Crazy Quilt Blocks 9 - 11

When it is too hot to hand quilt a large quilt I work on a variety of small projects like these six inch crazy quilt blocks that will someday be a lap quilt. 

I'm using low volumes plus browns, grays and blacks - pretty much every color NOT in the rainbow. 

I have a lot of beads I could use but I'm trying not to use many because this is to be a used and washable quilt.  I do have several T-shirts and sweaters with beads I wear and wash so I figured a few anchored beads will be okay.  I also have several lace motifs. I've been meaning to tea or coffee dye some of them but haven't gotten around to it yet.  

The butterfly applique I cut from a scrap of leftover quilt backing.  And the gray stitches are cast on stitches. I'm surprised I remembered how to make them.  

Cats in the flowers. Yes, they always are. 

 Ok...so I almost ran out of room for the word "begins" so the "e" is kind of squished.  

I have a sign with that saying on one of my walls so it went on the quilt block too. 

And in no particular order - these are the 11 blocks I've completed so far plus one not yet embellished or embroidered. 

I think they might tell a story themselves. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Challenges

Four six inch blocks of another quilt in the making.  Three are completed. 

It all started with sorting scraps for the neutral "color"  for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I ended up with two piles of larger scraps - neutrals and low volumes.  I was pondering what to do with them and a comment from an old friend on my Peacock quilt led me to an email conversation where she mentioned she was working on a new crazy quilt challenge hosted by Sharon Boggon of Pintangle - a 2020 Crazy Quilt (finish by end of 2020 and use 2020 unique items). 

I haven't done any crazy quilting for awhile and my stash of threads, laces, books, trims, etc are in disarray so what better way to get more organized as I go and use some stash.  Plus you know my quilts usually span a few years so I have until 2020 to finish up this challenge which I hope will result in a neutral and very unique large quilt.   I don't make art quilts...my quilts are for comfort and this will be no exception.  

I am going to make improv circle blocks from neutral scraps and embellish them.  The low volume scraps will get a separate quilt. 

And now for the count of items: 

Block 1 (upper left) -

Fabric: 4

Lace and trims: 1

Threads: Coats and Clarks hand quilting thread 80,10, DMC embroidery 782, DMC perle #8 738, DMC embroidery 451, Sullivans embroidery 45179 (like DMC 738), variegated brown? = 6

Stitches: feather/lazy daisy leaves, herringbone/french knot, straight, french knot =4

Embroidery motifs: 2 (sayings, basket of apples)

Total = 17

Block 2 (lower right)

Fabric: 0

Lace and trims: 1

Threads: gray embroidery 3024, DMC embroidery 400, Sullivan's ??? = 3

Stitches: feather/quarter buttonhole wheels/straight = 1

Embroidery motifs: 1

Total =6

Grand total = 23

Block 3 (lower left)

Fabric: 0

Lace and trims: 1 (butterfly twill tape)

Threads: perle Irish variegated 5063, thread arts ??, perle 5 dk brown, perle #5 951=4

Stitches: buttonhole, chain arches/lazy daisy flowers, stem/lazy daisy leaves, french knot flowers = 3

Embroidery motifs: 0

Total = 8

Grand total = 31

I'm starting off slow with the stitches because I'm a little rusty but I think I'll be doing bullions and cast on stitches and ribbon roses in no time!  I also want to try some different techniques - cut lace embroidery, reverse applique, Irish crochet, beaded crochet trims, etc...

Another challenge that spurred me on to this point was the Ad Hoc Improv Challenge of adding words to quilts.   I have three UFOs that are waiting for me to piece some words (prepping, tea towel challenge, bird brains) but I didn't feel like working on any of those this month.  (I also have a couple of crazy quilt UFOs -crazy farm, valentine bed runner, glow in dark fairy garden- but didn't feel like working on those either). But I will be embroidering lots of words on this quilt starting with an Irish proverb I embroidered on block 1: 

Say but little and say it well. 

Thank you all for the best wishes for a speedy recovery yesterday. This is day 11 of herniated disc/sciatica and I'm feeling better every day..I just can't sit or sleep for very long.  But I'm alive and know there will eventually be an end to the pain and  I've found out there's a lot of things you can do standing!