Day 15: Christmas Crazy

Yesterday we featured "Crazy About Christmas" by Australian designer Linda Steele. Today we wanted to share a photo of her award-winning, hand embroidered "Christmas Crazy" quilt. It won two prizes at the 2013 Victorian Quilters Showcase: a first in Mixed Techniques, and Excellence in Embroidery and Embellishment. We saw this quilt in the World of Beauty exhibit at the 2013 Houston IQF.

close up, Christmas Crazy by Linda Steele

Placing the blocks in Christmas ornaments was such a clever idea!  The quilt has 9 different intricate ornament blocks, which are hanging by chain-stitched gold thread from a scalloped curtain. The ornaments were part of Linda Steele's crazy quilt journal project in 2012, and the whole quilt was finished in 2013; an 18-month journey. 

close up, Christmas Crazy by Linda Steele

After completing the ornament blocks, Linda designed a wintry scene for the top of the quilt, with an appliqued and embroidered reindeer and a sleigh filled with presents. The block that surrounds the scene is embellished with various stitches and threads.

close up, Christmas Crazy by Linda Steele

This was one of our favorite ornament blocks.  We loved the royal blue fabric against the green background; there is even some marbled fabric in this block, which looks like the reflection from a real ornament.  The nutcracker's bushy white beard was done in a turkey stitch and there is an embroidered Mouse King - complete with crown - to the right of the nutcracker.  In addition, this block has a tiny Christmas tree and an evergreen vine with red candles.  

This block is described in Linda Steele's 2012 June Crazy Block blog post.  To read about the overall design and auditioning of fabrics for Christmas Crazy, see Designing Christmas Crazy.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2013 Houston IQF.