Rather than adding traditional stitching embellishments to Charlie’s Crazy I-Spy Quilt, I chose to piece his name into it! Piecing together letters like this looks complicated, but it’s actually really simple. You just need to decide on a width and height for your letters, then use basic elementary school math to determine width and length of each strip. If you want letters like mine with straight edges and right angles, just draw each letter out on graph paper before getting started. This will allow you to determine your measurements really easily, but don’t forget to add a 1/4″ seam allowance on each edge!We’re on the road right now, but I finished up Charlie’s quilt before we left, and I’m planning to get pictures soon so I can share it with you before the end of the week. I did snap pictures of the remaining Crazy I-Spy Blocks before I sewed everything together:How’s your Crazy Quilt sewing going? Projects are due by 10 p. m. eastern this Saturday, May 18th. You can find all the details for entering over on the Sew Can She Blog. Even if you’re not entering, though, you might want to check out the Flickr pool for some great inspiration!

Have you used every single decorative stitch on your machine? I can honestly say that after this last step, in the SewCanShe Crazy Quilt Block Sewalong, I have!

I am thrilled that I decided to work with the variegated embroidery thread. It adds a wonderful, shiny touch to the project!

 Before getting started I dug into my stash and pulled out my beloved Killington Flannel. Cuddled it for a minute, cut two layers, and then cut a woven print for the backing. Several pins later my quilt sandwich was ready for stitching!  As you can tell I wasn’t doing any major measuring. I just laid the quilted top on the flannel, then the woven, and simply cut around them, leaving a bit of room in case anything shifted while I was sewing.

I thought about using little beads in the center of the flowers. But with a little girl that likes to fiddle and pick at things instead of finishing a meal, I knew it would become a problem and distraction for her. Instead, I tried out every single decorative stitch on the fancier of my two machines (spoiled much?), and used almost every single one on this snack mat!

There were a couple I avoided because they were a bit too messy on the reverse, or were prone to tangles. I definitely recommend testing every stitch you plan on using on your project first. Some may need you to adjust the length or width in order for the design to stitch out perfectly on your current project. Also, if you’re stitching with a different thread than usual (in this case embroidery thread), you need to know how your machine is going to fare with it. In my machine I was struggling with the thread catching and fraying, until I realized what the issue was and could fix it.

Do you remember how I nicked the fabric near the bottom with my rotary cutter, leaving a small hole? Problem solved!

A little Heat’n Bond, some fabric scraps with cute flowers, a tiny applique stitch, and a little lacey trim are all you need to add a special touch for a flower loving girlie-girl!

Unfortunately, because I had to stitch so much slower than usual to stop the thread from fraying, I wasn’t able to complete both blocks for this post. I’ll be completing the other one and posting it on my personal blog this weekend: Rooibos Mom. Once it’s up, I’ll come back and share a direct link to it right here!

~Leigh