Those Crazy Quilts

Here is a bit of a shop update before I show you some of the Crazy Quilts I saw in Omaha.

This is the new "Pezzy Prints" from Moda.  This are a repeat of the very popular print from Peas and Carrots by American Jane.  We are very happy they have been reprinted.  There are more colourways to come.

West Indies by Jennifer Paganelli for Free Spirit has arrived. I just love the bird toile.

We had a very productive workshop on Saturday with Catherine Butterworth.

Catherine will be teaching a regular monthly class next year.  The class will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.  Please ring the shop if you would like to book in.

SNEEK PEEK

We are thrilled to let you have a sneek peek of one of our new Blocks of the Month for 2012. 

It is called Kew Gardens.

We are creating this beauty with the help of Sue Ross.  You have the choice of two beautiful floral border fabrics.

We should have full details up on the web-site before Christmas.  We already have a number of customers who have booked their quilt (they saw it on the design wall).   So stay tuned.

Crazy in Omaha

The trick with Crazy Quilts is to take photos of the stitching.  This gives you a stitch reference library.  I was quite amazed at the variety of embroidery stitching on the quilts we saw.  The problem with most Crazys is that the silks they were made of has shattered. So when you are looking at restoring a crazy the main focus is on the stitching.

This was a very interesting quilt.  We tried to put together its story.  The photos are of the back of the quilt (yes the back was a crazy) it is all done in black and grey wools.  The embroidery stitching was all there.  The front of the quilt is a brick pattern of wool suiting fabrics cut into rectangles.  The front appears to have been made in the 1920's - 30's.  The quilt was then quilted in the red and yellow "big stitch " quilting around the rectangles on the front.  This gave the back a really cool look.

The story we made up was Mum made the crazy top in the black grey wools.  Brightened it up with the embroidery.  She never finished her crazy quilt.  The daughter used the crazy top as the back for her utilitarian "depression era quilt".  She hated Mum's dark crazy.  But waste not, want not.

That's our story, who knows it might be true.

Melinda