Progress on the Crazy Quilt

It's been a while since I've spent any time on my crazy quilt project.  As usual I think that is because I wasn't sure how to do what I had planned; embroidering the eyes of the owl and stuffing the deer.  

Here you can get an idea of what I mean about the owl.  It wasn't the eyes that really created the issue for me; they're amber looking beads.  It was the area around the eyes which I decided to embroider using a blanket stitch in a circular fashion.  That's the way the feathers look in several owls.  It was easier to do than I thought it would be since I had a slender, sharp needle and a silk thread.  However, it didn't turn out as neatly as I hoped.  The beak and the feet with talons were also completed today.

Next the deer.  I wanted to use a trapunto method which cutting a slit in the fabric backing the deer, putting the stuffing in, and then sewing the slit closed.  It was cutting the backing fabric that really had me nervous.  First I marked the length of the cut to be made by pushing pins through the deer from front to back to mark the beginning and the end of the slice.  I used an exacto knife and worked very slowly through three layers of fabric before I revealed the back of the deer.  Nerve-wracking?  You bet!

Originally, I figure I'd use some left over wool roving to stuff in that opening, but, of course, today I had no idea where I had put that material.  I thought for a bit about various materials to use and just as quickly rejected them.  Then I thought about drier lint; I had just washed and dried some white wool so I had a lot of lint going begging.  It worked perfectly.

I wish I thought a little harder about the final step of this part.  When I sewed the back shut, I focused on sewing the edges together again and making my stitches tight to ensure a secure seam..  It sounded wise at the time, but as it turned out, it wasn't.  It was too tight and the front puckered around the deer.  Now I have to cut out those stitches very carefully, sew them again loosely and cover the resulting open seam by stitching a small slice of fabric over it.  

That's for another day!

Not so long ago while cleaning out a drawer, I found an old, single shoe buckle/decoration that I had purchased many years ago.  Because I planned to work on this block, I thought of the mountain behind the house button.  What a good peak for the mountain top!  Right now it looks as though there's not enough room for it as it is hooked over the seam allowance, but I know how I will manage to use it right there.

Finally, here is the (nearly) finished Winter scene for the crazy quilt.  It will be in the top left-hand corner of the quilt (right top will be the same scene in Spring, right bottom is Fall, and left bottom will be Summer), or that's the plan now.  Time will tell.