CQJP 2012 Finally completed!

Yea!  have you ever worked on a project that you were almost done with and just couldn't figure out how to complete it?  For a couple of months I have had my last CQJP 2012 block (Dec) about 90% done but just couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do with the center.  Strange thing is I usually start my projects from the middle working out.  This time - Not!

The other day I posted on the Face Book page for CQJP that I needed some help trying to come up with something to bring my block all together.  Received some great ideas but the minute I read Maureen's suggestion for a cornucopia I knew what I needed to do.  I had bought 2 of these adorable little cornucopia motifs a while back from a lady in Belgium and never really thought about using them.  I had already dyed both pieces of lace so I was amazed that one of them fit perfectly in the center of my bock.  I decided to stitch it down and embellish it up so as to make it look like it was pouring out flowers.



Dec CQJP 2012 (After)

CQJP 2012 Dec (Before Center)

 

 

Now to get started on CQJP 2013.  Already have a few blocks made up so now need to find the time to play "dress up!"

 

For all you Crazy Quilters, Pat Winter's Spring Edition of Crazy Quilt Gatherings is now out and available through McCloud  CRAZY QUILT GATHERINGS recieved my copy yesterday and am blow away by the talent of so many ladies - beautiful job Pat! Oh, and by the way .... guess who is on the back cover?! If you've never bought this magazine ...it is a MUST!  Back copies are available too as well as Pat's beautiful Calendar and BoHo Purse Magazine.

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

CQ Snowballs/Vintage Bluejeans/Free Shipping on Laces

Last time I posted it was just starting to get cold... today it is cold enough to snow!  I think we are expecting maybe 2-3" before it's over.  Some of you might have guessed by now that I am a lover of warm weather  - this cold weather is pushing me into my hibernation mode.  Hopefully while retreating into the warmth of my home, I will get back into my creative frame of mind.

I've been trying to get caught up on a few projects.  Here is a sneak peek of my CQJP 2012 October Block - almost done!  Two more blocks to go - been working on 3 at a time to get through 2012.  If you haven't signed up for CQJP 2013, please do as it will certainly challenge you.  Just click on the button for CQJP 2013 on the right side of my sidebar to register.

With the Christmas just around the corner I have been busy dyeing up tons of pretty new laces.  I recently uploaded quite a few in my shop RavioleeDreams  and will continue to do so over the next couple of weeks.  If there is a particular theme/color combination you are interested in please let me know.   As a thank you to everyone who reads my blog, I would like to offer you Free Shipping on any orders you place through December 15th.  All you have to do:  When you are checking out simply write in the "note" section that you are a Raviolee Dream Follower and I will reimburse your shipping costs.

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Completed another snowball - this one is for Kristie.  She had mentioned she liked the colors blue and orange so I did my best with this little bird to accommodate her wishes. 

Snowball for Kristie

My requests for snowballs was "Under the Sea" theme.  Kristie made this beauty for me.  Love the shark & jellyfish!  Thank you Kristie!


Made by Kristie for Nicki


I have been asked so many times "How did you ever get involved with Crazy Quilting?"  "When did you start embroidering?"   I know I've been picking up the needle and thread for a long long time - as early as my Brownie and Girl Scout days but it wasn't until I started cleaning out an old closet full of clothes that I remembered working on my very first pair of bluejeans. 

How many of you remember "Landlubber Bluejeans?"  If you are from the early 70's then you know they were a must to your wardrobe!  I remember collecting old bluejeans from my friends and cutting them up into squares.  I made a huge piece of patchwork fabric and then cut out something that resembled a skirt.  Trust me when I say this skirt was short!  I'm thinking it was probably the size equivalent to a 6 and was only about 14" long - yes... there was a time I wore my skirts that short!  After putting the skirt together I pulled out some Coats and Clark embroidery threads and just started free hand stitching.  Of course I had to have flowers and my zodiac sign - Cancer/crab/69.    If you take a real hard look you can almost tell what year this was just by what I had embroidered - ahhhh those hippie years!  I'm pretty sure it was 1970 - the year I graduated from High School. 

 

 

My first pair of Landlubber bluejeans - Can you tell they were worn just about everyday!  

 

 

I won't both showing the backside as theres' just about nothing left.  Why I have held on to these I'm not sure..... maybe I thought I could get back into them one day - NOT!  (OMG! these are at least 42 years old - do they (I) qualify as vintage?)

 

Happy Stitching!!

 



Celebration Time /Blog GIve Away & April CQJP

Does it seem to you that the days/months/years are just fly?  There just never seems to be enough time to do everything that swirls around in your brain and you are always sitting around wishing you had more time?  Yep... certainly for me.

Before I tell you about my upcoming Give Away, I thought I would share with you my April CQJP Block.  I know, I know, a little behind but as they say, life gets in the way sometimes...besides, it's summer time and what better excuse to not get things done?

