Sew Crazy For You!

May 21, 2015

Happy Memorial Weekend!

This has been an exciting and eventful month for me.  See the post below for the picture of the Crazy Quilt Quarterly by Pamela Kellogg....Thanks, again, Pam!!!

I was also featured in my local newspaper, The Idaho State Journal.  I must say, Rebecca Long Pyper sure did a wonderful article. I didn't even know she knew some of that about me. Obviously, she did her homework. I don't know how long the link will be available, so I will copy it here:

Crazy Creative Quilter

• By Rebecca Long Pyper For the Journal

      Crafters know those pesky fabric scraps can overtake a project space in no time, but rather than brush hers into the trash can, BJ Sandusky stitches them into custom quilts that are winning her accolades in the craft world.

     Sandusky is featured on the cover of the May issue of “Crazy Quilt Quarterly,” the only publication dedicated to the art of crazy quilting. She is also gearing up for a two-part basic crazy-quilting class she’ll teach at the Pocatello Art Center on June 20 and 27, and is prepping for classes she’ll offer this fall with New Knowledge Adventures.

     “Taking a class such as what I offer can get a newbie started right. I then can help you not only with embroidery stitches, but ribbon embroidery and beading. I can point you in the direction of many other artists, books and websites out there,” she said.

     Doing a little research can help too. Sandusky’s Pinterest board is set up for students to figure out what styles they like best and to inspire future projects. She also writes a blog — sewkrazzy4you.blogspot.com — where she shares current works.

     Crazy quilting has been around since the Victorian era. Quilters build their quilt — no pattern necessary — by attaching randomly-sized pieces of fabric to a muslin foundation. Next up is a layer of embellishments — think embroidery, beads, laces and more. Traditional fabrics are fancy and include velvets, satins and silks, but crafters today like to incorporate cottons and batiks too.

     Really, crazy quilting is a misleading name for what Sandusky does because she makes more than quilts. She’s fashioned tree skirts and stockings, wall-hangings and purses. But the hobby has roots in her childhood. By age 10, she had already fallen in love with embroidery, “but wanted to do more than just pillowcases,” she said. She fell for the look of crazy quilts in the late 1960s, but did not create her own until 1997.

     Crazy quilts are a good bet for any kind of quilter, from beginners to those with less dedication to precision.

     “Since there are no rules and no mistakes in crazy quilting, there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ crazy quilter,” Sandusky said. “Each artist develops their own style, and all have great skills and beautiful eye candy for the rest of us to enjoy. The more embellishment you put on your work, the better it looks.”
    Then this morning I get a message from the reporter, that  a gentleman wants to talk to me about being in the Bannock Historical Museum on May 30th! It will be a celebration of quilters, weavers and more!!!  And I will be able to promote my upcoming crazy quilt class with the Pocatello Art Center!
 I will be doing the Art Walk again on June 5th at the Pocatello Art Center, so be sure to stop by and say Hi!
And then I am off to Portland, Oregon for the Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery Seminar for 5 days. I am really excited about being able to go and learn a new art to add to my crazy quilts and to my classes.