Button Block 3

These are so much fun!



It's nice to have some almost instant gratification! That's not usually my focus but it is nice for a change.

The tatted lace is vintage. I do tatting, but I can't work with that thin tatting thread. I just end up with a big, fat kanoodle! Whenever I see vintage tatting, I just buy it. This came in a huge bagful that I found at a garage sale last Autumn for $5.00! And I'm talking a HUGE bagful of it! All different colors.

Anyway, Jo in NZ asked me if I had a layout planned. No, I have no plans at all for this project. All I know is when I get tired of stitching these little Button Blocks, I will sew them into a quilt. I may do 16 of them or I may do 100. I may just keep doing them until I run out of buttons! Although I have so many, that's not likely to happen!

No, these blocks are just for the sake of stitching. If I end up with more than I can use on one quilt, I'll just make two. One for me and one for my mom.

I did set up an album over at my Flickr site for the photos of these blocks. In case anyone wants to just look at the pictures, they'll all be in one place them. Just click on any of the photos to head over there.

This is my next block:



I'll be stitching this one in plums and purples.

In other news, I released Part 3 of The First Robin Of Spring Counted Cross Stitch Mystery Stitch-Along this morning. I thought you would enjoy seeing Part 2:



It's still available if anyone is interested in stitching this project. You can find it here.

The 4th and final part, along with a complimentary "Thank you" design, will be released next Saturday, March 22nd.

Button Block 2

Here is Button Block 2 completed:



That metal button with the leaves is circa late 1800's. In mint condition it's worth a few dollars. Mine is a bit rusty but I don't care. I always liked it and it was perfect for this block.

My next Button Block will be this one:



I've decided to stitch it all in pink. I have some chores to do (always) and then I can relax and "enjoy my creativity".

I did spend about 2 hours yesterday sewing up a few more of these small blocks on my antique sewing machine. Allie commented that treadling must be a sort of "full body experience". It really is since you have to pump the petal to make it work. For me, it's a "mind, body, spirit" experience. There's something about using my own energy to make it go. It didn't take long at all for me to get the hang of it. I like the rhythm of pumping the petal. And I've always loved the sound of a sewing machine. I think it takes me back to when I was very little and I used to sit on the floor in my mom's sewing room playing quietly while she ran her machine. And it doesn't matter to me if the sound is from my electric machine or my treadle. I just love it. I love that sound. It's soothing on my nerves!

In case you're new to my blog, here is a photo of my beautiful antique Singer machine:



Here's a closeup of the machine:



If you want to see larger photos just click on the images.

Debbie asked how I get things done so quickly. I've been asked many times how I get so much stitching done. Well, I have to tell you, I am spending more time stitching these days and less time working. I used to be so scheduled, disciplined and regimented in how I did things. I alloted a certain amount of time for chores, laundry, working and so on. I actually used to sit here and design cross stitch for 12 hours a day! Every day! I did that for years! But I never left any room for spontaneity.

I realized recently that I just don't have it in me to live like that anymore. I guess I used to work so much because I believed that was what I was supposed to do. Ok, so what rock is that written on?

I woke up one day last week with a little "Pearl Of Wisdom". Here it is: There are 2 types of existence. Being in a state of Doing and Doing in a state of Being.

Looking back, I can see now that I was always in a state of doing and because of that, I didn't have time for Being. I don't know if it's a 40's thing or what. But that's what the Button Quilt is all about. It's about Being and enjoying my own creativity.

Stay tuned!

Button Quilt Blocks

I went through my collection of buttons yesterday and it's a good thing I decided to do some "button blocks"! I didn't have them all in one container or one place so I didn't realize how many I had! Some of my buttons are actually collectibles and I put them to the side thinking I wouldn't use them, I would just enjoy having them. Ha! What good is having them in a box that I forget about! I will be using them on this quilt:



Several of the buttons on this block are Vegetable Ivory. To learn more about it click here. I have quite a nice collection of Vegetable Ivory buttons and I'm sure I'll be using more of them on upcoming blocks.

When I finished up the blue one, I started another:



I'll stitch on this some more later. Several of my readers asked me if this quilt would be as large as Sharon's quilt. To be honest, I don't really have a plan. And that's probably a first. My intention was to stitch a few blocks and use my buttons as a focal point, and do these small ones in between larger projects. I will definitely put them into a quilt but it's also become what I would call a "purposeless project". While stitching yesterday, I realized that I was stitching for the sake of creating. Not to "get something done" or keep my "idle hands busy" or because "I don't have anything better to do with myself" or because I needed another "purse fix". I felt like I was stitching for the sole purpose of enjoying my own creativity. So I guess I'll know how many blocks there will be when I get tired of doing them.

Apparently, this is another "Crazy Quilt Journey". I hope you'll all come along for the ride!

For now, I decided to do some treadling on my beautiful antique sewing machine and piece up a few more 6 inch blocks. I have to tell you, if you've never sewn on a treadle machine, there is nothing like it! It's no more difficult than using an electric machine and oh what fun it is making that treadle peddle go!!

Button Quilt - Block 1

I started stitching on this little 6 inch block:



As I mentioned yesterday, I've always been fond of Sharon B's "I Dropped The Button Box Quilt". Scott's step mom has been giving me jars and bags full of old buttons that she finds at garage sales and flea markets so I thought it would be fun to do a bunch of small blocks to use my buttons on.

I emailed Sharon and asked if her quilt was still online somewhere and she kindly sent me the link. If you haven't seen it yet, do hop over. You can find it here.

I'll finish this up today and probably start on another button block. Judy asked if all the blocks would be blue. Nope! They'll be all different colors and of course, they must have glitter!

Take It Further March - Completed

I finished this up yesterday:



As you can see, I added some button clusters to give it a more garden-like feel. If you look at the cluster under the hummingbird, you can see a pair of vintage crystal earrings. They were clip on's so I had to cut the clips off of them. I had to top sew them down and hide the threads, to the best of the ability, underneath the crystals.

The concept was, Little Things or Details In Life. I chose the hummingbird because of the personal significance it has for me but I won't go into what that is here.

Now that I've completed the March block, and I must say, I always feel a little sad when finish up my challenge block, I decided on a small project:



I like to alternate large and small projects so last week when I was running my treadle machine, I pieced up a few 6 inch blocks. I've always been taken with Sharon B's "I dropped the button box" quilt. I looked for the link on her website and I don't see it. I will email Sharon and ask her if she still has a photo of it online somewhere.

Anyway, I have gobs and gobs of old buttons and thought it would be fun to use some of them on small blocks which I'll eventually sew into a quilt. I'll be starting on this one today.