The
elegance of the traditional crazy quilt is due in part to the variety
of elegant
fabrics used
and part to the elaborate stitching outlining and decorating each piece
in the
quilt.
Crazy quilt is
an expressionistic quilt
using randomly pieced fancy fabrics which are then embellished with
embroidery
stitches on almost every seam and patch.
For all these
crazy quilting techniques below, there are
really no hard and fast rules. Have fun and don't stress because this
is your
design! If there are parts of the muslin showing, simply cut another
patch and
sew it on. Don't be afraid to try prints together and unique
combinations. You
are sharing a time honored tradition with your ancestors so enjoy the
sense of
connection this project can evoke and know that you are creating a link
to the
past and a bridge to the future.
Crazy Quilt Block Patterns
The
inspiring and informative books on Crazy Quilting by J.
Marsha Michler and
Judith
Baker Montano
provide you with several templates for blocks and teach you how
to
devise your own attractive variations.
Sharon
Boggon's wonderful crazy quilt site will provide tons
of inspiration is designing your own crazy quilt blocks.
Antique
Method of Crazy Quilting - This is
called the "antique
method" because it is believed that this type of crazy quilting was
used
for the antique quilts that still exist today. Start with a
foundation – I recommend muslin in a 14" x 14"
square just to get the feel of what you are doing. Start by cutting and
laying
a piece of fabric in the corner of your muslin. Lay a second patch
either
underlying or overlying the first piece by a little more than 1/2".
Continue until the entire piece of muslin is covered with pieces of
fabric that
you pin in place.
Now go back to the first piece of fabric and press under the overlapped
edges
and pin in place. Continue with each patch, pressing and pinning until
every
patch is finished. If you want any trimmings, such as lace, ribbon,
etc., now
is the time to add this special touch to your design by also pinning it
in
place. Now sew you pieces together and to the muslin
foundation. Your square is now ready for embellishment and
decorative embroidery.
Landscape
Method of Crazy Quilting - Using the
Landscape Method is
easier than the "Antique" Method because you don't have to constantly
make decisions on which edges will be turned under because each patch
is
finished as you go. Patches with 90 degree angle or other large angles
are
better to use in this method because the corners will finish easier.
The term
"landscape" comes from the way the patches used in this method tend
to look like a landscape, giving the impression of rolling hills.
Start at one corner and place your patch, pressing under the edges.
Continue
placing patches and fill the bottom of your foundation piece of fabric
(muslin, cotton, flannelette). When placing your quilting patches, tuck
one side under another
and press the edges that are exposed. Keep patching until you have
filled up
your muslin.
Continue
adding patches in this manner and keep sewing with your machine. If it
becomes
impossible to use the machine, turn them under and press with your iron
and sew
by hand.
How to make a crazy quilt
block by machine
Sew and Flip
Methodby Henrietta
Timmons - Start with
a foundation such as
muslin measuring no larger than 12" x 12". Your beginning patch
should be about 4" x 4" and 5 sided. Take your second patch and
lay
it on the first with right sides together. Sew along one side leaving
about
1/4" at the ends of this fabric patch. Do not backstitch because you
may
have to remove some stitches from the ends.
Keep adding
patches and cut away any excess fabric from previous patches.
Have all your fabric pieces with straight edges for ease in sewing and
continually iron to keep your fabric from puckering. This is the
fastest method but you don't have as much control over your pattern.
You can apply your favorite paper piecing method to crazy quilt block
patterns, or you can follow the directions below.
Paper Pieced
Crazy Quilt Blocks
Materials: Tracing paper: I recommend using
tracing paper, or a thin typing paper, or plain newsprint from a pad.There is also tear away paper sold
specifically for quilting.
Fabrics: silks,
satins, velvets
& other fancy fabric worthy of an embroidered heirloom quilt.
Sewing
Thread:
Excellent quality machine quilting thread. (Absolutely, do not use bargain threads on a
quilt you put a lot of work into and want to last.)
STEPS:
Print out the crazy quilt block
pattern on your printer, in
the block size you wish to try.
Put a piece of fabric face up on the
center. Make sure the
fabric hangs over the edges of the seam line.
