Winner of the Favorite CQ Stitch Poll!

The overwhelming winner of the Favorite CQ Stitch Poll was Feather Stitch with half of the votes submitted!  I have to admit that it is probably my favorite stitch as well!  

RESULTS
Feather Stitch - 10
Herringbone - 4
Cretan Stitch - 3
Chevron Stitch - 2
Chain Stitch - 1
Buttonhole - 0
Fly Stitch - 0

I was a bit surprised to see that two of the basic stitches received no votes whatsoever!  

When working on a project, I try to include all of the basic stitches as I feel the variety adds interest.  Here are examples of some of my favorites of each of these basic crazy quilt stitches.

Let's start with the least favorites.  What's not to love about Fly Stitch?  It offers so many possibilities!  
2015.07.09CQJP2015LPBoniMay03
Fly Stitch (on the bottom).  Also note the stacked Chevron Stitch above as well as the glimpse of chevron stitch to the right.

2015.10.28CQJP2015July04
Layered Fly Stitch (on the left)

Buttonhole is another great stitch with so much to offer!  It makes a fantastic foundation stitch to layer other stitches with.  It probably is the stitch I use the least, but when I move beyond the basics, I love this stitch!
2014.03.13CQJP2014MarPC09
Buttonhole Stitch on a curve.

2016.02.27CQJP2015October11
Buttonhole layered with other stitches.

2016.03.15CQJP2015December08
A slightly more traditional buttonhole stitch pattern.

vine and leaves 2
My all time favorite way to use Buttonhole Stitch is with these little leaves!

I was surprised that Chain Stitch was not more popular.  It's such a great versatile stitch that can be easily substituted for stem/outline stitch.  See the photo above for one example of how chain stitch was used in a serpentine pattern.
2014.02.13LPBoniCQJPFebPC04
Here an alternating or zig-zag Chain Stitch is used to secure down the rick-rac.

2015.09.15JournalCover10
Chain Stitch made great stems for this seam.

2015.11.06CQJP2015August12
Chain stitch was the perfect stitch to emphasize these interlacing scallops!

Chevron is one of the first stitches that I got excited about when I first learned to crazy quilt.  Nearly any thing you can do with Herringbone, you can also do with Chevron.  And that little bar at the top and bottom of each triangle offers so many possibilities!
finished bluebird 00
The first ever Chevron Stitch that I stitched, sitting on top of the lace.

2014.09.10UTSPincushion08
Chevron combined with silk ribbon embroidery

2015.05.04CQJP2015February04
Yet another Chevron Stitch example.  Also note the buttonhole stitch "hills"on the left under the flowers.  And on the upper right is a great example of detached fly stitch.

Cretan Stitch is a kissing cousin to both buttonhole and feather stitch.  As such, it is wonderfully versatile and no wonder its a favorite of many!
2015.11.13CQJP2015LPBoniSept04
A stacked Cretan Stitch. Love the honeycomb shape you can get with it!

2015.07.09CQJP2015LPBoniMay04
Here it is used to hold a piece of rick-rac in place.

2009 Feb 22_1151
A simple, but elegant Cretan Stitch seam.

Herringbone Stitch came in second and that doesn't surprise me at all!
Cardinal 3
Herringbone stitch all around the white patch on this CD pincushion.

2014.08.24BarbaraBlkDYBHeartsbyLisa01
A bold take on a herringbone border.

2014.03.21UTSrrLindaPblkbyLPBoni03
Herringbone is such a fun seam to work with!

2016.02.27CQJP2015October09
This curved Herringbone is possibly the most favorite seam I have ever stitched using Herringbone ~ and also the most difficult!  But worth the fuss as it is spectacular!

And finally, a look at the favorite - Feather Stitch!  With so many great variations on a basic stitch, it's no wonder it came in first.

Scissor pouch
It's beautiful in it's most simple form.

2015.02.06FeatherStitch21
With just a little bit of embellishment, it can be quite lovely.

2015.01.17FeatherStitch10
With so many subtle variations, the possibilities are endless.

2014.02.13LPBoniCQJPFebPC05
I'm guessing that at least half of my seam stitching is some variation of Feather Stitch.

2014.11.05FanDYBLisaBforConnie04
So, so many possibilities!

Featherstitch Ferns
It can go from the simplest seam possible to one of the most complex!

I hope this glimpse into a variety of the basic seam stitches will inspire you to consider doing more seam stitching on your crazy quilts!  If you need more inspiration, In the coming weeks, I will be featuring each basic stitch and showing how to expand it into a fancier seam on my YouTube Channel.  Stay tuned!  

Comments

Louise said…
Lisa, your stitching is just wonderful. Love looking at your beautiful embroidery.

Louise Keene
Sara said…
Your stitching is glorious to behold. I may have been doing and teaching CQ, yet your work is a true inspiration to strive harder and have even more fun. BTW, Maidenhair is my fave fly variation.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful work!
Sara at ladystitch.com

amybritt000@gmail.com said…
Lisa, you just really need to put out at least one book to explain how you do your amazing crazy quilting work. It is like no one else’s. I would even buy a thumb drive that would be able to be taken to a printer’s and have it printed in color and be spiral-bound! I need your book, just for eye candy if nothing else. Ok, not a stalker but a really serious fan of your very particular, special style! Hugs, Amy Britt in Louisiana.
Heather said…
Thanks for the inspiration! Can't wait to grab my needle & thread!
What a beautiful embroidery, love it all!
Marci said…
I missed the chance to vote, but would have voted for feather stitch. Thanks for showing all the inspiration stitches.

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