A Case of the Crazies

I really admire serious quilters. All that cutting, measuring....blech. I'm a lazy seamstress if ever there was one. That, coupled with my extreme perfectionism and my utter distaste for my rotary cutter make quilting a near impossible endeavor for me. That doesn't mean I haven't tried. It just means I didn't get very far. The first wonky square, the first slip of the cutter and I'm done. My patience for tedious tasks (like cutting 200 tiny squares) is limited!

Despite my lack of patience and skill, I would love to make a quilt of my own, something for my children to have when they're older. But I think I may have found a solution to my quilting quandry. Crazy quilts. Why have I never heard of these before? Crazy quilts started as a fad for rich Victorian ladies who were eager to show off their stitching skills. Traditionally, they were made with silks and velvets but as the trend trickled down, women used whatever fabrics they had. I love scrap quilts and crazy quilts are the epitome of scrappy goodness. Of course it is perfectly okay to buy new fabric for a quilt but I just love the whole idea of using what you've got. Less waste, more sentiment.

Gorgeous crazy with ric-rac.
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In addition to their scraptacular beginnings, there are a couple other reasons crazy quilts are easy for me to love. There is hardley ANY measuring. Really! You just slap down any old wrinkled scrap and sew it down, continuing with the slap and sew method until the square is covered. Then you flip that bad boy over, square if off, and you have gorgeous, crazy quilt square! Usually, each seam on the square is then embroidered, but depending on what you're making, it may not always be necessary.

I'm working on a little somethin' somethin' that uses the crazy quilt method. I can't divulge all the details quite yet...it's a Christmas present in the making. But I am pleased as punch with the progress so far. I can't wait to gift it. There are pieces of J's old onesie, a curtain that used to hang in my living room, a scrap from the first dress I made for K....so many memories in just these few squares. I like them all but am partial to red one....what do you think?