Button Block 15 & TIF April

I finished up on this one yesterday:



The black buttons are Victorian glass buttons. I had an issue with the big one. I went to sew it on and found that the shank was missing. I was determined to use it!

I thought of 2 different options for attaching it to the block. First, I thought about gluing a piece of ultra suede to the back and then sewing that on. That seemed too time consuming though.

My next idea, and the one I used, was to sew on a plain boring button and then glue the glass button to it. I used E6000 Jewelry Glue and it worked perfectly!

Judy asked me about the fabric at the bottom with the shiny things on it. That fabric is the stuff with the sequins glued on. It comes in a ton of different colors and because I love my glitter, I have a bunch of it.

I haven't used it too often because my electric machine has a cow every time I do. Electric machines are pretty fast and I think the friction of the needle going through the fabric melts the sequins and gums up my needle.

The treadle machine is a bit slower and couldn't care less what it sews through! So you'll be seeing more of that in upcoming projects.

I'm going to take a break from the Button Crazy Quilt and do my Take It Further April block next:



As I mentioned in my first post the other day, Sharon's concept is "How Do You Feel About Change?" Basically, do you welcome it or avoid it?

Well, I welcome it. As long as it isn't the change of Autumn to Winter!

As with all of my blocks for this project, I am working with both the concept and the color palette. When I saw the colors, I immediately though of Autumn/Winter. My intention will be to change this block into Spring. At this moment, I have no clue about how I'm going to do that!

I did decide that instead of a bird as a focal point, I'm going to use a butterfly. Butterflies are the epitome of change. They also represent "hope" and "freedom".

I went through my vintage jewelry pieces and I have some beautiful butterfly pins but they don't show up well on this block. Scott and I are going to see if we can find something usable this weekend.

Stay tuned. This one is a real challenge!

Crazy Quilts By Cindy Brick

Scott and I made our weekly stop at Borders bookstore on Sunday and I found a new book on my favorite subject:



Crazy Quilts By Cindy Brick is a wonderful reference tool if you're interested in the history of crazy quilting. It is well researched, well organized and well written. This book fills in the (unnoticeable) blanks found (rather, not found) in other books on the history of crazy quilting. Basically, there is more information here than in other CQ reference books.

There are many beautiful color photos of antique (and new) crazy quilts in this book, ones not seen in other books on the subject.

If you're interested in the history of crazy quilting, this is a great book for your collection.

Cindy also covers basic techniques for making a CQ but if technique is what you're interested in, I recommend The Magic Of Crazy Quilting by J. Marsha Michler.

Cindy's book is an absolute must have if history is your cup of tea! If you would like to visit Cindy's website, you can find it here.

And speaking of crazy quilting, here is my pink & black block:



I'm going to go park myself in front of my Cubs game shortly and do the beading on it. I expect to finish this one up today and then I'll start my April Take It Further Challenge block.

Take It Further Challenge - April

As is the norm on the first of each month, Sharon B. released the concept and color palette for the Take It Further Challenge. The concept for April is "How Do You See Change?" Basically, is "change" welcome or avoided?

Until recently, I avoided change. I was set in my ways, very routine and regimented and I resisted it. Over the last couple of years though, I've come to welcome it. We can't avoid change. Every thought, every idea, every desire, every fear, every bit of information we gather and every observation we have contributes to change. We expand whether we want to or not. It's evolution and it's inevitable. It's the nature of reality.

That of course is "internal change". But our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. As above, so below. It's Manifest Destiny so to speak.

I have already chosen my theme based on Sharon's concept. The color palette that Sharon chose reminds me of the rusts and browns of Autumn and Winter (when there isn't any snow on the ground). Because I have come to welcome change, the title of my piece will be "Winter Into Spring".

As always, I will work with Sharon's color palette. This time I will use it only as the foundation for my block. My stitching will reflect the pastel colors of Spring as new life gradually emerges from the dark days of Winter.

For those of you who like to work with the color palette as well, here it is with the DMC Embroidery Floss #'s:



Please keep in mind that I matched these based on my monitor settings. All monitors are different. At first, that dark color looked like black to me. When I looked at it in my image software, I suspected that it was actually dark green. I let my computer figure that one out and yes indeed, it is a dark green.

I'll be treadling today. I want to get this block pieced up and ready to stitch. I haven't decided on a focal point yet. I'm thinking of bird, maybe a robin. I'm going to go through my vintage jewelry pieces and see what I have that I can use. If I don't have anything that will work, I may just embroider a robin on the block.

Stay tuned to see where this goes!

The Button Crazy Quilt Continues

I completed the stitching on this one yesterday while watching my Cubs game:



The Cubs lost but this block is winner, isn't it? Don't you just love that giant button? It isn't old. It's a newer button but I like it. The borders are worked with 8.5 count Waste Canvas and #5 Perle Cotton.

I was asked if I did that piece of tatting at the top. No, that piece is vintage. I do tatting but prefer to use vintage pieces when I can.

This will be my next block:



I have no idea yet, where this one is going to go. I thought about stitching it all in white. Then I thought it would be pretty worked in light greens. Time will tell I guess!

Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month. I offer several charted designs in my Etsy shop to help promote Autism Awareness:



All proceeds from these designs are donated to Our Children's Circle Autism Group.