Download Crazy Block |LINK|

Block Crazy is an adventure and construction game, with a handcrafted style that will appeal to all lovers of sandbox games. This amazing game offers a unique experience that will allow you to create, build and explore your creative world of cubic blocks. With a wide variety of materials available, you can build anything you can imagine, from office buildings to castles and temples.

It is ungodly hot outside, so it seemed like a pretty good day to sit in the basement and play with my sewing machine... and on days like this I tend to go for Crazy Quilt blocks, which look awesome, are super easy, and require very little actual measurement (jackpot!). You can use these super interesting-looking blocks in typical things like quilts, but they are cool enough to stand alone in a throw pillow, wall hanging, or tote bag.

Download Crazy Block

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Muslin

Cutting mat & Rotary cutter (but just plain ol' scissors will do, as well)

Sewing machine

Iron

Ruler

Basic sewing gear

Lots and lots of fabric scraps, cut into 2" strips

It doesn't matter what sort of fabric you use in these blocks. If you're just starting out, I'd stick to cotton, as it is the easiest to deal with. But I've done these out of silks and velvets and they turn out awesome (but definitely not for the beginner!) Get a good variety of fabric, so you have lots of diversity in your square. And just remember that you only need tiny little pieces of fabric, so it's a good way to use up scraps from other projects, or to trade with a friend.

Now, I want each square to be 12" square when I'm completely finished. You by no means have to do this same size. Just be sure, that whatever size you want to end up with, that you add seam allowances onto all of the size. I like to use 1/4" seam allowance, so that means that I'm cutting a muslin square that is 12 1/2". This muslin square will serve as the base for the block, so you want it to be perfectly square, so take the time here.

Now, the whole idea of a crazy quilt is that it is off-kilter and nuts. So you don't want to just leave the center square to be, well, a square. Use your ruler and cut some fun angles into it.

I would, however, caution you to actually use that ruler and get super straight lines. The reason that this crazy block is so simple is because it's all straight lines!!

When you get this piece trimmed, place it on the muslin square, face up. Try to keep things, once again, off of center. Also maybe think about how the angles that you cut into it may effect the look of the finished piece once it spirals out.

Pin this in place, and you'll finally be ready for some sewing. :)

No, not that kind. Geez!

Now's the time to add fun fabric on! I use 2" strips, cut across the grain (from selvage to selvage) for this. You can certainly change the size, but I like it as a standard size and tend to just have a shoebox full of strips leftover from other projects.

Pin your first strip onto one side of the center piece, right sides together, lining up the edges. Stitch at 1/4", which is typically the edge of your presser foot. Clip your threads and press it over. At this point I like to baste the other side down with a big zig-zag in the seam allowance, which you totally don't have to do, but I find that it really helps to have everything nailed down and neat as I go along, then you don't have to worry about it later.

Keep going around the center piece, adding on and overlapping the strips, in sort of a log-cabin block sort of style. Just make sure you keep a constant 1/4 seam allowance, if you go off of that you go off of that it just won't work as well, and you'll get puckers and weirdness.

Once you get your first round of strips around the center, it's time to add on. And this is when you can get a little more creative.

The fun part about crazy quilts is that they are all odd-ball shapes and sizes, and that nothing is really the same. So when you place your second row of strips on, vary the angles and the placement a bit. Just as much as tweeking a piece by 1/2'' makes a huge difference.

Just make sure that when you do this, you're still stitching at 1/4" seam allowance, and that you place your strips so that the seam allowances of the row before it are covered. You wouldn't want to stitch a piece on, flip it up, and discover that you didn't cover the piece before it well enough so that you see stitching or cut edges. If you do this, I'm afraid there is some seam ripping and trying again in your future.

Go around like this, and just fill in the entire square of fabric. Don't be afraid to run off the sides of the square, they can be trimmed. And really, it's a heck of a lot better to have extra fabric stitched on than run short, so try to run over the edges of the strips you are trying to cover.

Try not to get to much stuck in a pattern, both with the angle that you stitch pieces on, and with your selection of fabric. Mix it up!