Put another strip of fabric face down
on top of the first
piece of fabric. Set your sewing machine stitch to fairly small (this
will
perforate the paper to make it easier to remove later).
Sew the two pieces together along the
seam line.
Open the fabric so both pieces are
facing up, and press/iron
to flatten them. Use a pressing cloth to protect your fabrics.
Repeat this process with other scraps
of fabric, working
clockwise around from the center to the outside. Iron, iron, iron.
Press each seam and repeat this
process until the whole
square is covered with fabric. Make sure there is no part of the paper
showing! Using a pressing cloth, iron completed quilt
blocks
on your quilt from the back first and then lightly from the front. Do
not apply
pressure because this may stretch and distort the fabric. Instead, rely
on lots
of steam.
Okay, now the square looks funky,
right? Not really like a
square exactly, anymore. Turn over and trim excess fabric.
Admire
your new cool square!
Now, the real fun starts with the
embellishing of the
blocks. It is highly recommended that you add most of your
embellishments
before you sew your blocks together. Obviously, embellishing the
block
joint seams must be done after!
To make a quilt, sew these squares
into rows. Then sew the
rows together. (Try to match up the seams between each square with the
seams of
the squares next to them.) See below for more details for
assembling the
quilt top.
Beading
on Quilts
This site discusses the use of beads as an embellishment on quilts. A
perfect
embellishment for crazy quilts! CQMagOnline
How
to
assemble
crazy quilt blocks into
a quilt top
Before
sewing your completed blocks together to form the quilt top, decide how
many
blocks you need to form a row, and how many rows you need to form the
quilt
top. Allow for borders and binding in
your quilt top measurements.
Before
you
start
to
sew,
lay
out your quilt top on a clean surface that is
large
enough to accommodate the entire top. Place
the
blocks
in
rows
that
make a pleasing arrangement, color coordinated
if you
wish.Once you have arrived at the final
layout you are almost ready to start sewing.
Next,
I
would
take
a
digital
picture of the quilt top, upload it to the
computer and review
the design to determine if further changes are required to enhance the
final
product. Once you are satisfied, number
the rows.
Stack
each row's blocks together in order, and place each row in a bag, and
write the
row # on the bag.
Sew
the blocks together to form rows. Press the seams. Fold and place back
in the row
numbered bag until all the rows are finished.
When
all
rows
are
finished,
sew
the rows together in your predetermined
number order.
Press the
completed quilt top before
basting it to a batting and backing. Do not press a quilt once the
batting has
been added, because this will flatten it. Not all crazy
quilts have batting added to
them.
After following one of the quilting
methods reviewed, give
your quilt a finished look by adding a lovely border.
How to quilt a
crazy quilt
Quilting
--
stitching that goes
through all three layers of a quilt -- is both functional and
decorative. On a
crazy quilt it is more functional than decorative as it is used to hold
the
batting in place and attach the backing to the quilt top
whether batting is used or not.
Crazy
quilts
can be quilted using any
of the three methods: tying, hand quilting, or machine quilting.
Tying,
hand
quilting or machine
quilting would be done “in the ditch” of the block seams prior to
embellishing
those particular seams. Crazy quilts are so heavily
embellished
with embroidery, beads, ribbons, buttons, and motifs that decorative
overall
quilting designs would detract from, if not ruin, the effect of the
embellishments on the quilt top.
The
fastest
way to secure the layers
of a quilt (top, batting, and backing) together is to tie them.
Baste
as
usual with quilting safety
pins, starting at the center and radiating to the outside edges,
placing your
pins out of the line of sewing so they do not interfere with your
stitching.
Thread
a
needle with a long piece of
embroidery floss, yarn, or pearl cotton.
Using
a
deeply curved needle, at
regular intervals and at seam joints (every four inches, at most) take
a single
stitch through the three layers of quilt. Continue with this
running
stitch in rows, up and down your entire quilt, adding new thread as
necessary. When you finish your running stitch for the quilt, cut
the
thread mid-way between your single "tying" stitch.
