The Crazy Quilt Handbook

Judith Baker Montano is an award-winning and world-renowned Canadian fiber artist, photographer, author, and teacher who is recognized as the consummate expert in crazy quilting, silk ribbon embroidery, and embellishments. She grew up on the historic Bar U Ranch in Alberta, Canada. Her love of fabrics and embellishments reflects her Indian, French, and German heritage. She attributes the rich, embellished ethnic influence in her work to living between an Indian reserve and a Hutterite colony where she observed beautiful handicrafts. Living in England, Germany, and Japan for eight years was another profound influence on her artwork and outlook. Judith attended California State University, Chico, and graduated with a degree in art and journalism. Upon graduation, she painted with the San Francisco Art Guild. Experimenting with materials and her sewing machine, Judith created the Montano Center Piece Method, a copyright-protected machine method of crazy quilting. Judith was presented with the Governor General's Centennial Award of Canada in recognition for her artwork as a Canadian living abroad. She has designed for Butterick/Vogue, Bucilla Company, Mokuba Ribbons of Tokyo, Fox Hill Designs, Treenway Silks, Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Kanagawa, and Mokuba ribbons. Her work has been featured at the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado; Profiles Gallery, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; The Dairy Barn, Athens, Ohio; Mitskoshi Department Show, Tokyo, Japan; Profiles and Visions, Alberta, Canada; and the La Conner Quilt Museum, La Conner, Washington. Judith has been a guest artist at countless Australian Stitches and Craft Trade shows and the Tokyo Hobby Shows. Her designs have been featured in many international and national magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, Quilts Japan, and The Quilt Life. She has appeared on the Carol Duval Show, Simply Quilts, The Quilt Show, and Good Morning Australia. She has produced award-winning tutorial videos and DVDs. Teaching takes her throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Classes range from clothing design, crazy quilting, embellishments, and mixed media to free-form textile art. Every year, from May to September, Judith offers eight exclusive seminars in her private studio. Visit her website, www.judithbakermontano.com, for more details. Judith resides in the small town of La Veta, Colorado, a conclave of artists, writers, and musicians. She lives in a restored 1876 cottage with her husband, Ernest Shealy, and an ever-increasing menagerie of pets.

Contents [chapter head] Acknowledgments Preface Crazy Quilt Definitions Recollections Trailblazers Links with the Past Historical Perspective The Crazy Quilt Legacy Antique Method Crazy Quilting Today Home Decor Family Memories Friendship Quilts Clothing and Accessories Getting Started Create Your Own Look Color Color Wheel Color Combinations Understanding Color Choosing Colors The Montano Color Theory Fabrics Crazy Quilt How-To Hints for Successful Crazy Quilting Plastic Window Templates Hiding Seam Lines Adapting Crazy Quilting to Garment Patterns Repetition and Balance Design Elements For Successful Crazy Quilting Design Placement Before You Get Started Prepare The Foundation How Much Fabric Will You Need Choosing the Supplies The Montano Center Piece Method The Cardinal Rule Montano Centerpiece Method Problem Solving Creating Curved Bridges Fussy Cutting Special Fabrics Overlapping Piecing More than One Block Preparing For Embroidery Placement of Lace, Ribbons and Trims Joining The Blocks Finishing Borders Backing Tacking Bindings Embellishments Galore Embroideries Cross-Stitch Outline Embroidery Satin Stitch Combination Stitches Punchneedle Embroidery Calligraphy Fabric Painting Fabric Dyes Photography on Fabric Ribbons and Roses Embellishment On Ribbons Meandering and Twisted Ribbon Ribbon Ruffles Ruth's Ruched Ribbons Concertina Rose Wire Ribbon Gathered Flowers Beads Needles and Threads Beaded Highlights Sewn Beaded Designs Buttons Knots, Cords and Tassels Laces, Doilies, and Hankies Lace Cleaning Antique Lace Coloring Lace Coffee Or Tea Watercolor Paints and Dyes Doilies Hankies Projects CQ Chateleine CQ Pansy needlecase Weeping Heart Pendant Crazy Quilt Frame Oval Needlecase Garden Shed Project Chicken Bumble Pincushion Floral Swing Purse Heirloom and Postcard Collages CQ Christmas ornaments Cottage Gardenard Sabre Party Pouch Stitch Dictionary Embroidery Stitches: Buttonhole Stitch Buttonhole Closed Stitch Buttonhole Circular Chain Chevron Stitch Cretan Stitch Colonial Knot Couching Feather Stitch French Knot Fly Stitch Herringbone Stitch Lazy Daisy Stitch Running Stitch Satin Stitch Stem Stitch Straight Stitch Silk Ribbon Stitches: Threading Up Bullion Tip Lazy Daisy Decorated Lazy Daisy Fargo Flower Iva's Rose Japanese Ribbon Stitch Judith's Curled Leaf Loop Flower Montano Knot Pistil Stitch Plume Stitch Rosette Bud Ruth's rosettes Ruth's Ruched Ribbon Spiderweb Rose Velvet Pansies Whipstitch Straight and Curled Fans Webs Spiders Free-Form Trees Index Bibliography About the author