Victorian Crazy Quilt – Block 16 Buttonhole Stitch

I am sorry for my long absence, for all my dedicated followers please do enjoy this months Victorian Crazy Quilt block

Well, it is time again to post another block from my Victorian Crazy quilt. This block was named for the buttonhole stitching I did around the outside of all four sides. I just love this stitch. You can do so many other variations as long as you know this simple stitch.

I always try to make the center of the block extra pretty and add something special to it. Here I started with the feather stitch and added long gold bugle beads.

Did you notice when I stitched these blocks I did not color coordinate fabric with threads. By using contrasting colors of embroidery threads, your stitching is going to stand out even more instead of blending into the background.

I embroidered a simple flower in the right hand corner of this block. I wanted to add a yellow stone to the center.  You can see how I had to stitch it on in several places from the center hole in the stone to keep it secured in place.

The cretan stitch is another favorite of mine. By adding 4 long straight stitches to each side in red and cream threads, it really changed the look and made the row suddenly wider and more complex.

I think my favorite part of this block is the yellow and purple flowers. Instead of stitching leaves on the stems, I added silver bugle beads.