Tah Dah!! (Part Two)

Okay - here goes for Part Two

The Inside of the Hussif

INSIDE OF HUSSIF

On the left is a large open pocket and to the right you can see a pincushion roll. In the middle is a large zippered pocket (see the rose charm on the upper right which is actually a zipper pull) that flips down to show further things beneath. The large rose is a needle case, of sorts. To the right you can see a crochetedthimble holder and a holder for a spool of thread.  On the upper left of that section is the magnetic needle holder and to the right is a pin keep. Below is a smaller pocket (the flap opens up to reveal a pocket and the area behind the flap is left open to create a further pocket area.

 

 

 

HUSSIF INSIDE - MIDDLE SECTION

Above you can see the middle section opened up.  At the top there is another small pocket with a flap (also left open behind for additional storage).  Below left is a needlebook and to the right a scissor holder.  The flap itself holds a scratch pad and a pen.

Below are some close-ups of the inner sections...

CLOSE-UP OF LEFT SECTION

 

 

 

 

 

CLOSE-UP OF MIDDLE SECTION

CLOSE-UP OF RIGHT SECTION

CLOSE-UP OF MIDDLE 'BENEATH' SECTION

CLOSE-UP OF MIDDLE FLAP SECTION

There you go - the entire hussif.  Finished.  Done.  Complete. 

This project has taken a little over two months to complete - two months of pure unadulterated joy in creation.  This hussif will never likely be actually 'used' as a hussif, but will be kept pristine and perhaps, one day, might become an heirloom.  Of course there's an equal chance it will end up in the garbage tip once I kick off the mortal coil but that won't be up to me!!  The design is my own, cobbled together from many great ideas I have come across on places like Pinterest and in various books and magazines. As I said on the previous post, you can click to embiggen any of the pictures and if you want even more details see the labels on the right hand side of my blog under 'Hussif' and 'Crazy Quilting'.

Today I give you a quote from Elbert Hubbard.... "Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal"

Ta Dah!!!! (Part One)

Well, folks, you will be ecstatic to know that you won't have to suffer any longer!  The hussif is done...done, done AND done!!  And you thought it would never end!! 

I thought about dividing the pictures up over

two days, but in the interest of not subjecting

you to any more of it, I will

do two posts today.

(otherwise the pictures load might be too heavy for

some computers).

So, here goes...

THE OUTSIDE OF MY HUSSIF

OUTSIDE

The above photo shows the entire hussif opened out (measures approx. 9x23" when open).

As you can see, there are a LOT of roses!!

I decided to add a piece of lace around the outside but my stash

didn't yield anything that was wide enough so I had to settle

for something narrow.  At some point I might add

on another wider lace, which I think would make it

look better.

FRONT

 The hussif is a three-fold design and here you

can see the front fold.

The whole thing is a chubby little lady so I

opted not to have any sort of closure so I could

allow room inside for expansion as I added

sewing supplies.

MID-BACK

 

This shows the middle fold on the back.

INNER FOLD

 This part is the inner fold which is

mostly hidden from view unless 

you open the hussif up to see inside.

Below are a couple more close-ups of the outside...

 

 You can click on the pictures to embiggen them

should you so desire!

Stay tuned....part two is on the way

(along with today's quote).

Today? Great mail. Tomorrow....back to pizza flyers!

Yes, the mailman brought me something wonderful yet again!  I was lucky enough to win another giveaway on the Grow Your Blog party and the mailman brought some beautiful polymer clay creations from Guadalupe of Gems PC Corner.

First of all, the package itself

was so cute!!

Do you see the sweet little polymer bird house?

Inside, I found all these treasures...

There's a lovely necklace in my favourite colour (blue)

and some buttons and charms for use in my

crazy quilting.

Yes, I'm a lucky lucky girl!!

Thank you  Lupe!!!!

Today the quote is a Malayan Proverb..... "One can pay back the loan of gold, but one dies forever in debt to those who are kind"

Mailman is getting a hernia!

