Crazy woman adds monthly challenge

I rarely keep what I quilt for myself but I am trying to change that with a Crazy Quilt Journal Challenge,    The CQJP is about promoting the art of crazy quilting and expanding the participant’s individual artistic creativity and technical knowledge. Participants must embellish 12 blocks -- 1 per month ideally -- and share them on the joint blog. The challenge, created by Kathy Shaw, aka Shawkl, is simple because each quilter can determine what will be his or her challenge.

I finished this block in mid February and finally remembered to send it to Katie Bock, who took over the project, to be posted.

The block actually was pieced much earlier but not embellished.

Detail

Detail

Birthday fun

My granddaughter celebrates each new month of her life. The family continued the sign tradition with recent birthdays of my daughter and husband. What fun!

Stitch progress

1 year of stitches

Bowtie patch honors Fred Astaire

Finished bow tie patch

The fifth challenge theme in Season 8 of Project Quilting is the well-dressed man. I pulled some blacks and kakis from my tiny travel stash, thinking that covers the formal and informal states of dress. I wished I had my collected ties with me.

Then, I looked closer at one material -- those were not random splotches of white. They were top hats and canes -- the accessories dancer Fred Astaire would only wear with a tuxedo. The ties were no longer needed as only bowties belong with a tuxedo.

(You can see the images better on the back side of the fabric.)

I remembered bookmarking a free 3-D bowtie quilt tutorial. Find it at http://www.generations-quilt-patterns.com/3d-bow-tie-quilt-block.html

Back side of fabric

You start with 5 patches cut the same size AND there are no Y seams. Here's the block half done. Strange right?

But that's what leads to the center of the bowtie having dimension and  4 "pockets." It would be interesting to make a patch for the center so the undersides were a complimentary color. But even this version is interesting. I think I'll use it the next time I help a beginner who wants to learn to piece but doesn't want a "boring 4-patch."

A finished piece in a wedding party's colors would make a nice gift -- especially if the details were embroidered in a white square.

The finished wall hanging is 10 inches square, stitched and quilted by hand in Greeneville, Tenn.

You can see how others interpreted the theme and vote for your favorites at Persimmon Dreams.
http://persimondreams.blogspot.com/2017/02/well-dressed-manchallenge-5-of-project_26.html

Block half done. Unexpected, right?

Trying to show a pocket