First Block...Finished??

I think this block is finished.  It just seems like it still needs something.  I think it is because of the muted colors.  I am used to the vividness and contrast of the other quilt.  Any suggestions for additions?  After the whole thing is assembled (a looooong time from now), I may add some beads and more buttons for embellishment.  I am hesitant to do that until after all the blocks are sewn together, though, because I think it will be more difficult to work with if I add them before.  By the way, the block is 6 x 12.

 My little drum was very sad so I added some flowers to spruce it up.  The drum was my first foray into silk floss.  Yummm (she says with dreamy, far away eyes).

The teacup was my second try at silk floss.  It was just as good as the first time, so I guess the ease of it wasn't a fluke.  Unfortunately, I used the whole skein of green.  The little flower was cut off from a venise motif and dyed.

 The little girl in the picture is my great grandmother, Maggie Dukes Brown.  She is with her baby brother and parents in a circa 1900 photograph.  I am planning to use family pictures of children in the quilt.  This picture was originally a lot smaller and it just wasn't working, so I blew it up some more and ended up appliqueing it on.

This motif was inspired by Brian Haggerd.  Along with the Kreinik floss, Santa brought me his newest book.

Have you ever noticed that when you get something new (or want something) that you suddenly see that item everywhere?  Whenever my husband gets a new vehicle, he is suddenly able to point out everything similar in a 2 mile radius.  That is exactly how I am with this piece of lace.  I found it in an antique shop in Goliad, Texas (Hanging Tree Antiques--check them out if you are in the area, these are super nice people).  There are several pieces of it that equal a few yards.  Anyway, in the couple of weeks since I bought it, I have seen it online in at least 4 other blocks.  Then when the husband and I went to Goliad for Market Days on the 12th, we went back to the Hanging Tree and and I found another length of lace which has the above lace as an insertion.

No News is Not Good News

I know, I haven't blogged in a while.  I am really stuck on the crazy quilt.  I finally have the back on and now I need to pin it and tie it.  Decisions, decisions.  Do I tie to the front and risk making the embroidery look messy?  Do I tie to the back and leave the little ends?  Do I try to hide the ends?  Do I match the thread to the backing?  Do I use something that contrasts?  Argh!!!!!  I don't need this pressure!!!

This is where I am now: 

As you can see, it really needs pressing and, of course, the tying.  The colors are so much more vivid than they look in the picture, or maybe it's my screen. 

In the middle of the madness, I am working on a customer's t-shirt quilt, which is really the main focus.  I like quilting for others and I really like making the extra money, especially at this time of the year.  But this darn crazy is making me, well, crazy!!

I am entering it in the Corpus Christi quilt show in February of 2013.  Just because my husband said it was ugly. 

And in the midst of all the hair pulling over finishing the darn thing, I have discovered the Crazy Quilt Journal Project for 2013.  I am seriously thinking about doing this.  It is a sickness, is it not?  There is no prize, just people around the world committing to making a crazy quilt block no smaller than 6" square of 36" in area each month for 12 months.  Simple, right?  Well, in theory it should be.  But now I'm obsessing on a theme.  And a block size.  I don't even want to consider how I will put it all together at the end. 

What do you think?  I am not making anything as big as my current project.  It will likely be a 9" block to make a simple wall hanging or table topper.  I have considered putting the twelve blocks around a themed center and I have two ideas for the center.  One would be the large piece of peacock lace that I wanted to use on the current quilt.  It is about 18" tall and 8" wide.  I would love to use that thing, but I have a lot of peacock stuff on the this quilt and I am not sure I want to do the same thing on the next. 

The other idea is to use something from Bonnet Girls as the center.  I have had one of Helen Scott's book forever (years and years) and have not used it.  Another thing on my list of stuff to accomplish.  Some people's bucket list has bungee cords and trips to Antarctica.  Mine includes a crazy quilt and a lone star. 

Of course, there is also Brian Haggard's new book, Embroidered Memories that I can't wait to see.  I could make a monochromatic design with more of a aesthetic, Eastlake feel to it. 

And because I love all things Victorian, a quilt focusing on things likes hats, shoes, and other accessories would be really cute. 

Last but not least (ok, probably not really the last, either), is something featuring needle tatting in the center. 

Please, please leave a comment and give me your ideas and feedback!! 

A Glimpse

This week I've been busy putting blocks together, embellishing the seams between them, and moving and adding motifs within the blocks.  While I'm only showing two things today, rest assured that much more was done behind the scenes!







This is my take on the Sacred Heart.  I saw something similar on one of the quilts in Crazy-Quilted Memories by Brian Haggard and decided to design my own.  After drawing it, I traced it onto the water soluble stabilizer and embroidered using buttonhole, backstitch, straight stitch, and french knots.  I obviously did not soak off the stabilizer before I snapped the picture.  Mr. Haggard's designs strike me as more Eastlake-ish (not a word, I know) in form.  Since I love Eastlake and aesthetic, I find his work very interesting.  As a matter of fact, as I write this and look at these pictures, I see a few other of his inspirations that I've followed.  Note the wagon wheel on the top left of the picture below (the rest of that design is also inspired by Haggard) and the blue triangular seam design on the top left.

This spider and web are stitched between two joined blocks.  I love, love, love how it came out.  I made the spiderweb first and then searched online for a tatted spider pattern.  This is from be-stitched.  I chose turquoise for the middle of the spider because the suggested red (black widow) was just too scary for me. 

In Victorian times, a spider in the home was a sign of good luck.  I think the husbands just told the wives that so they wouldn't have to be bothered with killing spiders.  So, much like pineapples and other positive traditions, spiders were added to crazy quilts. 
Stay tuned.  Next week I hope to have the last block finished.  I'm still searching for the perfect fabric for the border of the whole quilt.