Remember that fun Grow Your Blog hop?  Well, the mailman brought me another parcel filled with special goodness that I won and this one came all the way from Germany courtesy of Annett of Knetty Craft!

There are at least 20 different 5-inch squares and there are two of each, enough to make a wonderful lap quilt, although I'm toying with buying a couple more charm packs so I have enough to make a twin size.  Will have to think about what I might do - oh, the possibilities!!!  

Thank you so much Annett!!

Today I am sharing a quote from A.A. Milne (Winnie The Pooh)... "Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude"

More mumbling

Some stitching was accomplished today and I made progress towards getting the rose hussif finished, but I'm going to be mean and make you wait to see it.  Come to think of it, I'm only being mean if you're waiting on pins and needles to see it - those of you who are sick of it all will be heaving a sigh of relief I'm sure!

And, just because......

Today's quote is from Maggie Scarf.... "Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a wonderfully responsive sports car, gunning the motor, taking off at high speed and then discovering the brakes are out of order"

The mailman brought something else!!

I am indeed a lucky girl with what the mailman is dropping off in my mailbox the past few days!  I was fortunate enough to win a lovely piece of art courtesy of Liz (aka Boud) from 'Beautiful Metaphor' blog and her giveaway for the Grow Your Blog party and it arrived on Friday.  Anyone who is familiar with Liz knows that she lives with a very active bunch of Dollivers who keep her on her toes and so my Ellyron had to get into the spirit of things and pose with the lovely piece of artwork Liz sent (entitled 'Tidepool')....

And here is a better closeup of 'Tidepool'

Unfortunately, for reasons unknown to me, my

new photo program absolutely refused to let

me rotate or crop this picture, so it's 

upside down!

ARGH!!!!

 There is goldwork and lots of sparklies on this!

Just as an interesting aside note, Liz lives in the US (we've never met) and I am friends with her sister Irene who lives not far from me.  Small world!     Thank you so much Liz - I will treasure this (and promise I will hang it right side up!!). 

Today the quote is from James McCay.... "No matter what level of your ability, you have more potential than you can ever develop in a lifetime"

Mumbling

Because of the sad lack of stitching happening around Chez Magpie over the past few days, I regret to inform you that there will be no pictures today. 

Today your quote is from Bertrand Russell Delong...... "The most valuable things in life are not measured in monetary terms.  The really important things are not houses and lands, stocks and bonds, automobiles and real estate, but friendships, trust, confidence, empathy, mercy, love and faith"

Mailmen can be wonderful!

Just have a look at what has arrived in my mailbox.....

What an amazing treasure trove of 

luscious handmade laces!!

I can't begin to thank my friend Pam Kellogg enough

for sharing what she scored at a flea market near

where she lives.  

I'm a lucky lucky girl!!

Today's quote is from David Viscott.... "To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides" 

For lack of something better.....

Today was our monthly CQTeers meeting and, being that it was here, it was my turn to come up with something to make/create/do.  After falling head first down the rabbit hole that calls itself Pinterest for altogether too many hours to count, I came up with a recipe for a lovely hand scrub.  It's one of those really nice little treats that ends up costing next to nothing to make and yet makes you feel so good!  Win/win....right?

So....for lack of anything else to mumble about, I will share the recipe so you can make some too!

HAND SCRUB
(exciting name, huh?)

1 cup white sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 - 1/4 tsp. peppermint extract

(or almond, orange or lemon would be good too)

Mix together.

Store in tightly capped pretty jar. *

* or, do like I did and leave your mind at the door of the dollar store and forget to buy pretty jars and end up having to scrounge some plain jane canning jars instead....oops!!!

Today's quote is from Quentin Crisp.... "There is no need to do any housework at all.  After the first four years the dirt doesn't get any worse"

Two more!

A pincushion and a needlebook.

The pincushion will fit perfectly in the 'spine' area of my hussif (which explains why it's long and skinny!).  I edged the needlebook with a row of buttonhole stitches and then crocheted a filet trim using the buttonholed stitches as a base.  

