Crazy Quilting

Nobody wants to give their mom the same tired gift that she seems to receive far too often. Let’s face it, gifts like scented candles, gardening supplies, and jewelry are far too cliché for such a special person. Instead, consider purchasing one of these unique gifts that mom is sure to appreciate for a lifetime to come:

- Custom-Made Quilt: Mom is sure to appreciate this timeless gift, and even if she has other quilts, she won’t have one quite like this! Make sure to give the quilter some inspiration or even materials to make it extra special, such as silk ribbon.

- Foreign Cookbook: Several cookbooks that come from Europe or even other countries with partial English speaking populations have instructions in both a native language and English. Most mom’s love to cook, and a foreign cookbook just might inspire her desire. However, if your mom doesn’t like to cook, definitely avoid this gift!

- Garden Fountain: No garden is complete without a fountain, and a stonework fountain is a great option instead of the traditional plants, flowers, or seeds.  You might also consider an indoor fountain for the wall.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to make a quilt. Every time I see a quilt, I am amazed at the elaborate design and meticulous artwork. It seems like every quilt is made with so much tender loving care.

I plan to start small, making use of old fabric swatches I’ve collected through the years. Once I’ve gotten the hang of it, perhaps I can make a king quilt for my bed and begin to use my crazy quilt supplies to create gifts for my friends and family. While giving expense present is nice, it is always rewarding to bestow something that you actually created.

When I was just a little girl, my mom showed me the family quilt that women from my mom’s side of the family had been working on for almost a century. The quilt had several different patches, and each patch was sewn by a different family member. It was then that I started learning how to quilt. When I was just sixteen, I had become quite the seamstress, and already had my patch for the family quilt completed. Together with my mom and her embroidery supplies, we sewed on the patch and then for several years, the quilt passed to my aunt who had her own daughter.

While I think it’s still a long way off, I hope to one day teach my daughter how to quilt and carry on the tradition of our family quilt with my own family. Quilting is a great practice that can help you to get in touch with your heritage and know a little about your ancestors. For example, my Great Aunt Janne loved to play soccer! On her patch there was a soccer ball sewn in the corner.

Anybody who has tried to make a quilt is very aware of the fact that it’s a difficult endeavor. Quilting takes an amazing amount of precision, and even if you’re sloppy with one portion, the entire thing can be thrown off and skewed. But there are tricks to be learned that will help you to make the neatest, most precise quilts possible. And many of those tricks are learned either through years of practice or direct lessons.

In terms of the latter, quilting is often passed down through the generations. From grandmother to mother to daughter, the art and tricks of quilting are often kept within a family. If you know how to quilt, take the opportunity to teach a relative or friend some of your trademark embroidery quilt designs. It’s a great way to bond, and you will also develop a skill that you can take with you for the rest of your life.

Quilting is one of America’s favorite pastimes, and can be enjoyed regardless of age, disability, or sewing aptitude. Quilting is simple to learn, and with a little imagination, it’s possible to create some fantastic quilts with just a little knowledge. The best way to learn quilting is from a relative familiar with it, but if this isn’t possible, there are numerous books available that can teach how to quilt. For beginners, it’s best to start with beginner quilt designs and patterns, which often come with simple instructions on how to design and sew a quilt. You might also consider a beginner quilting workshop, which are common in most locations throughout the United States.

Quilting is a great after school activity for kids, as it is both educational and fun. Parents will find that having their children interested in quilting is a worthwhile endeavor as quilting teaches a host of other sewing skills and fosters creativity. Quilts can be art, in addition to providing warmth. Designer quilts are quite expensive, and as quilting skill advances beginners will be able to create more unique and specialized pieces without much more effort.

Whether you consider yourself an expert seamstress or more an amateur with a passing interest in sewing, starting a family quilt is an excellent tradition. The family patchwork quilt is comprised of dozens, sometimes hundreds of different patches all representing a different family member (often made by that family member as well). Over time, patches made by future generations can be added to the quilt, allowing for the entire family to recognize their ancestors and trace their heritage. The patchwork quilt is a great item to bring out at Christmas or during other family events.

Starting your patchwork quilt is not difficult at all with a few simple quilting supplies it often begins with one simple patch which can then be sewn onto an existing quilt, or multiple patches sewn together to create a basic outline of the future quilt. Make sure the whole family gets involved and it will make your tradition all the richer.

In days of old, the sewing circle was more than just a place for women to get together and hone their stitch work. These were social forums where ladies would meet to talk about the pressing issues of the day – both personal and political. The social side of arts and crafts groups is often overlooked as people tend to focus on the educational and productive sides.

Even if sewing in itself doesn’t appeal to you, there are other creative outlets that can get you involved in group activities. Pick up a paper or surf the Internet for crazy quilting sessions. In some cases, instructors will hold workshops at community colleges and neighborhood centers. Crazy quilt embroidery is as creatively fulfilling as it is fun. No two people ever end up with the same finished design.

Ruby's Purse

Who can resist the amazing appeal of a gift made especially by hand?  A gift just for you.  Whether it is a painting, a carving, a quilt or crazy quilt, a bit of Silk Ribbon Embroidery, ceramic, wood, fiber or stone, anything made by hand is a unique and valuable thing!

It is said, in so many ways, that when someone creates something by hand, they wind up incorporating a bit of their own spirit into it.  I think that is very true.  When someone makes something for you with you in mind, I think that investment becomes even stronger.

What mother could ever not treasure some of the funky hand-made ornaments, sculptures, drawings, valentines and other things their children create for them?  I know I have a whole pile!  Every time I go through them I remember their young faces when they proudly gave them to me – not merely a treasure, but a piece of a special time in both our lives.

I have always enjoyed making things by hand.  Most often these things have been Quilts, Crazy Quilted pieces, Embroideries, dolls, and paintings.  Whenever I make something for a person, I think particularly of them, what they like, how I love them, what they mean to me.  I hope that all these things become somehow “fastened” into the piece I have made, and that this is communicated to them whenever they see it.

Even if you don’t make a project for someone in particular, you always instill some of your own heart into it.  Somehow that makes your piece really “glow” with your very own essence, and style.

Make something by hand (and heart) for someone!  The satisfaction of it will make you feel wonderful!

Carolyn

Crazy quilting is one of the most fun, uninhibited means of self-expression around, and it will leave you satisfied and fulfilled from a creative standpoint. Still, there are a number of essential items every crafter needs before getting to work. You might find it convenient to keep your crazy quilting supplies in a knitting basket or a handy, compartmentalized box.

Before you begin, locate and arrange the following items within arm’s reach: embroidery threads, backing fabric, a measuring tape, needles, straight pins, thimbles, some basic thread, scissors and muslin sheets. Remember that even though your quilt doesn’t need to conform to an overarching design – in fact, it shouldn’t – you should still use quilt squares of a uniform size.

To my mind, completing a crazy quilt is a bit like playing the childhood game of telephone. In that game, kids sit around in a circle and one person whispers a sentence into the ear of the person on his left. From that point on, one crucial piece of information is changed about the sentence as it’s passed from one child to the next. By the time it gets all the way around the circle, the structure and meaning of the sentence has changed completely.

With a crazy quilt, I start out with some inspiration and a few disparate pieces of fabric. By the time I’ve stitched them together, more ideas have entered my mind and I go off in an entirely different direction. I like to embellish the stitching with pieces of hand dyed silk ribbon, buttons, lace and other eye-catching accoutrements. The best part about it is that you can’t go far wrong. While it’s important to keep some sort of overarching theme in mind, there’s nothing wrong with going off on a creative tangent during the course of your embroidery.