
I’m a big fan of using doilies in crazy quilting. Thrift stores are a goldmine when it comes to doilies. I used to purchase any and all doilies that were small to medium size. BUT, I found that the best are small lacey ones so I am far more particular in my selections than I used to be. Avoid using the thicker more textured doilies as they can be more challenging to stitch and add a lot of bulk and weight to your CQ projects.
When I start a CQ project, I always select at least one doily if not two from my stash. These are dyed using whatever colours work with the project. One doily can go a long way as I generally cut this is several pieces to add to different areas of my project.
You will see the doily I have used in the lower right corner. I opted for this placement in the block as there are several seams that meet so this is a way of disguising what might prove to be a challenging area for stitching. I have overlaid the doily with small applique flowers that were also dyed. These are held in place with a brad in the center. Regretfully I have no source to share for the flowers as I picked these up many years ago. Perhaps a better option may have been smaller flowers but I could not find anything else that would work so I made do.
The center seam treatment started with a wide zig zag using a silk thread. I then added a series of straight stitches on the top and detached chain on the bottom. A flower sequin was added to the top with a bead in the center. I LOVE these flower/star shaped sequins which I picked up years ago at a quilt show I attended. You can find them on the Colourstreams website although I suspect with a little research you could find them either at your local needlework or quilt shop.
To complete the block, I added a backstitched heart with hat charm.
Wishing all my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day and all my American customers a happy fourth of July!