For this years CQJP (Crazy Quilt Journal Porject), I decided to not go for a specific theme but rather change it up a bit and create a different color combination each month.  For the month of April I decided on pink and green.  Funny how the older you get you start to change your likes and dislikes - this color combination is starting to become one of my favorites.

Now... for the reason behind my upcoming Give Away!  As most of you who follow me know, I have been selling and filling custom dyed orders of my dyed laces on Etsy (Raviolee Dreams) for a little over a year.  I'm excited to report that I just reached my 1,000th Sale!  Many thanks go out to each one of you who have helped me hit this magic number!

And speaking of magic numbers.... although I'm not actually too thrilled about this number, on July 4th I will hit the big 60!!!! OMG!  How did I ever get here?  With lots of hard work, many trials and tribulations, lots of learning experiences and tons of love, I made it.  So... to help me celebrate I am giving you all a chance to win a Gift Certificate to Raviolee Dreams on my Birthday!  Details will follow later this week - just be sure to get your guessing game on and come take a chance.

Crazy Quilt RR Blocks

Last year I upped my blogged by at least one post so this year I have decided that my goal is to try and post at least once a week. I've collected so many pretty CQ items over the past year. as well as other techniques that I have learned, that I thought I would start sharing them more often.

Let me start with a couple blocks that were worked on by some of my wonderful and talented Crazy Quilt friends.

During my crazy cross stitch days I was as passionate about cross stitching as I am about crazy quilting today. I have a drawer full of motifs that I made and have been waiting for just the right project to come along to use some of them. When it was posted that CQI was having another RR - this one with the theme "lace", I had to jump in. I pulled out a couple of pretty little fans that had been waiting for years to be made into something and off I went to create an eye pleasing color pallet of silks, satins, brocades and cottons. This first block was sent to my friend Lisa in new Zealand as a one-on-one swap between the two of us. She did a beautiful job on it and as you will see further down, it matches the CQ RR block perfectly! Thank you Lisa for swapping with me - I love it!

Paula sent me her naked block and had asked that I keep it in the same color pallet mentioning she loved roses. She also wanted me to leave her room to work on it. I tried not to get too carried away but once you pick up that needle sometimes it just too hard to let it go. This is the block I made her in return.

Now, Have you ever seen anything so dainty and so pretty? I love this block! This is the block that I submitted to the CQI Group for the "Lace RR" .

BTW - There is a CQI direct link button on my sidebar - if you click on that button you will enter a world of Crazy Quilting.

I'd say this RR was THE perfect avenue to embellish upon my pretty fans. Thanks to all the ladies who worked on it and to Paula for making a beautiful matched block. I plan on making them into pillows ..... soon.

2010 All time favorite CQ

I know I'm not the only one sitting at their computer asking "Where did the year go?" Yep... another one has passed us by. Have you accomplished everything that you had on your 2010 "To Do " list? Have you learned a new technique this year? have you fallen in love with something that you've created? I thought that I would share with you one of my favorite pieces that I made this year. Using various pieces of my hand dyed laces and silk ribbons, I set out to make an invitation to a Fancy Formal Tea Party.

Last summer I hosted a CQ Tea Cup Challenge to the ladies on the HGTV Quilting forum. Each lady was given a 4" teacup panel (not all the same color teacup), a few pieces of lace, fabric and a couple charms that they were to incorporate into a 12.5" block. To say that the work was outstanding, incredible and just plain awesome is understating the fact. Every block was beautiful. If you would like to see all the Challenge blocks, please check them out in my Flicker Album : Tea Cup Challenge

My entry for the Tea Cup Challenge was a bit out of the norm for me. I decided instead of making a block in my usual "blue", I would try and throw the girls off by making a peachy/pink and green block. To my amazement I have fallen in love with this color combination and have since made quite a few other blocks using the same colors.

While searching for the right laces to use in my block, I found a piece that to me, looked exactly like a hat - decked it out with a pretty crocheted flower and beads and it worked perfectly. My friend Julie sent me some pretty dangley lace that was just the right touch to dress up the teacup.Outlining the teacup in gold metallic thread was no easy task - when will they make a metallic thread that glides? LOL!

My very favorite lace find was a pretty piece of white net net. At first it looked like a hand mirror but then I turned it upside down only to see that it made for the PERFECT dressy dress for my party. I found a cute little hanger in the scrap booking section of Michaels, dyed the dress and silk ribbon to match the flow o the block, added some tiny little seed beads and I was ready to partee!

lastly, when I receive a good bag full of pretty CQ goodies from my friend Karen, I knew immediately that the portion of the vintage tablecloth she sent would be great if I cut the center portion of it out... it revealed the perfect vintagey looking frame for this pretty lade. Because I thought the block already had a bit too much bling, bling, I decide to leave all but one corner of the frame naked, I loved making this block and hope to make it into a pillow before another year has passed.

Happy new Year everyone! May 2011 bring you lots of hope, happiness and good health.