crazy quilt b-day card

I turned another year older last week and my San Diego friend Julie sent me a little hand made piece to celebrate. We met when she hosted Betty Pillsbury, a well-known crazy quilt teacher, at her house for a two day class. It was swelteringly hot that weekend but we all jammed ourselves into her family room and had a ball stitching and yakking. That was 1998 (???) or there abouts and we've been friends since. We've done a lot of CQing together and spent a bundle on supplies at various stores and shows. Since my hands got so arthritisy, I haven't done much stitching but Julie is still beavering away at her famously small - sometimes tiny - blocks.

This one is 6.5" point to point, and is just lovely. Small precise stitches on silk fabrics with a few beads and sequins and charms. The muted colors and tiny stitches make the block feel very Victorian. Julie hand tatted the lace on the upper brown seam. The white lace on the lowest seam is vintage bobbin lace (I think) made with thread as fine as a cobweb. Unbelievably delicate.

Double click the pics to see them big so you can really appreciate the seam work.