CQJP 2012 December

It's time to post the last block of the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 (CQJP 2012). I had a busy year as usual but I managed to keep up with making a crazy quilt block every month this year. My theme was Christmas and here is my December block. It measure 6", so this is one of the smaller ones.

CQJP 2012 December

There are still a couple of charms and beads to sew onto the block but I'll add them after it is quilted.

I have made 12 blocks but I am actually going to make a thirteenth block to tie them all together to make a quilt. I have a vague idea of what the final block will look like but I won't be designing it until after Christmas.

All the Christmas decorations in the shops weren't a surprise this year and I didn't even feel as if they were too early like I usually do because I have been playing around with Christmas all year! I'll be pleased to finish this quilt and start working on something else.

I have decided not to participate in CQJP 2013because I still have this quilt to finish plus all my other plans. It's been a fun experience though and if they run another in 2014 I might join in again.

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP 2013

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project is going to be run again next year. (CQJP 2013). Many people from all over the world participated this year and it was a great success.

The idea is to complete a crazy block that is at least 6" square every month and post it on the CQJP 2013 blog. You must register to be part of the fun and it is open to everyone from beginners to advanced sewers.

Registration is open now and closes on the 12th December 2012. Click on CQJP 2013 to find the rules and to register.




You do not have to have a blog to participate. I enjoyed being part of CQJP 2012 and it was lovely to see everyone's  block every month. There is  also a Facebook group and I found that one of the most enjoyable parts of the challenge because I met some lovely online friends who would post their photos and talk about their blocks.

I haven't decided if I will take part in 2013 yet. I have a busy teaching schedule next year and I also have 2 new quilts to make that are not crazy quilts. I wanted to start them this year but I couldn't find the time. I also have my Waverley Art Quilters group and I'll be in my second year of my Quilt Valuation training. So much to do and so little time!


Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP 2012 November

I actually finished my November Crazy Quilt Journal Project block very early in November but put it aside as I was preparing for my daughter's wedding. My theme is Christmas and this month I made it a bit easier on myself by putting a beautiful tatted wreath in the centre. I added some beads to give it some sparkle.

CQJP Nov 2012 © Linda Steele

I have made the various blocks all different sizes and this is one of the 12 inch blocks.

This is what the block looked like before I added the embroidery.

CQJP Nov 2012 base block

Here's a close up of the tatted wreath. I bought it years ago at a small quilt show and I always found it too big to use. It was perfect for this block though. I bought a book on tatting when I was last in Houston, it's something on my to-do someday list!

I have a couple more close-ups from the block.

Candles

Christmas stocking

The year's flying by and there is only one more month to go in this Crazy Quilt Journal Project. It is going to be run again next year. I'll look up the details and put them in another post for you.

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP 2012 October

I have been participating all year in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012(CQJP 2012). Every month people from all over the world have been making a crazy block every month and posting it on the CQJP Blog.

I decided to have a theme for my blocks and my theme is Christmas. It's now October and Christmas decorations have started to appear in the shops. I hardly batted an eye when I saw them because I have been thinking about Christmas all year!

My October block is green and is 12" wide. I embroidered the rocking horse in the centre with stem stitch.

CQJP 2012-October © 2012 Linda Steele

I did the candle in stem stitch as well. I found some fun little buttons for an embellishment and put some lazy daisies (detached chains) around them to look like flowers.

I put some stockings hanging from a vine with some spider roses in 4mm red ribbon.

This is what the base block looked like before I added the embroidery.

It's hard to believe that there are only 2 more blocks to go.

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP 2012 September

Is it really September already? The year is flying by. Somehow I have managed to keep up with the Crazy Quilt Journal Project this year. It would be fine if it was the only thing I had to do but with my Art Quilters homework and teaching and my daughter's wedding coming up, I am having a busy time.

People from all over the world are participating in the CQJP 2012. You may do whatever you want but try and complete a crazy block every month and post your block onto the CQJP 2012 blog. They also have a Facebook page for participants which is nice because it is a bit more personal and you get to know the others in the group.

I am having a Christmas theme for my blocks and what is Christmas without presents?

CQJP September

This is one of the smaller blocks and measures 6". Here's what the block looked like before I added the embroidery.

CQJP September

I think that you can faintly see where I marked the presents and Christmas stockings with a white pencil. The blue and the green presents are done in silk and I had a bit of trouble controlling the fabric until I used a fusible interfacing on them and then they were very easy to use, It's hard to see in the photo but the silk applique has a lovely roundness to the shapes and glow so beautifully compared to the cotton.

I used turkey stitch on the top of the Christmas stockings for a fluffy look.

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP August

My August block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) 2012 is another blue block but this one is a 12" block.
I was inspired to embroider a reindeer with fancy curling antlers after seeing a similar one on a Christmas serviette last Christmas.

