A Beautiful Quilt - both "Crazy" and "Sane"

The very first crazy quilts that really inspired me to adapt to needlepoint (since I studied the Victorian quilts in the 70's) were made by Allison Aller of "Allie's in Stitches."

I found her, and also Sharon Boggon (Pintangle) when looking for the vintage crazies, and it only took me a short while to become really addicted to this new art form. Her "Crazy for Flowers" was in progress then (an award winning quilt that year), and I was enchanted and hooked, although departures from tradition are difficult for me sometimes.

This morning I found that she has started a new quilt, and is using this one - a vintage quilt that combines both "sane" and "crazy." It clearly demonstrates, of course, the difference in the terminology, and I intend to follow it every step of the way, as she will embellish it in her own way, and I'm sure it will be enchanting, as is everything she does.

Art Crazy Quilts are fascinating to me, although I am not fond of hand sewing - or the labor of backing, etc. - all the things that go into finishing one, so for handwork I stick to knitting and needlepoint. Of course there is always the consideration that I will find something to adapt for a new needlepoint design. (Allie says she will convert me yet.)

Anyway - if you haven't already begun to follow this blog, do go take a look, as she is at the very beginning of making this quilt, and her tutorials are great - very clear and easy to understand.

As a designer, I find that I enjoy these fiber arts blogs immensely - especially the crazy quilters. There is a lot of inspiration through beautiful images that seem to imprint on the mind, and it was with these lovely quilts that I became interested in silk ribbon embroidery about 10 years ago.