Are We Walking to Alaska

Are We Walking to Alaska
Are We Walking to Alaska - A True Story

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Crazy Quilt

With all the snow and cold weather we've had - it is a good time to stay indoors and do some stitching on the crazy quilt.  The snow was an unusual event for this time of the year - we usually have rain rain and more rain - which is also good weather for indoor fun.

Back in July I posted about the first section of the crazy quilt.  You can read about that HERE.  Go ahead, I'll be here when you get back. 



 My tools and supplies.  The little bunny scissors were a gift from my dear friend Franni in Florida - I sure do miss her.
 I made the Hedgehog pincushion not long after we got back from visiting our son and his family  in West Virginia a few years ago.  They have Hedgehogs there (we don't have any here in NW Washington state, as least as far as I've seen) and we got to briefly see one on our trip to West Virginia.  The Hedgehog pincushion looks more Hedgehoggy with pins stuck all over him - but I just have my needles there for now.
 The beehive pincushion was another gift - I have such sweet friends.
I keep my floss wound on flat plastic bobbins, sorted by color.  I have three more boxes full of floss, these divided plastic boxes are perfect for this.




 Woolley sheep

 I like doing Lazy Daisy stitch too - so many possibilities.




 I really enjoy stitching these trees, they appear often in my crazy quilt.






 I work on the crazy quilt in sections that are approximately 4x4 feet, and then will join them when all is finished.

 I adore making French Knots - as you can probably tell.  I tell the story of how I learned to make them when I was seven, in my book "Are We Walking To Alaska?"

 Guess which snowy day inspired me to do these stitches.


 Busy Bee on top of the pincushion.



 This is the section I'm currently working on - maybe I'm dreaming of spring and all the new blossoms.

Back to work.  Several of my blog friends do embroidery, are you one of them, and what do you like to embroider?



17 comments:

Hilary said...

Just found your blog, and totally enjoyed your crazy quilt.......your French knots brought back memories, as my mom taught me that when I was very young, as well.

The Tea Lady's Journal said...

Your quilt will be beautiful with all your fancy Crazy Quilting Stitches. You are very creative! A great way for you to spend your indoor time on bad weather days.

Rose said...

What a lot of work and stitches! I so would love to see this in person. Photos just do not do things like this justice. It is so, so beautiful.

Kay said...

Is there no end to your talents? This looks beautiful, ornate, gorgeous...just plain remarkable! I haven't embroidered in decades though I don't mind hand sewing. For now, though, I think I'll stick to my paper pursuits.

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

Golly sakes you've been busy, Joann! WOW!
All that color is amazing - you do brilliant work.

I ADORE those bunny shears and your hedgehog pin cushion is the cutest thing EVER - I love love love it - so so so so cute!!!!!

We have had lots of rain, but still too warm for snow. Seems shocking - it was just in the 70s last week, but it is def. getting colder each day.

Thanks for stopping by! Hugs!

Linda said...

Wow! This is gorgeous!

Julie Fukuda said...

You are making the most of that nasty weather. ... A rainbow of fabrics and stitches.

Tom said...

...I'm crazy about crazy quilts!

Granny Sue said...

This is just amazing, JoAnn! What art!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Gorgeous colours and your embroidery is magnificent! Love it!

J said...

So much to love here! For starters, the brightness of your crazy quilt appeals to me. I'm not fond of the dark colors usually associated with this style. Your workmanship is excellent! Those little sheep are just too cute and perfect! And what a darling collection of notions made more endearing by the fact they're gifts from friends.
I've been out of the blog reading loop lately, as you can tell, but when I saw your lovely comment on my last post, I knew I had to come over and see if you'd posted your pretty fall table setting yet! This crazy quilt would be a pretty backdrop for a spring photo session of your collection!

Judy at GoldCountryCottage said...

JoAnn, you are just amazing!!! You are so talented and that quilt is absolutely beautiful. I love to do cross stitch but take spurts and haven't worked on anything since I started a Christmas angel about 3 years ago. I could never do anything to the extent of this beautiful quilt..Happy Wednesday..xxoJudy

Karen Lakis said...

Wow! I love everything about this quilt. The colors are beautiful and all that stitch work - so so creative! This will be a wonderful addition to any room!

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

I like to embroidery but don't do it much any more. I love all the colors of the thread and the fun stitches you make. The trees...the wooly sheep...all so much fun. It would be great fun to wrap up in that quilt and just search for the cute details. Enjoy your day. Hope that sun is shining now. Hugs!

eileeninmd said...

Wow, what a beautiful quilt. The stitches are just amazing, wonderful designs and lots of hard work I am sure. Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend!

Kim said...

I am in LOVE with your crazy quilt, JoAnn. The rainbow-hued fabrics are divine and oh how all your beautiful embroideries make those fabrics sing. This is going to be the most amazing quilt when finished. Enjoy those winter days stitching sweet stitches, lovely lady.

Powell River Books said...

What a wonderful project. I haven't done embroidery in many years. When I was in 6th grade, our teacher's wife was going to have a baby. Several of the girl's in class did embroidery on baby clothes for them. - Margy