SHOWING OFF SOME OF MY CRAZY QUILTING

I thought I would change pace here from the items I am posting to sell to just some I have made.  I have been reading about the "Crazy Quilt Journal Challenge for 2012".
 http://www.cqjp2012.blogspot.com/

 I am going to try to join it.  Crazy quilting is my all time favorite needle work.  Probably because you really don't have to have fantastic eye sight to do.  I mean 40 years ago I tried counted cross stitch when my eyes were fantastic and gave up. It was too much strain to see the threads to count! Now crazy quilt is really all free hand sewing. I mean the only thing you HAVE to follow sometimes is a seam and you can use your finger to do that! With crazy quilt that line with little lines branching out becomes a climbing rose or honeysuckle or wisteria when you add some flowers or beads and leaves to it.  I mean your imagination can just run free, it is like holding a pencil in your hand and the only thing that limits the picture is you!! So I am going to show you the first 2 pieces I ever did in Crazy quilting.
When I was working at Hancocks Fabrics we got in all this silk ribbon and books with stitches in them  and I just had to try it. I had seen some work in the craft magazines and I thought: "I can do this!!"  And guess what ?? I did. It was not perfect by any means, but it wasn't too bad either, so here goes:

 And then I moved on to the next project tried a log cabin?? style:

In case some of you have not gone way back in the old posts of this blog, here is the front panels from a vest I made my mother a couple of years before she died.  After her death I removed the panels to remake it into a vest to fit me. Mother had an "old ladies hump" (her term) and I had made it to hang right on her.

The next two pics are a close up of the her initials I did. I think (just my own personal opinion) the initials are the prettiest work I have ever done.

 My mother loved crazy quilting, yet even though she did beautiful 'regular' embroidery she never tried crazy quilting.
Well, that is it for today. I hope all of you are ready for Christmas, Don and I are putting up a tree tonite or tomorrow. 
May God's Blessings be on each of you.
Mary