I also mucked about with my new photo

program.

ooooh - special effects -

who knew??

Today the quote is from W. J. Boetcker.... "If you want to know how rich you really are, find out what would be left of you tomorrow if you should lose every dollar you own tonight"

More on buttons and Broderie Perse

Carol asked me in the comments yesterday to share how I made the magnetic needle keep and then asked if the tutorial HERE was what I used.  Actually the tutorial she found is far better than the one I had seen (and have subsequently lost the link to).  So, if you'd like to make one this will tell you exactly how it's done. 

I purchased my coverable button kit at Fabricland, but I would assume that places like JoAnn's in the US would have them.  Mine were made by 'Unique.... H.A. Kidd' and measure approximately 2" across.  I have several different versions of coverable buttons and would recommend that you try to get the ones that have little 'teeth' in the back of the button top.  It makes holding the fabric in place SO much easier.   I bought Rare-Earth circular magnets from Lee Valley Tools here in Canada   3/8" diameter; 1/10" thickness (your local hardware store may have them as well).       I would highly recommend these magnets because they are very strong and will easily 'work' through the metal button cover and the fabric you use.  I'm not positive, but I would be suspicious that the cheap dollar store ones wouldn't be strong enough.  I used two magnets in my needle keep. 

I had taken a picture of the 'parts' to show you

but the pictures at the link above are

FAR better than mine so go and have

a look there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Today the quote is from Anonymous....

The happiest business in all the world

is that of making friends,

And no investment on the street

pays larger dividends,

For life is more than stocks and bonds,

and love than rate percent,

And he who gives in friendship's name

shall reap what he has spent

Progress, of the hussif kind

I have completed a couple more things for the 'innards' of my hussif.  I know this hussif is seeming to take absolutely forever to get done, but it's getting there - I promise!

First of all, I made this needle keep.  It's a large button blank covered with embroidery and inside I glued a couple super heavy duty magnets (tricky little beggars to get to stay in place while the hot glue dried - they kept wanting to leap together like bunnies in heat).  As you can see a needle sticks very nicely to it and won't be so easily misplaced while I'm working.  Of course, having said that, the secret to success is going to be training my brain into actually putting the needle onto it!

This little creation is a crocheted thimble holder.  Being that I don't actually USE thimbles it's rather a waste of space in my hussif, but that didn't stop me from making it.  I just like the look of it!

Today the quote is from William James.... "Be not afraid of life.  Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact"

Modern miracles of the equipment sort

Remember the other day when I showed you the pile of 2 1/2" strips I had cut for the sane quilt and my mentioning a wondrous piece of equipment my friend had loaned me to make the process easier?  I thought perhaps you might like to see what it is, just in case it would be of use to make your quilting life a bit easier.

 It's a clear ruler with slits already in it where you run your cutting wheel thereby making each cut straight as can be and because there are six slits each 2 1/2" apart you can cut quite quickly and accurately without having to keep moving your ruler.

 Below is a close up so you can see the slits (embiggen the pictures to see even better if you'd like)

It's a 'Shape Cut Sprint' manufactured by 

June Tailor Inc.

And remember the other day when I was showing you how I fixed a section of a crazy quilt piece that I was unhappy with?  Well, here's the finished pocket as it is now...

Sorry about the picture quality - still learning my way around the new computer and haven't mastered the photo program yet!    This pocket will hold a pad of paper on the inside of my hussif.  If you embiggen the picture you can see more of the details and will notice the 'crystal' in the upper corner.  My mother painted the roses on that many moons ago and it's been in my stash waiting for a home.  I think it found one!

Today the quote is from an anonymous author...  "Stress - that confusion created when the mind must override the body's basic desire to choke the living #*?! out of some idiot who desperately needs it"     (Not that any of us would ever have this happen to us!!)

And the winner is....drumroll please.....

