Crazy Quilt Runner

What a great challenge this is for Island Batik. I have made many crazy quilts over the years but never with the amount of stitching I did on this one. In the first Island Batik Ambassador box this year I received the Color Builder Jade Vine. The 3 spools of 50wt that make up this collection of variegated thread is absolutely stunning, so pleasing to my eyes. For months I fretted over fabric, I was worried I would not find enough fabrics for what I had envisioned.

Some of the products featured on this site were provided to me free of charge by Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Aurifil , AccuQuilt, and Schmetz Needles.

Because this is my 5th year as an IBA I have quite the stash and scrap collection. This can be a blessing or not so much when you use a retired fabric. After finding the fabrics that flowed so well together I wanted to make a lap size or larger quilt. Some of the fabrics are no longer available though and I quickly ran out of them, a runner it is. Most of the scraps no longer had stickers to identify them and are from various collections.

This was my initial fabric pull, some were used and others eliminated because I was looking for a softer pallet. Most crazy quilts are scrappy and have wild fabric, some do not, it’s all about personal preference.

Piecing

For piecing I used Aurifil 50 wt white thread, for the designs I only used the 3 colors that are the Jade Vine Collection. Everything was done in the hoop using my Bernette B79, except joining the blocks.

There are machine embroidery designs of all kinds on the internet, both paid and free. For months I searched for small designs that I could use in my blocks. There are too many to give credit to each site or digitizer. The left photo was the first block I made and quickly eliminated one of the fabrics. The second block was the first “keep” block, photo shot in the window at an angle to show the great texture. And then there is Loki. Silly dog has to be in the middle of everything now that he’s discovered how to get on my tables.

Finished Crazy Quilt Runner

Heirloom® Premium 100% Wool was amazing for this project. I used a fusible no show mesh stabilizer fused to the IB Gray Solid. I cut the Wool Batting in small pieces, just big enough to completely cover the placement lines and stitched all the crazy patches down. Then the magic happen. I chose this particular batting because of the texture it adds to any project and the embroidery designs would become my quilting.

The finished runner, I am so happy I chose the Hobbs Wool Batting. It is so light and airy even though it is about 1/2″ thick, and look at the texture.

Schmetz Nonstick Needles worked great in my Bernette B79 for the embroidery and in my new Elna EF1 for adding the binding.

To say this was my most favorite challenge so far as an IBA would be an understatement. The combination of the glorious blending of IB fabrics, wool batting and the Jade Vine Collection from Aurifil has left me with the most beautiful finish I have created in a very long time. Now I am on the hunt for more fabric and another pack of Jade Vine to make a much larger quilt.

Block Template

Want to make your own crazy quilt with rectangle blocks? You can download the template for free until the end of the month.

Have an embroidery machine that uses PES files? You can download the emb file for free until the end of the month.

Find out what other Ambassadors are up to