Today we are going to discuss crazy quilting seam treatments.
Seam treatments always begin with a foundation stitch. On many occasions I opt for simple straight stitches as a foundation while at other times I like chain, herringbone or cretan. If you are unsure of any of these stitches please visit Needle N Thread as Mary’s videos are fabulous.
There are several great book resources for seam treatments. You might like to check Kathy Shaw’s Stunning Stitches book. For more, type crazy quilting into google and you will find several.
Back to stitching! I do find crazy quilting templates very helpful if I am wanting to create shapes. You will see an example of one in the lower left – half circles. I use half circles a lot. This example is stitched with chain stitch in a size 8 perle cotton. I should mention that it is always a good idea to vary textures. So, if I have used perle cotton then I will want to add some silk for a slight sheen which I did with the straight stitches and French knots at the end. You might also like to add a metallic or perhaps a rayon.
In the last class post I discussed laces and trims. You can see examples of laces in the lower right, upper left and a section cut from a doily in the middle. I have used a trim as a base in the lower left which has been layered with a section of grey ribbon couched in place.
I also like to add a spider web. I don’t add one to every block I stitch but I do like to add at least one to every crazy quilt. Usually I will use a thin metallic as I have here. This particular one is a fine silver machine thread.
Finally, let’s talk a bit about silk ribbon.
Silk ribbon comes in various widths. I use ½ and 3/8 inch the most and sometimes ¼ inch. The ribbon section is stitched with all three and highlighted with metallic straight and detached chain stitches. The ribbon was dyed every so slightly to a very pale grey almost white.
That’s it for this section. More next time.