I just used the Random.org generator to choose the winner of my 'Grow Your Blog' party giveaway and it chose comment # 32 which was Laney of Sugar Plum Patchwork!!


Her comment..."I came from the blog hop.  Beautiful crazy quilt pieces! Thanks for visiting my blog - it was surely a treat to see yours!"

I'm sending an email off to you Laney and will send your wee prize off to you once I receive your snail mail addy.

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog and were kind enough to leave a comment.  It has been a fun blog party and kudos to Vicki and her helpers who made it so special.

Contratulations Laney!!

 

And now - for a change of scenery

Before I get into the main part of the post I want to tell you that I've noticed something odd going on with my blog comments.  Up until recently I have always received a copy of each comment in my email account so that I can approve them (dratted spammers!!) and from there I am able to respond to you directly.  For some reason, known only unto Blog-grrrr or the blogging universe as a whole, I am not getting all your comments forwarded to my email and in a lot of cases I haven't responded to you because I didn't notice there was a problem until now.  Being rather computer illiterate I don't know what I can/should do to rectify the situation. I haven't changed any of my blog settings so it can't be that.            ANYWAY - my most sincere apologies if I haven't responded to you and please know that I do love your comments and treasure each and every one.  I am still able to approve comments through my blog directly so I will be continuing to do that so rest assured your comments ARE being seen by me.

Now, I return you to your regularly scheduled mumblings...

Some of you may remember that I've been asked to make a 'sane' quilt, which is something I haven't done much of (and what I have done has been rather dismal).  The pattern is a 'Rail Fence' set on point and requires a lot (!!) of 2 1/2" strips.  This morning I mustered my courage and started cutting (with the help of a marvelous 'special' ruler on loan from my friend M.E.....thank you!).  With relative ease and in a short amount of time I have the strips half done (and if my arthritic thumb hadn't started to complain I might have been able to finish the lot).    Yay!!   See?......

Phew, now you've gotten through all that, I will leave you with today's quote (from Ambrose Bierce).... "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret"

A rescue - of the block kind

  

Today I'm going to show you something that I probably shouldn't!  Don't we all like to think that everything we do is pretty decent and that we don't make horrible mistakes?  W-e-l-l - me?  Not so much!  Yesterday I spent over an hour cross stitching a rose onto the latest section of my hussif and when I removed the waste canvas I hated it.  H-A-T-E-D   I-T.  What to do?  Chuck the whole piece?  Leave it be and live with it?  Or....could it be salvaged?

So in the interest of full disclosure AND actually having a blog post for you today, I decided I would show you what I've done to fix the problem.

First of all, here's the piece as it was yesterday...

Can you see what had me bothered? (and, don't be nice and tell me that it's okay, because it really isn't).

It's the big honking single rose that is seemingly lying on its side sort of on the upper right.  I know I didn't have to tell you that, but bear with me.

It's too big. It 'fights' with the broderie perse flower on the lower left.  It's too much.  

I could have unpicked all those stitches, but it would have left a lot of holes in the fabric which would have been very difficult to cover up.

Now, here's what I did to make it better.

First of all I went to my stash and found something that had a pretty finished edge.  My reason for that was (if you look closely at the photo above) that the 'bad rose' was stitched quite closely to the nice seam below it.  You can also see that the broderie perse flower was 'higher' than the nice seam and because of that I couldn't simply stitch down a straight piece of fabric in order to cover up the bad area.  The curve in the doily I chose worked perfectly to deal with the broderie perse being somewhat higher.

Do you see in this photo how I've inserted the doily to cover the offending rose and also compensate for the broderie perse rose?  I basted the curved edge of the doily very close to the edge.

I then flipped the block over and trimmed away the offending rose, as well as the seam treatment I had done that was above it, leaving the block on the back looking like this...

As you can see I was now left with a rather see-through doily in the corner.  Because crazy quilt blocks are created on a foundation obviously I needed to replace the foundation in that area.  That was simply done by basting a scrap piece of plain cotton onto the back.

