Quilting...Just a Little Bit Crazy

February 17, 2014
Aller (Allie Aller’s Crazy Quilting), a Washington state quilter, and Bothell, a Kansas crazy-quilting teacher, endeavor to marry old traditions of crazy quilting with today’s technology “to show that crazy quilts can be functional.” The result is a smashing success with equal parts fun and function, serious instruction, and delighted execution. Techniques outnumber projects three to one. In other words, Aller and Bothell put most of their energy on the how versus the what. Preceding the projects are general instructions: for piecing, including crazy-quilt blocks and borders and Judith Baker Montano’s fan methods; for appliquéing using freezer-paper or card stock templates; and for interfacing, which is especially important on wall hangings. After pieces become blocks, embroidery begins, whether by hand or machine. The authors offer ideas on designs and transfers; on needles, tension, and thread weight; and on stitches, from feather to Cretan to blanket. To illustrate the construction, they pull from the 10 projects (some with patterns), including Bothell’s “Oriental Garden” and Aller’s “Morning Chores” with its dairy feed sack center.