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2020 in 2020 Everything Nikki's Crazy Quilt

Lots of Hand Stitching

I dug out another vintage doiley that was in too bad of shape to fix. I cut off one of the curved edges that has a crochet edging on it. Again, I didn’t want to have white on white so I put a piece of vintage cheesecloth under it for contrast. The cheesecloth appears to be unbleached and is a natural looking tan-ish color. I bought it from a local consignment store – there were 3 yards of it for $3.00.

Once I had them layered together, I thought it would look nice with a row of seed beads on the vintage doiley between the edge of the fabric and the crochet edging. So I layered everything as I wanted it, positioned it onto the quilt block and pinned it down. Then I started the process of sewing down the seed beads one by one.

So, the vintage doiley (24/2020), the cheesecloth (25/2020), and the metallic shiny gold glass seed beads in size 10/0 (26/2020) brings my count up to 26 measly things so far. I’m really not worried about the count because I’m going to be adding lots of embroidery stitching in a multitude of threads and yarns along with decorative buttons and other embellishments once I get the base layer done.

Nikki has been very interested in this project. Whenever she sees me working on it, she’ll come over to check out my progress and tell me how beautiful it is. She finally asked me yesterday if it’s going to be for her. When I told her that it was going to be a wall hanging for the craft room in our new house she was visibly upset. Soooo, that got me to thinking. Looks like I’ll be making her a crazy quilt also. She loves all things girly, sparkly, over-the-top. I think a crazy quilt will be just her style.

At first I was thinking a queen size, but I’ve since pared down my thinking. It’s going to be an xl-twin size – 90″ x 115″ and I’m going to make it as girly and over-the-top as she is. Here’s my basic plan:

Each block will finish at 7.5 x 10″. I decided on this size so that if I draw up crazy quilt squares in EQ8, I can print them out on a single sheet of paper without much paper waste.

I’m also going to have some hand embroidered saying on there too. Right now I’m working on the lettering for the first embroidered block. Thinking I’m going to use a piece of the fabric I eco-printed on Monday using the camellia petals Nikki picked for me at our new house on Sunday.

Hmmmm, I wonder how many items I’ll get on her crazy quilt? Guess there’s only one way to find out – keeping track from the very beginning. 😉

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2020 in 2020 Everything

23 of 2020

I finally finished the leaf I was beading. And I love it!
I continued on the same way with the same materials as at the end of my last post, so unfortunately, nothing to add to the count.

However, I’ve not started on the other 3 leaves I fussy cut out because I want to use different beads with them.

While waiting to get to the store for different beads, I stumbled across the #sashikosalwithkristaandamanda on Instagram and thought it would be the perfect touches to add to this project.

The first part of the sew along is a version of sashiko flowers (21/2020). Looking at the finished stitches and my block, I thought it would look great on part of the vintage doiley. I used 3 strands of DMC 729 (22/2020).

I was happy with the way it looked, but it didn’t feel ‘done’ to me. So I set it aside for a little bit and then I realized that the little flowers need centers. My first thought was french knots, but I wasn’t sold on the idea. Then it hit me – seed beads! I found some that I think are perfect in my stash.

For the sashiko flower centers I used platinum colored glass seed beads in size 10/0 (23/2020) and sewed them on with the same transparent thread I used earlier in the project.

I’m happy with the way it’s turning out! I’m planning on adding a bunch of vintage buttons and using various threads and beads to turn them into flowers, but that’ll have to wait until after our move since my buttons have been long packed up.

Until next time, happy sewing!

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2020 in 2020 Everything

20 of 2020

I started my 2020 in 2020 crazy quilt 3 days ago. I came up with a basic plan and started on my first block.

The Plan:
I’m making a wall hanging 3 blocks by 4 blocks. Each month I’m going to focus on finishing 1 block. The blocks will measure 15″ square finished. Looking to make this in all neutrals.

The Blocks:
I purchased a vintage twin sized fitted sheet from a flea market for $0.50. It was just big enough to cut out 12 squares each measuring 17″. Onto these I’m ironing on a 15″ square of Pellon 987F Fusible Fleece – one-sided low loft fusible fleece. This will be the base that everything else will be sewn onto.

For my count, the base that I’m using all the blocks is items # 1/2020 (fusible fleece) & 2/2020 (vintage sheet)

A vintage doiley (item 3/2020) served as my 1st piece I wanted to use. However, white on white is not the look I’m going for. I cut a piece of an ecoprinted tea towel (4/2020) to go under it and stick out approximately 1″. I lightly frayed the 2 sides that will be seen.

I didn’t just want to sew down the edges… Remembering a vintage coin purse I rescued from a flea market for $0.50 because the beading had started to come off, I dug it out.

I found where the loose thread was and removed some more of the beads. Using just the tiny seed beads (5/2020), I attempted to make the vintage doiley appear as though they were sewn onto the edge of it while using those stitches to actually sew the doiley and piece of eco-printed tea towel down onto the base using white serger thread off a cone (6/2020).

I also stitched down near the edge of the ecoprinted tea towel with Coats Transparent thread in Color D smoke/black (7/2020) using a running stitch (8/2020)

There’s more I want to do on the doiley but I’m just not sure what yet. So moving on, I remembered a sample book of upholstery fabric that I got from a friend of mine years ago and dug it out.

I fussy cut this motif out of one of the samples (9/2020) and stitched it down while beading it with these little champagne colored bugle beads (10/2020) using the back stitch (11/2020) again using the white serger thread.

Next up are 4 ecoprinted leaves on a tea towel type of fabric that I fussy cut out (12,13,14,15/2020). I’ve layered them onto 4 different samples of the upholstery fabric (16,17,18,19/2020) and cut those the same shapes as the leaves but a bit bigger so the edges show. I’m currently sewing them down using tiny deep green seed beads (20/2020) for the leaf veins using the same white serger thread.

Currently, that brings my total count of 20 differents used out of 2020 for my first 3 days of stitching.

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2020 in 2020 Everything

2020 in 2020

I’ve decided to make a crazy quilt. Not just any crazy quilt. Sharon over at Pintangle issued a challenge back in 2017 to make a crazy quilt by the end of 2020 that has 2020 different things in it. Yes, I know that it’s 2020. That means I have 11.5 months to complete it.

My plan is to make 1 – 15″ square quilt block a month. I’m not making a quilt to use – rather a wall hanging so I’m not worried about making it able to stand up to going through the washing machine.

Anyhow. Let’s see if I can accomplish this!