I used a magic chain stitch on the bottom right which looks tricky but is actually so easy to do. I remembered some little polka dot buttons that I bought while on holiday last year and added them to the top on the chain stitch.

Magic chain stitch

When I bought those buttons I had no idea that I would be doing a Christmas Crazy Quilt this year. In the back of my mind I thought I would do one at some stage.

I took a photo of the block before it was beaded. The beaded block at the top of the post definitely looks better. Beading adds life and sparkle and a touch of light.

CQJP 2012 before beading

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP July

We are over the halfway mark for our blocks in the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP 2012). People from all over the world are participating in this exciting event and posting their progress on the CQJP2012 blog for everyone to see.

My theme for the year is Christmas and I have featured a yummy looking Christmas pudding in my July block.

This is one of the smaller blocks in my quilt and it only measures 6" square.

Here's what the block looked like before I added the embroidery.

I think that my pudding turned out well. I used stem stitch for the pudding for some texture and used satin stitch for the icing for a smooth look. I added a few straight stitches in black to look like dried fruit.

Pudding © 2012 Linda Steele

In the bottom right hand corner, I did a scallop with back stitch and covered it with some detached blanket stitches. It gives a thicker garland band that I think looks really effective.

Detached blanket stitch

I am glad that I chose to join the project this year, it has been a nice  focus in a very busy year so far. It also means that I always have some hand stitching ready to do when I am sitting in front of the television.

Bye for now,
Linda

June Crazy Block

I am ready to show you my June block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 (CQJP). This time it is another blue block. I really love working with the blue colours. It was always my favourite colour growing up, although I probably liked a lighter blue than this. This block is  9 inches wide, all my blocks are going to end up being a round shape but they look square at the moment.

Nutcracker © 2012 Linda Steele

In keeping with my Christmas scene, I have put a nutcracker in the middle of this one. I have quite a collection of nutcrackers that go on display every Christmas, so I had to include one in my quilt.

Can you see the Mouse King lurking up in the top right hand side?

Nutcracker detail

I have used a turkey stitch for the Nutcracker's beard. It is such a bushy beard that it is a bit hard to see his mouth.

This is what the base block looked like before I added the embroidery.

June base block

I was working on this block at the Australasian Quilt Convention (AQC) this year, just in case anyone saw me there and thinks that this block looks vaguely familiar.

People from all over the world are making crazy quilt blocks for the Journal project this year. You can see them by clicking on the link CQJP 2012

Bye for now,
Linda

May Crazy Block

I am managing to keep up to date with the Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP 2012). This months block is a dark red block with a snowman in the centre.



CQJP May  2012  Linda Steele

I used satin stitch for his face but I changed to stem stitch for his body, I wasn't very happy with the satin stitch and thought that stem stitch looked a bit more textured for the snow. Not that I really know much about snow, living in suburban Melbourne, Australia. I think I've only seen snow twice in my life.

Here is the base block without the embroidery. This one is a 7" block.

You can see that I had started the embroidery when I remembered to take a photo. I have used a mixture of silk and cotton fabric. In future I must try and remember to take a photo before I add the beads. I think that the beads really improve the block and it looks so plain without them.

I am enjoying looking at all the blocks that other people are making. Photos of blocks from all over the world have been posted on the CQJP Blog.

If you go to the CQJP Website and click on Inspiration Photos, you will find that they have given the participants their own page and you can see all their blocks that they have done so far.

I have already started my June block.

Bye for now,
Linda

CQJP 2012 April Block

Here is my April block for the CQJP 2012 (Crazy Quilt Journal Project).

This block is a bit larger than my previous blocks. It’s a 9" block and I have mainly used green silk fabrics as the base.

This is what it looked like before the embroidery.

I had already started the block when I realised that I hadn’t taken a photo of it. I used a satin stitch for the holly leaves and the berries. I like to do the centre first because it’s much easier to use a hoop if you haven’t got all the embroidery in the way.

In the bottom right corner I did some spider web roses in yellow ribbon.

 

In the top left corner I made some back stitched spider web roses in red embroidery floss.

The main difference between the two roses apart from the obvious of one in ribbon and the other in embroidery thread is that the spider web rose has 5 spokes for the base and the back stitched rose has 6 spokes and that gives the ribbed look.

Seeing that little yellow stitch in the bottom of that close up photo reminds me that I also used a crown stitch.

I have never used this stitch before and it is quite nice, I must remember to do this stitch again. I have to use a stitch a few times before I can commit it to memory.

I keep meaning to make a book of stitches to have near me to jog my memory when doing my crazy quilt blocks. I have lots of embroidery books but they are often also full of stitches that I don’t use and my own book would be better.

Another thing for me to add to my to-do list, I fear that list is quite long!