Now I am ready to continue with my block and I'm so much happier with it.  Yes, I did lose the small seam treatment that was above the offending rose, but it was a small price to pay for ending up with something I am happier with overall.  

So there you go.

A block rescue!

Today, here's a quote from Steve Allen.... "Sometimes things which at the moment may be perceived as obstacles - and actually be obstacles, difficulties, or drawbacks - can in the long run result in some good end which would not have occurred if it had not been for the obstacle"

In which I mumble....

  

Today I don't have any pictures of roses for you.  I apologize.  I let mundane things like running errands, eating, sleeping and general life get in the way of my stitching.  I will try to do better.  I promise.


Today's quote is from Andy Rooney.... "Computers make it easy to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do, don't need to be done"

New computers and roses (I hope!)

Well, the grand computer change-over of 2015 took place over the weekend and I'm now up and running on my new one...complete with a great deal of trepidation!  Windows 8.1 is a whole new learning curve!  So far I've managed not too badly (despite the great 'Skype Debacle Of Last Night' that we won't talk about, other than to say all's well that ends well - I think).  Today I put my brave face on and am attempting to load a picture onto my blog.

Here goes!!

Well, I'll be darned!!

It worked!!!

Sometimes I amaze myself.

Oh - and the photo above?  It's a pin keep that I made to include in my hussif.

Today the quote I'm giving you is from Susan Jeffers (and 'fits' what happened during the afore-mentioned 'Skype Debacle')...."Feel the fear, and do it anyway"

Yuckism and roses....

Depending on your viewpoint considering snow vs. roses, you can decide for yourself which part of this post falls under 'yuck'!!

First of all, this is the view out my studio window as of a few minutes ago...

If you embiggen the picture, I think you can see the BIG snowflakes that are falling (and have been for much of the afternoon).  See the build-up on my windowsill?

oh - and can you see a little mourning dove perched in the tree?  He's hard to spot!!





Meanwhile, inside, I have been continuing the work on my rose-themed hussif.  Remember my post of a few days ago where I showed you the free-standing rose?  Well, I wasn't happy with it so I've added a couple of rows of buttonhole lace (in two different shades of pink) around the outside of the petals and now I'm much happier. 

Above is the picture as it was the other day, and to the right is what I did today.  Perhaps you can't see why I would 'fix' it, but trust me, when you see the overall project I think you'll understand!

I've also made another little pocket for the 

inside of the hussif...

It's not a very great photo!  The roses were done using cross stitch on waste canvas.  The entire pocket measures approx. 5 x 4".

Today I give you a quote from Clarissa Pinkola Estes.... "I hope you will go out and let stories - that is life - happen to you and that you will work with these stories....water them with your blood and tears and your laughter til they bloom, til you yourself burst into bloom"

hussif progress

Now for a couple pictures...

This is the 'cover' of a pocket that will be on the inside of the hussif.  Just plain ol' embroidery - nothing fancy!

This is a smaller pocket decorated with silk ribbon flowers and some pearl beads.

Today's quote is from Bruce Barton.... "When you're through changing, you're through"

Exciting news!!!

Now for the exciting news I have for you!!

Today, at long last, the very first issue of Pam Kellogg's new 'Crazy Quilt Quarterly' magazine is being launched!  We are so excited to show it to you!  Pam has worked so very hard on getting this magazine ready, including having to deal with three different computers (and the resulting programs!) while she did so.  

Not only am I excited about the launch, but also to be the very first 'cover girl' - yes, my work is on the cover!  Not only that, but I'm writing a column for newbies AND, even harder to believe, I'm the Assistant Editor!!!  I never in my wildest dreams ever (ever!) would have thought I would be honoured in such a way nor did I ever think my work would ever be on the front cover of a magazine.  Definitely better than showing up in the court docket, don't you think?

Pam, Cathy Kizerian (Creative Consultant) and I have worked very hard to bring you a beautiful publication filled with articles about crazy quilting, eye candy, tutorials and much more. 

