Have you ever made a crazy quilt & how did you learn?

Question

Do you have any tips on making a crazy quilt? Good sites to learn from or what you discovered worked best as you made one?

Answer 1

I haven't made an entire quilt - just a few blocks. It isn't really my thing - I like piecing better, and I'm not good at all of the embellishments. I learned the same way I learn just about everything - by reading books and researching it on the computer.

Traditionally, crazy quilts were made by sewing different pieces of fabric onto a foundation of muslin. They'd make blocks, then sew the blocks together. They used 'rich' fabrics, like velvets, silks, satins, etc. Crazy quilts are usually heavily embellished with embroidery, broderie perse (sewing on flowers, etc. cut from other fabrics), buttons, charms, etc.

Start with a square of muslin about 1/2 inch larger than your finished block - say 12 1/2". Take an irregularly shaped piece of fabric and place it near the middle of the muslin, right side up. Now take another piece of fabric and place it right side DOWN on top of the first piece, lining up an edge. Sew near the edge through all three layers of fabric. Turn the last piece you added back so it is now right side up and press. Take another piece and put it face down over the two existing pieces, again lining up an edge. Sew, trim seam allowance, if necessary, turn back and press. Continue in this way, working from the center to the outside, until you've covered the entire piece of muslin. It's similar to the construction of a log cabin block, only not so structured, and using a foundation fabric.Trim the edges. Add embroidery and other embellishments as you like.

Crazy quilts usually are not quilted - they are made into coverlets with a backing fabric, rather than layered with batting and backing.

Check out the websites below:

Answer 2

Crazy quilts are much hard than regular pieced quilts because making a full square come out right and flat is nearly impossible. Try your local quilt guild for personal help.

Answer 3

crazy quilts are just made from odd scraps of material...no specific sizes or anything. I learned from my grandmother...just pieced a lot of pieces together...usually embroidered on top of the pieces...just a quilting stitch...used fabric that you were fond of..old clothes, whatever. put an old blanket on the inside and some plain fabric as the backside. Almost any quilting book will give more information