After
you
have clipped the threads,
tie the "tying stitch" thread in a double square knot and trim the
thread to a consistent length, usually 1/2 or 1 inch.
Machine
Tying
If
you
prefer, you can tie your quilt
by machine. Baste as usual with thread or with quilting safety pins.
Your
machine
“tying” will be done
with a “bartack” stitch at seam junctions or where it does not
interfere with
your decorative stitching. If your machine makes decorative
stitches, you
can make the ties more decorative by using one of the many decorative
stitches
instead of the bartack stitch.
If
your
machine does not have a
“bartack” stitch, you can simulate it with the following
instruction: Set
the stitch length and width at 0. Take several stitches and then
increase the
stitch width to a wide setting. Make about eight stitches and return
the stitch
width to 0. Make several stitches and clip the threads.
Place
the
basted quilt on the machine
and make sure all the layers are smooth.
Just
as
with most quilting, start in
the center and work your way outward.
Using
whichever
tack or decorative
stitch you have decided upon, stitch it until it is complete. Raise the
pressure foot, move to the next spot on the quilt, lower pressure foot
and
stitch the tack stitch. Don't cut the threads, just keep moving
and
tacking until you have 1/4 of the quilt done. Then turn the quilt and
do the
next quarter, working from the center out, and repeat with the other
half/two
quarters until the whole quilt has been tied.
Remove
the
quilt from the machine,
and spread it on a table. Using FrayStop (it dries clear, and soft and
doesn't
wash out) put a very small dab on each tack stitch and let them all dry.
Once
they
are dry, very carefully
clip the threads from one side of the quilt, going from stitch to
stitch as
they were sewn, then flip the whole thing over and trim them on the
other side.
Hand
Quilting
in the Ditch
Baste
as
usual with quilting safety pins,
starting at the center and radiating to the outside edges, placing your
pins
out of the line of sewing so they do not interfere with your stitching.
Again,
with
a heavily embellished
crazy quilt, even the hand quilting will be done “in the ditch”.
Some
quilters
hold their work
unsupported in their lap when they quilt. Most quilters, however,
prefer to use
some sort of quilting hoop or frame to hold the quilt stretched out.
This makes
it easier to stitch with an even tension and helps to prevent puckering
and
tucks.
Use
quilting
needles for hand
quilting. The smaller the needle (higher numbers like 11 and 12), the
easier it
will be to make small stitches. A quilting thimble on the third finger
of your
quilting hand will protect you from needle sores.
Use
no
more than 18 inches of
quilting thread at a time. Longer pieces of thread tend to
tangle, and
the end gets worn as it is pulled through the fabric. Knot the end of
the
thread with a quilter's knot. Slip the needle into the quilt top and
batting about
an inch from where the first stitch should start. Pull the needle up
through
the quilt top at the beginning of the first stitch. Hold the thread
firmly and
give it a little tug. The knot should pop into the batting and lodge
between
the quilt top and backing.
The
quilting
stitch is a running
stitch. Place your free hand (left hand for right-handed people) under
the
quilt to feel for the needle as it pokes through. At first, focus
on
making evenly sized stitches. Also, make sure you are going through all
three
layers.
Machine
Quilting
in the Ditch
Make
a
few trial runs before starting
to stitch on your completed quilt. On the test swatch, adjust the
tension
settings for the machine so that the stitches are even and do not
pucker or
have loose loops of thread.
Baste
as
usual with quilting safety
pins, starting at the center and radiating to the outside edges,
placing your
pins out of the line of sewing so they do not interfere with your
stitching.
The
easiest
machine stitching is long
straight lines. These lines will be in a grid, stitched in the ditches
formed
by seams joining the crazy quilt blocks together.
Machine
sew
from the center of the
quilt to the outer edges. Plan the order of stitching. Your plan
should
minimize the need to start and stop as much as possible.
Before
placing
the quilt on the
sewing machine, roll the sides in toward the center and secure the
rolls with
pins or bicycle clips. Use an even-feed walking foot for straight lines
of
stitching.