Bye for now,

Linda

CQJP 2012 March

I am managing to keep up to date with my Crazy Quilt Journal Blocks (CQJP 2012).

My theme is Christmas and this month I used a blue background as my base. I really like the blue and don’t know why I don’t use that colour more often. It was always my favourite colour when I was growing up.

This month, I decided to needle turn appliqué a couple of Christmas crackers in the middle of the block.

Here is the finished 6" block.

The block looks a little bare on the right edge but I am leaving a place for a charm. I don’t put the charms on my crazy quilts until after they are quilted.

The little red stitches on the cretan stitch on the top right is Sorbello stitch.

I had better get started on my April block. Actually, hasn’t the year just started, why are we suddenly talking about April!

Bye for now,

Linda

CQJP 2012 February Block

My February block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 is finished. This time I did a green 6" block using silk fabrics.

Here is the base block before I added any embroidery.

My theme for this year is Christmas so I put a couple of candy canes in the middle of the block. I decided to satin stitch the red and white stripes on an angle and it gives a nice rounded look to the candy canes.

Every month I am trying a stitch or technique that I have to look at a book to remember how to do it. This month the stitch that I cannot remember to do automatically is the chained feather stitch.

I added some beads to the stitch for the first time because I usually leave it plain.

People from all around the world have started putting their blocks on the CQJP 2012 blog. Anyone can look at them by going to the blog. It is so wonderful to see everyone’s blocks.

Bye for now,

Linda

Exciting Parcel

My colour theme for my Crazy Quilt Journal Project is red, green and blue silk fabrics. I realised that I was going to run out of fabrics and I also needed some more fabrics to make it interesting.

I am on the email mailing list for Evening Star Designs although I had never ordered anything before. She specialises in fabrics and embellishments for crazy quilters.

I noticed that she had packs of 10 fat eighth silk fabrics in red, green and blue. It was perfect. Different silk fabrics packaged in small quantities are hard to find in Australia.

I love them; they only took just over a week to arrive. You can see that I also bought three different braids, snowflakes, Christmas trees and some holly.

I couldn’t resist the winter pack either.

Now I am really looking forward to making up my next block.

Bye for now,

Linda

CQJP 2012 January Block

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 (CQJP) is up and running.

The rules were that you had to register before December 2011. You must make a block every month during 2012 that must measure at least 6". You are supposed to try and improve your skills by trying something new as well.

I have chosen a theme of Christmas and my colour scheme will be red, green and blue.

I have decided to use mainly silk fabrics because of their shine that lends itself to the Christmas theme. To stretch myself I am going to try a stitch that I don’t regularly use and I will have to look up my Crazy Quilt books to check on how to do them.

Here is my January block.

The blocks in my quilt are going to be three different sizes. This first one is a 6" block. As you can see I put three candles in the middle and embroidered the seams with cotton and silk embroidery threads. I embroidered the candles using stem stitch.

This is what the block looked like before I had added the embroidery. I drew up the pattern on some calico and then foundation pieced it.

It looks so plain doesn’t it?

The floral fabric in the top and just under the centre is a new fabric that I had purchased at the Quilt Convention last year. To my horror it started to shred just like the silk on those antique Crazy Quilts.

I had to remove it and I lined it with a product called Dream Weave Fusible by Floriani. This product is made to protect delicate fabrics from shredding and distortion. It doesn’t change the hand of the fabric and is supposed to be good for lining silk before applique. I haven’t tried it for that yet though.

It seems to be working well and I have had no more shredding.

The stitch that I used to stretch myself was the Half Chevron.

One block down, eleven to go!

Bye for now,

Linda

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 has just begun. Registration is open to everyone from 15th November to 27th December 2011.
The idea is to create a Crazy Quilt block every month for 12 months and share them with everyone in the group if you want. People from all over the world are going to participate and it will be a lot of fun seeing everyone's different blocks.

I have never done a group project like this before but it has come at the right time for me. I am just finishing up two hand work projects, a crazy quilt and an applique quilt. The next quilt that I have in my mind to do is by machine so I will be without any hand work.

I always like to have some hand work for when I am watching TV or going to a sewing/friendship group. Now I will have my Crazy Quilt Journal blocks to sew. I am feeling quite excited by this because I haven't started a new project for over 12 months.

If you are interested in participating look at their website and read all about it.

http://www.cqjp.org

The blocks can be any size from 6" x 6", so it shouldn't be too much work. Maybe you have never done any Crazy Quilting before, this could be the ideal time to give it a go.

Now I just have to decide what my theme will be. I am thinking Christmas, but I have also thought about doing some pale floaty lace type blocks...No, Christmas it is. You don't have to have a theme, that's just the way I do Crazy Quilting.

Bye for now,
Linda