The magazine is available through MagCloud, which is an online print-on-demand business.  You may purchase either a print or digital copy (or both!), depending on your needs.  This issue is available HERE  

Congratulations Pam!!!!!

GROW YOUR BLOG - 2015!!

Welcome!

I am so happy to join in the fun in the 'Grow Your Blog 2015' party organized by the amazing Vicki Boster of 2 Bags Full. I can't wait to go visiting and meet some new friends and also to welcome you to my blog.

First of all, my name is Mary Anne (better known as MA).  My husband and I are retired and live in southern Ontario Canada in an apartment overlooking the local river.  We have two sons, two daughters-in-love, and a handsome 8 month old grandson.

Created in a year long colour challenge

Vicki suggests that we tell you why we blog so here goes....When I started to blog I simply used it as a tool in order for my kids to be able to see pictures of what I was working on at the time.  I never, in my wildest imagination, ever thought anybody else would be the least bit interested in my mumblings.  Slowly people discovered my little blog and suddenly I had a few readers.  That, in turn, led me to feel a small sense of responsibility that I should produce something so they actually had something to read.  It  grew from there and now I am happy to say that I have made a lot of great friendships through blogging. 

One of several crazy quilt purses I have created.

My passion is crazy quilting (as a look through my blog will attest!).  All the crafts I have learned to do over the years have pretty much culminated into one art form, one I never grow tired of.  I like the variety of things that can be utilized into crazy quilting (eg. old jewelry, laces, ribbons, found objects) and that many of the materials I use are recycled.  Being able to create something beautiful and useful from things that would otherwise be thrown away is very exciting.

A large wall hanging created in an online class with Karen Ruane.

  

My interest in crazy quilting began in 1999 when I got a computer with access to the internet and came across the 'CQMagOnline' and 'The CQ Newsletter' (now out of print).  I was fascinated and a passion was born.  I went from there to joining online groups and taking part in round robins and exchanges with those already working in the field.  It was a giant learning curve but ever so much fun!

One of my other passions over the years has been working with recycled denim and above you can see an example of a crazy quilted denim purse and below is the back of one of my jackets that I made using previously-loved jeans.

One of my favourite things to create right now are sewing hussifs and here you can see the front cover of one that I designed.

I was thrilled  to have both pictures and a how-to article on making these published in a 2013 issue of Pat Winter's 'Crazy Quilt Gatherings' magazine.

If you scroll down through my blog (or click on 'crazy quilting' in my labels) you will be able to see portions of the rose-themed hussif I am currently working on.

A further thrill was to be asked by Pam Kellogg to contribute one of my crazy quilts for inclusion in her 2015 calendar  My work was featured for January and you can see a picture of my creation as my blog header.

More recently the 'Crazy Quilt Gatherings' magazine owned by Pat Winter has been passed into the capable hands of Pam Kellogg  and the first issue of the new 'Crazy Quilt Quarterly' magazine will available for purchase on MagCloud February 1st.  Pam has again given me the honour of being the cover artist for her first issue, as well as inviting me to write a column for newbies.  All this is hugely exciting for me and makes me think that perhaps I have 'arrived' in the crazy quilting world!

 Many of the players in 'Grow Your Blog' are offering little giveaways and I am no exception.  I will be creating a rose embroidered needlebook similar to this one (below) and I will  draw  a name from those who comment on this post sometime on February 15th and announce the lucky winner then. 

Lastly, I want to extend a very large thank you to Vicki (and her helpers) for arranging  this great fun blog hop for us to enjoy.  I know it took a huge amount of time and dedication on her part and she deserves a standing ovation from all of us.  

Now I'm off to visit you...

put the coffee on!

Need your input....please

Further to the possible imminent demise of my computer I'd like to ask those of you who own any form of computer tablet your thoughts on them.  Good, bad, indifferent....I need to hear it all.  If you are in like with the one you're using will you share the name and model?  Does it talk nicely to the internet?  Anything you think I need to know would be most welcome!!  TIA!

