Day 14: Crazy About Christmas

Here is Day 14 of our Advent of Christmas quilt series. This year we've been impressed by the work of Australian artist Linda Steele, whose crazy quilts have been winning awards - like crazy - at international shows*. On her website, Linda says: "Crazy Quilting proved to be the perfect vehicle for me to commence my original design work. Using this technique I was able to freely combine my love of color and fabric with embroidery." 

Crazy About Christmas by Linda Steele (Australia)

"Crazy About Christmas" was exhibited in the silent auction at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival. The circular center block is filled with Christmas-themed embroidery and surrounded by yellow daisies. For the square embroidered border, Linda Steele first chain-stitched a square with gold thread; she then wove a stem stitch vine over the border and added some lazy daisy leaves and flowers. The entire piece was beautifully quilted with feathers on both sides of the embroidered vines.

close up, Crazy About Christmas by Linda Steele

The delicate green wreath in the center of the block was made with tatting and decorated with small beads.  The block includes a Christmas stocking with green candy canes, a trio of candles, a  snowflake, the outline of a gingerbread man (to the lower left of the wreath) and sprigs of greenery along with many pretty flowers and beads. 

Image credits: Photos of  "Crazy About Christmas" were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Houston International Quilt Festival.  *We previously featured Linda Steele's "Naturally Crazy" quilt, which won a blue ribbon for Best in Country - Australia at the 2013 Pacific International Quilt Festival.