I "tacked" the one I made this summer. I just went to each corner and one place in the center if the blocks and used the zigzag stitch with the feed dogs down. It worked great.

Vicky

Crazy quilts are traditionally tied, often from the back so that you don't have the tails on the front of the quilt.

Annie

I once had an antique crazy. It was tied, and if you are talking about a crazy quilt made with silks, velvet, and the like, I can't imagine actually quilting it. In fact, even if it were made with cottons and embroidered all along the seams, I still think that quilting would spoil the effect. Be sure to show us a picture!!!! I love crazy quilts.

I was hoping you'd respond, Vicky, because I knew you had recently made one. I like the idea of tacking it by machine, I didn't exactly wish to made a gazillion knots by hand on this one. I am using warm and natural quilt batting and was unsure how many knots I needed to make to keep the batting secure.

I have knotted quilts before and chose the cotton knitting yarn, because the effects of the knots were part of that particular pattern, but I thought it would be very distracting on a crazy quilt.

Do you think I could get away with using mother of pearl or other vintage buttons on the tacks in the very center of the block?

Biwako, yes, I'll post a picture. I used a dark green cotton sash between each block and am really liking how it 'tamed' the craziness of each block down and definined it so that each block is framed like a picture. I put a piano key border around it because it ended up being just a little shy of length to fold over pillows without it. I had also wanted to try one of those borders, and now I have. LOL.

This is why I keep encouraging the newer quilters to participate in the block lottos. Had I not made three to submit, I don't think I'd have ever known how much I liked this block, nor how quickly it makes a quilt. So far my participation in the block lottos has resulted in two quilts. The other one being in a Brasstown Star pattern.

Traditionally tied! Post a pic can't wait to see it!
Red

I have use the button stitch on a small quilt and it worked out very well. I didn't even cut between tackings until it was finished. I have also seen quilts where small button were used tacked down in strategic spots. That would be easy if you have the ability to sew on buttons with your machine. Being a crazy quilt I thing that would be appropriate. Jayne

Yes, my machine will sew on buttons, and I have collected old mother of pearl ones for years, all shapes and all sizes. A lot of the material in this quilt is from my mother's stash, and she collected from other people's stash.

Some of the patches are from a dress I wore when I was twelve years old. Some is from a shirt my sis bought in Hawaii when she was there to see her husband on R & R from the Vietnam war. Some from clothes belonging to her father's cousins. There are pieces of sheets, and curtains, stash from my seamstressing days. Much of it is scraps from the fifties and sixties. Some even earlier. I didn't stint on the old thirties and forties prints, because I wanted this quilt to be special. I saved them for the special quilts.

Thank you Vicky for suggesting I try to do the ties and buttons by machine. I did just that and although I considered it a learning experience, am satisfied with the results. One has to do it to master it and I shall use that technique again. I did rework about five ties, because I tried to substitute sloppy for short-cut and found out I needed to pin or baste them a little more to keep the material from shifting. But, it's light-years better than it would have been had I tried it two years ago. I am not quite ready to move from apprentice to journeyman.

Thanks also NanaJayne for the hint about moving from one point of work to the next without cutting the thread. I would have, had you not suggested that and I trusted it to work and it did!

Pardon the less than perfect picture. I still have pins in the binding to hand stitch it to the backing, and have been walking on it, so it needs sponged out and pressed. I didn't have to buy one morsel of material, had the backing in my stash too and finally found out a place to use it. The batting is warm and natural cotton I got on sale for about eleven dollars. It took me four weeks, start to finish. I'm satisfied and enjoyed it more than any quilt I've done to date. What a hoot. Finished size is 81.5 by 92.

It is really pretty and I like your choice of green for the shashing...just the perfect color.
Jean

This turned out great! I love scrap quilts.

Tamie

turned out so nice! great job:)

I love the shade of the green sashing--very usual. For a quilt show I was in charge of many years ago, a neighbor lent me a pair of antique crazy quilts, twin size, that were made to go together. They were spectacular. Right then I changed my mind about crazy quilts--I haven't made one, but I do like them. Nice job! Carole