Now, crazy quilts squares are usually embellished with embroidery, beads, buttons, or anything that you really feel like doing. So you can do as little of this, or as much of it as you want.

Doing the embroidery by hand looks incredible, but since I'm lazy, I'm using my machine. I put in a multi-colored thread, which looks cool, and also means I don't really have to change the thread a lot of times for variety.

I pretty much just top stitched decorative stitches along the edges of the pieces, and that was pretty much it. I could have also put buttons and stuff on it, but I think I want this to be more kid-safe, so I'm going to stay away from that sort of thing. All of this is completely up to you, and what appeals to you!

Once you've finished this, your block is ready for all sorts of things! I'm going to make it into a bigger quilt, I think, but you could really use these blocks in all sorts of applications. Happy sewing!!

So glad I found your instructions. My Mum had been working on a crazy quilt which is sitting here unfinished as I lost my Mum 4 years ago. So my mission is to finish her quilt but I have been struggling with how to assemble the fabric pieces; I'm a sewer but not a quilter. You've taken the mystery out of it; I see now I have been going about it the wrong way. I really want to do justice to my Mum's work and now, thanks to you, I think I can do it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! This means the world to me.

January being the coldest winter month I have chosen to paint my toes all different bright colors. And to make a crazy quilt using my in the box waiting for me new machine. Your quilt has me grinning from ear to ear! It's fantabulous! Happy 2021 from Sunny Alberta, Canada!

Thank you so much for your directions. I have been playing with crazy quilting for a while. I always pressed after every addition, but never thought about tacking down each piece with a zig zag. Thank you! I don't usually have a bump or bubble but sometimes I do, and this would keep that from happening at all!

Thank you so much for posting this tutorial on crazy quilting. This post not only taught me the beginings of crazy quilting. After making and posting my first block couple of years ago, I realized this this would be a perfect technique for this outer space theme I had in my head. I wanted a quilt that looked like the cockpit of a spaceship in the middle of a crazy battle.

Thank you so much for this idea and tutorial! When I originally saw your Ring Me quilt, it inspired me to make a scrappy quilt (which I have never done). I have been using my very small fabric scraps as leaders and enders and sewing them into 5" lengths and trimming them into 1.5" strips. At some point I was going to make something along the lines of your Ring Me quilt, but had no plan. Now I have a plan! I am so excited!!!! Thank you for this very timely tutorial. My stack of 5" x 1.5" strips is growing so I will have to give this block a try! I may also use my orphan/extra HST's in the blocks, as well.

ps I really like those trial blocks you made (and are now potholders). What was the reason that you didn't like them?

I love the blocks! Sad that it didn't make the book but very happy Ring Me did as I'm currently making it. I keep making blocks as I keep adding to my bag of cut up scraps. A great way to use those small pieces. Once I finish Ring Me, I'll start another one using this block. Thanks for the tutorial!

There is another pattern similar to this that has a foundation row. I like this technique much better. I have made a lot of corner to corner afghans that start in the corner and work diagonally adding more blocks as you go. It has almost the same look to the stitches. I am anxious to try this pattern. I like a pattern that you dont have to keep counting stitches. Thanks

Additionally, as you stitch, keep beads away from the edge of the diamond and give yourself a generous seam allowance. When you piece the diamonds into blocks you will break your sewing machine needle if it hits anything hard.

The light-toned diamond is quite easy on this block, as I covered 3 seams with lace! As you can see, lace covers the seam between patches 3 and 4 and I simply added a small pearl bead to the middle of each flower motif. The button cluster echoes the line of the seam.

The mid-toned diamond is a little more complex than the light diamond. This apparent complexity is mainly created by an embroidered dragonfly/bug thing! If you look closely, however, it is pretty easy to make. The body is boucle thread couched to the block. The thread has more layers near the head of the bug. This means the body tapers to a point. I worked the wings using 13 mm chiffon ribbon. Each wing is Leaf stitch which is on page 133 of my book The Visual Guide to Crazy Quilting Design. The head and eyes are beads! As you can see, the head is about the width of the couched body/tail. 2351a5e196