I spent nearly all day printing off pictures that I have stored on my computer...just in case they float out to the inter-ether never to be seen again.  I've been meaning to do that chore but it's always been easier to just procrastinate.  The ones I really value are now printed off and if I lose the rest I'm not going to be overly sad. 

Obviously while all this printing and sorting was going on there was absolutely NO stitching done....therefore no pictures to share with you.  During my clean out I found a few 'funnies' I hadn't shared so here they are for you...

AND...

Here's a picture of our new grand-dog,

a 3year old white German Shepherd
rescue.

His name is Kumo, which is

'cloud' in Japanese.

Isn't he handsome?  

Today the quote is from Eleanor Roosevelt (and was chosen because it's exactly how I feel about the step into the unknown I might be taking with this technology upgrade I'm facing).....  "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself "I lived through this horror, I can take the next thing that comes along"

Hodge Podge Mumblings

 I have begun work on the 'innards' of my hussif and this is the first thing I made.  This will be part of a pocket I think.  Or maybe not.

And finally, here's the quote for today!  This one is from James Dean.... "Dream as though you'll live forever.  Live as if you'll die today"

Waste Canvas (a tutorial, of sorts)

Today I thought I'd share a little bit about the use of waste canvas with you.  I'm by no means an expert but there are some tips I've learned along the way that might prove helpful.

First of all, the waste canvas I purchase is made by Charles Craft (www.CharlesCraft.com) and I always buy 14 count.  I find anything with a larger grid than that is simply too big for most crazy quilting applications.  The packages come with a piece of canvas 12"x18" which is sufficient for a lot of crazy quilt seams.

I think the first use of waste canvas was to apply designs onto the front of t-shirts (probably back in the early 70's or so) and at that time it was recommended that, once you had your design stitched, the waste canvas be moistened to make it easier to remove.  I find just the opposite to be true for crazy quilting and that moisture is definitely NOT your friend.  It turns the canvas threads into a gummy mess and makes them nearly impossible to remove.

To begin, choose the design you would like to create and count the number of stitches in both directions.  The most important count is the stitches from top to bottom.  Cut a piece of waste canvas, plus a margin of at least five squares on both top and bottom, a little more than the length of your seam.  At this point I fold the canvas in half in both directions and mark the centre with a permanent fine point marker.  Center your canvas on your seam using the mark as a guide.  Baste around the outside edges of your canvas to hold in place (you can pin it, but then you're constantly having to untangle your threads as you work - too much angst for me!!).

Find the centre point of your design and begin stitching it at the centre mark you've made on the canvas and work your way to the end of your seam.  Return to the centre and work out in the other direction.  Try not to catch the canvas into your needle as you stitch.

Remove your basting threads and then, using a pair of tweezers, start pulling each strand of canvas out one at a time. I always pull the short strands out.  Taking your time with this step is important.  Pull each thread carefully, keeping them straight as you pull.  Pulling sideways (or upwards) will result in distorted stitches.  If you find a strand difficult to pull out, try pulling it from the opposite side.    After you remove all the short strands just grasp the edge of the remaining long strands and pull gently.  Voila - they will slide right out and you're left with a beautifully stitched seam. 

I hope you find these tips helpful and will give waste canvas a try!

Today the quote is from Georg Christoph Lichtenberg.... "Everyone is a genius at least once a year.  The real geniuses simply have their bright ideas closer together"

Sorta done

Over the weekend I completed the outside of my rose hussif and now it's on to the goodies I'll be putting inside.  These photos overlap somewhat because it's impossible to get just certain sections (altho' I guess I could have cropped them, couldn't I?). 

For some reason, known only unto Blog-grrrrrr, I can't manage to space down to put my usual quote at the bottom of my post (what's up with that??!!)....so I'll put it here....

Today the quote is from Martin Luther King.... "All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence"

Left side of hussif.

Middle of hussif.

Right side of hussif.