiders that built their webs between the corn rows on the Iowa farm where I grew up. I made a "corn rows" block with a spider in the middle that is 3 1/2 inches long from including the legs. She was published in the first issue of Quilting Arts magazine.  I finished the quilt in 2001.
.
During that time I joined the Crazy Quilt group on Quiltropolis and found a great community for learning and friendship. I participated in a number of round robins over several years. I enjoyed them a lot, but have given them up because I want the time to work on my own projects. As various new crazy quilt groups have formed, I've joined them, too. Can't say enough about how valuable they are for promoting our art.

I've made two other full-sized quilts: one for my friend Maggie:

Since Marguarite means daisy, the quilt was full of daisy motifs and "silkies." It was made of cotton fabrics from my stash in purples.

And another for my sister: Bells and Butterflies for Betty


This is  blues, her favorite color and features the objects of her collections, bells and butterflies.

I've also made blocks for donations, ornament and toys over the years:





These are some examples. As I look back through my pictures I see I've had a lot of fun with my crazy quilting needle. 

5 comments:

  1. You surely have made very good use of your retirement time. Your CQ is fabulous. I looove your mauve Feather stitch with French Knots seam on Marguarite's quilt. So delicate and pretty.
    Your Green Apple Flutter is brilliant and not just in the colours.
    There is a wealth of inspiration in each of your works.
    I'm happy to have had the opportunity to drop in.
    Maureen

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am presuming your Header was stitched by you.
    Do you have a full picture of the dragon?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so happy to have found your blog through the links at the quilt show! I love your use of colour, especially the green apple project. Your spider is wonderful too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. your "Green Apple" is fantastic!! colors combination is very impressive! I'm so glad to visit your blog!
    regards from Russia,
    Masha

    ReplyDelete
  5. Got here from the quilt show and have enjoyed YOUR show. I especially like Betty's quilt since I love blue.

    P.S. I was born and still live in IA!

    ReplyDelete

Followers