Crazy Quilt Update...

Doesn't look much for a weekend's stitching does it... I have only a few days until the deadline is upon me... Of course I won't get it finished in time... However while I may be failing at deadlines I am personally achieving...  I am learning to go with my gut feel about my stitching and pushing my need to be perfect aside... Apart from the little 'lazy daisy' flowers up in the left hand corner - which will be going - I am happy with the way my block is progressing...

The bottom yellow panel has just about driven me to distraction - but finally - I was triumphant... The problem with trying to copy a motif that you made up as you went a long (and taking no notes)  is trying to re-create it... After two failed attempts I finally succeed on the third try... The problem was not so much the motif - but its size... I had tried to do 'something arty' with it in the original size but it just seemed to lose the impact that the mauve one had... I tried different colours but it still looked wrong and then it hit me - it was too big... So I took a smaller button - my tracing shape - and two similar yellows and success!!!

The feather stitch in the variegated cotton just 'worked' and the green triangle overlaid with a lighter shade in cretan stitch was so simple the first time around that I sat back in disbelief that it had worked just like I had imagined it would...

I am not so sure about the fly stitch on the striped fabric but for the moment it can stay... The buttons on the one sided feather stitch I like and have plans to do some basic leaf shapes... What I do really like is the running stitch - it gives the block a handmade quality - a sense being created to last...Give it in it's not the straightest or most even but that too has a certain charm to it... Where did I get the idea to include it in my stitch repertoire.. I had actually hand pieced the block onto plain calico and when I looked at the back I liked the running stitches and how it defined the shapes... While I didn't intentionally think about using running stitch on the front of the block it just seemed to fit when I did...

So that's the update for this week... Have I thought about the Feb block yet??? Are you kidding me??? I like to live dangerously!!!! Stitch - by the seat of my pants - fly in the face of deadlines!!!  :-}

Until later, take care

Sharon x x