Block for Hurricane Katrina Fundraiser

I have to include a little bit about this project which I wrote about on

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Block for Katrina Hurricane relief.

It is so good to be blogging again after so long away handling real-life situations. I have to thank Sharon Boggon from inaminuteago for inviting me to be a participant in the Crazy Quilt to raise money for the American Red Cross so they can help victims of hurricane Katrina. Now I'm revisiting my much neglected blog as I use it to record my progress on my block.

I couldn't wait to get cracking on the block so immediately created a little notebook so I can record my ideas and draw my various stitch combinations before I jump in with needle and thread and find out that it doesn't work! My photos show my notebook open at the "colours" page where I glued pictures cut from the internet, from clip art, magazine cuttings and pieces of fabric.

and here is my finished block which was included in the quilt "ALL THAT JAZZ".

Pages from my Sketch Book of Stitch Ideas

Here are two more entries dated 9th February 2005 when I must have been beating the hot weather by sitting under the air-con drawing stitch ideas. It has been so long since I posted these that the photos have been removed by blogger.  They should still be on my computer somewhere though...........I certainly hope that my drawing techniques have improved over the past eight years!!!

Fan Stitch Combinations

This is another page from my Visual Journal where I have drawn original ideas for stitch combinations representing fans. This is to give me ideas for Linda's DYB6 fan block when it arrives. The three fans at the bottom of the page are from Dorothy Bond's fabulous book of stitches, however all the other ones are my own ideas.  

 

Underwater Reef stitches

This is a page from my Visual diary featuring sketches of various stitch combinations which I used to represent seaweed, fish and shells. It was a starting point for my Ningaloo Reef crazy quilted picture which is yet to be finished.

Here are some more pages from the same sketch book.

........Bullion or Grub Roses and Blanket Stitch Flowers.

Welcome to my New Blog

For some unknown reason, I can no longer access my previous crazy quilting blog called "Anlabyhouse". After spending hours, days and even weeks trying to fix the problems with a lot of help from blogger experts, I have decided to create a brand new blog and move on.  However, I will start by transferring some of the entries from Anlabyhouse to Viv's Crazy Quilting Journey otherwise my journey would not be complete. So please be patient while I start from the beginning all over again.......sigh.......which could prove to be quite time consuming and tedious.


From Monday 7th February 2005
My ideas have changed a bit since then..........3D doo-dads? What on earth was I thinking of by that expression?? 

Introducing Me

At last I have my own blog so I can record the ups and downs of my creative side. My normal side is totally sane and conservative which is how my parents always wanted me to be but my creative side? Well, that's a different thing altogether! I love crazy quilting because it encompasses all my other favourite crafts such as embroidery, smocking and patchwork. I can incorporate my love of genealogy by including photos of my family which have been printed on fabric and also I can add beads, buttons, charms and bits of wire and other 3D doo-dads. 
I love antique textiles, especially lace and lace motifs and like to include them when I can into my crazy quilting and also into embroidery projects. 
Fortunately, my husband is obsessed by railways - both real steam and modelling - always London and North East Railways though, so he understands my obsession with textiles and crazy quilts.

From Wednesday 9th February 2005
Again, things have changed a lot since I wrote this article.  As well as stitching while being a passenger in the car and while watching TV and sitting in the patio, I have to add sitting in waiting rooms.  The love of my life has developed cancer so I spend a lot of time waiting for him to have treatment. I stitch while we wait to see the oncologist, the radiologist, the palliative care team and the blood testing people.

My first completed crazy quilt block.

I hope that by doing one block at a time (watching TV, as a passenger in the car although I've been known to pick up my stitching and get a few stitches in while waiting at traffic lights and under the patio), I'll eventually get this quilt finished. I love the 28cm sew-as-you-go size square and find it very relaxing. Don't know how I'll feel after I've done another 27 of them.

I still haven't finished this quilt although I have completed a few more of the blocks.  A definite UFO to finish!!