To
begin,
turn the hand-wheel to
lower and raise the needle to its highest point. Pull gently on the top
thread
to bring the bobbin thread up through the quilt. Stitch in place for
several
stitches. Gradually increase the length of each stitch for the first
1/2 inch
of quilting until the stitches are the desired length. This will secure
the
ends of the threads, making it unnecessary to backstitch or knot them.
Reverse
these steps at the end of each line of quilting.
When
quilting
with the even-feed
walking foot, place your hands on either side of the presser foot and
apply an
even pressure. Keep the layers smooth and free of tucks.
Crazy
Quilt
borders
Square or
butted corners: Add quilt
borders simply by
sewing strips of fabric (of the desired width) to the long sides of the
quilt.
Trim the ends of the strips even with the short sides of the quilt.
Then stitch
strips of fabric to the short sides, stitching across the borders
previously
applied.
Press the
borders and the seam allowances away from the
center of the quilt. If there is more than one border, apply the
borders in the
same order for each.
Mitered corners:In certain
quilts, mitered corners, which require a little
more time and care, look better than the square or butted corners
above. Find
the center of each border strip and the center of each side of the
quilt. One
side at a time, pin the border and stitch, beginning and ending 1/4
inch from
the edge of the quilt top. (Borders need strips longer than the sides
for
mitering.)
Chinese Embroidery
Embroidery
is
a
very
long
established
art
form in China. It was never classified as a solely
female
activity and men and women have both been involved in embroidery. The
items
embroidered are quite diverse and include robes, theatrical costumes,
purses,
shoes, spectacle cases, banners, alter cloths and many other pieces.
Some
of the pieces were so finely stitched that the pieces took 5-6 people
several
years to complete. Embroidery was also used as a means of decorating
silk
clothing and for silk flags and banners as a means of denoting rank or
station. The finest pieces of work were very expensive. Gradually,
embroidery
developed, as a pastime for wealthy ladies and many members of the
court
were renowned for their intricate work.
According
to
the
Chinese
there
are
two
main divisions of embroidery, “chih wen” and “tuan chen”.
“Chih wen” uses the long and short stitch, while “tuan chen” involves
the
seed stitch used in Beijing which is also known as the French knot. The
stitches most commonly used by the Chinese include 1) satin stitch –
which
is further classified into long and short 2) Beijing stitch or French
knot
3) Stem stitch; 4) Couching; 5) Chain stitch; and 6) Split stitch. All
of these stitches are known in the west. Many westerners find Chinese
embroidery
a little over done. The Chinese satin stitch when done to perfection is
exquisite in its fine detail. The use of gold thread for the French
knot,
for which the Chinese have a special gift, is characteristic of their
work.
Sometimes even such light material as gauze and paper were embroidered
to demonstrate the fineness of the work.
It
is
difficult
to
be
precise
as
to
when embroidery first was practiced in China but based on
archeological excavations of tombs it at least dates back to the early
Han dynasty which based itself near Lake Baikal in the early second
century
B.C. Many Tang embroideries continue to be preserved both in China and
in Japan. One of the most famous representations of the embroiders’
artistry
is the piece that came from the Thousand Buddhas at Tun Huang and that
dates from the tenth Century.
There
are
also
many
fine
pieces
of
embroidery from the Sung dynasty. We know from historical
records
that the Sung Emperor Hui Tsung (1101-1126) established an embroidery
bureau
called the “Wen Hsiu Yuan”. It also is well known that many of the
finest
pieces were copied in the Ming and Ching period and it is therefore
difficult
to definitely attribute many of these pieces.
Chinese
Literature
records
the
names
of
many
famous embroidery artists. Among these are Kuan
Fu-jen,
the wife of the painter Chao Meng-fu and the ladies of the Ku family in
Shanghai such as Ku Shou-ch’ien who worked their artistry in Ming
times.
The painters Tung ch’i-ch’ang and Wen Cheng-ming and more recently
Sh’en
Chou who died in 1910 are all considered great embroiders.
Embroidery
is
still
practiced
in
many
sections
of China. Suzhou is well known for the quality of its
work. Additionally other areas have a reputation for embroidery but few
can match the precision, art and charm of the work produced in China
prior
to the Modern period.