Blocks - Continued

 Although I determined I should photograph the block before embellishment, I forget until I had done the first seam.

This is the 2nd of the crazy quilt centres.

And the finished, block.

 

Ran out of sparkly thead at the bottom of the vine...

Hands were shaking a I attached to chamsa.

I think that the spider in teh bottom right doesn't match the rest of the block but can't decide whether to leave it or what.  Just had an idea.  I may replace it but not today.

I have two crazy quilt centres left - I will wait on them and try some of the other blocks.  But not today. 

First Blocks Done

 I have started embellishing the blocks.  If you think assembling the blocks was time consuming, you have no idea how the next process works.  It is so hard to decide how to embellish.  Stitches go in and I don't like the result.  Unstitch, keep stitching?

The first two blocks are done, I think.  I started with a crazy quilt block.  I should have photographed it before I started but I didn't.

This is the finished I think block.  I think because I'm not sure if it needs anything else.

 The frame is the last of Mel's ties.  The white fabrics are family wedding dresses or fabrics.  The threads, beads and findings are those I have amassed over the years.  I am also trying not to buy anything for this project but I think I may need to - I am letting the frame tie colours dictate the white sections embellishments.  My next crazy quilt frame is primarily dark blue with hints of gold and green.  I have next to no gold threads.  I will see.

The second block is one of the ties I received from Brenda, or perhaps someone else.  This time I remembered to photograph a "before".

 

 And this is the after.

 

 Imagine it rotated left so the feathers are hanging.

The burgundy is duppioni silk from a sample from my neighbour, the upholsterer.  

For this one, I tried several things and this is how it ended up.  

 

I don't have to be in love with each piece, just to do my best to finish them estheticly. 

 

 

Now What

 

This pile has 75 8 3/4" squares with 4 1/2" white centres.

Thanks to blogging, I know that it took me 18 days to make the squares.  An auspicious number, no? 

My next step is to embroider/bead/embellish/stitch in the white centres.   This step will take longer.  Do I want to do it by myself or with friends? Do I want to work with a theme or just wing it?

How much of the white do I want to cover?

Do I want to set myself a time limit (e.g. 75 blocks in 75 days?)

I am hoping to exhibit them which will directly affect how I back them and a hanging system.

I am taking a day or two to think about it. 

So close - so far

 I have four blocks left to sew.  

 

My machine is telling me not now.  The top thread keeps breaking, making knots, etc.

So I am going to listen to my machine and say ok.  I'll do them tomorrow after I give my machine a thorough cleaning.

But in addition to the blocks on my design wall, I have these done.

 So I am doing OK.

Did I mention that I cut one half block 8 1/2" instead of 8 3/4"?  Fortunately, I have no shortage of neckties or batting so once I have the final count, I will see if I need to make more.  I also noticed that one of the ties had a cut so I'll have to replace that one too.  And did I mention that in some of the centres I sewed the interfacing to the front instead of the fabric?  It doesn't show so I'm leaving it the way it is. 

Stuff happens and artists improvise. 

Necktie Hebrew trivia

The word for necktie is עניבה (pronounced UH-KNEE-VAH).  Its root is Talmudic, referring to a knot. Also used for noose "anivat tliyah". Oy.

 

 

 

 

Did I Miscount the Squares or the Ties?

 I have just finished cutting out the white centres and the ties for the existing squares.  I have 11 ties (which I haven't cut yet) leftover.  Which means I either miscounted the squares or the ties.  Am I going to think about it now?  No.  I will start tomorrow sewing up the blocks and when they are finished I will either make more squares or figure out what to do with the ties, bearing in mind that I have enough tie pieces left over to make another 75 blocks...

In anticipation of the sewing, and seeing as I used this method before, I moved my sewing machine to my ironing surface.  I can sew standing up and thereby avoid the up and down each time I have to iron the fabrics as I sew.

This is the pile to be sewn. 

 

This is the new standing set up.

 

 And this orphan fell out from the pile...

Oh well.
 

Third of the Way There

 Well at least for the backgrounds.

 

Still Ties

 

 

 So I didn't actually do any sewing today yet.  After having ironed interfacing onto the ties I am using in my project, I was left with a bin of tie pieces.

  

My first piece of advice to anyone deconstructing ties, remove the guts, labels, and pointed end linings.  Do NOT separate the pieces of each tie until you are ready to actually use them.  I say this because I just spent a few hours matching up smaller pieces and seeing how many I have.

I now have a much smaller bin of tie bundles, each tie which has enough fabric (to do another round of what I am currently doing) is in a bundle.  I have a freezer bag with short on fabric bundles and another freezer bag with pieces which are not easily identifiable as belonging to one of the long enough bundles but I'm hanging onto them, just in case.

I also have a few polyester ties with which I am undecided what to do.  They are all striped except for one burgundy which I may use in my current project for the centre of the squares.

 And I just found one more silk tie to deconstruct... 

But I feel productive and am enjoying myself.