Loose Ends: Hummingbirds and Butterflies

I am tying up some loose ends this month. Last month I made Rolling Stone/Broken Wheel blocks for a quilt started in 2023.  That left me with some 3.5 inch width and 2 inch width scraps. I cut 3.5 inch squares to make 10 Hummingbirds to be appliqued to yellow background squares. 

I'm using the Periwinkle Block Made Easy tutorial from Susie's Scraps  except I'm using 3.5 inch squares and 9 inch background squares to make my blocks.   

I also started making these blocks in 2023 and have completed 21. 

With the 2 inch width scraps I made a Beggar Block that finishes at 13.5 inches. I think it looks like butterflies. I think I will continue to make more blocks with 2 inch width scraps. I will use florals in background and the center and use gray for the butterfly bodies.  I completed a Butterfly (Beggar Block) quilt Back in 2016 that was made with 1.5 inch scraps that I love. 

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Today my youngest brother is 69 years old! 

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I am wondering if anyone else is having problems getting to my blog posts  via a Follow.It link. I received an email from someone who says she gets the error "web server is returning an unknown error. 

Vintage Butterflies: It's Finished!

Vintage Butterflies

79 x 90

Hand quilted

from Nostalgia Cafe

My inspiration was the above quilt I found when researching "vintage butterfly quilts" a few years ago.   This block is actually called Beggars Block.  The individual blocks within each block is actually a 3 inch spool block. 

I started making the individual 3 inch butterfly (or spool) blocks from 1.5 inch scraps as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project in late 2013 (I think).   When I accumulated 8 butterflies I made a block.  When I had enough blocks I made a quilt.  When you use scraps some quilts are not a quick make. 

I used Kona Candy Blue (blue candy?) as the background/sky. 

I normally don't lay out my blocks before I sew them together. I really don't like to spend time moving blocks around endlessly because no layout seems pleasing.    I don't have a big space to easily lay blocks out nor do I have a design wall (except for that old cutting mat with the piece of batting on it propped up on the wall next to the sewing machine).  So I usually sew blocks together randomly.  I'm rarely disappointed. 

I should never add sashing without cornerstones because sometimes things just get a little wonky. The good thing is that it all works out in the end somehow.  This quilt will give warmth same as a perfect one.  

I hand quilted in a variety of colors of regular quilting thread.  I didn't mark anything but the center butterflies. I just stitched. And stitched some more.  I have a callous on my "underneath finger" to prove it.   The stitching served as a kind of quilty yoga to soothe the soul, clear the mind and calm the nerves. 

After a good wash and some time in the dryer the quilt came out more crinkly than usual. I think that's because the backing fabric, a sheet from the thrift store,  was pre-washed and the fabrics on front were not.   Thank goodness I like crinkly. 

Now, about that backing. I found a sheet at the thrift store in a pale blue, in perfect condition and silky soft. Must be a far higher thread count than what is on my bed. I was a little leery about using a sheet on a quilt I was going to hand quilt because I wasn't sure how easy it would be to hand quilt. Not to worry...the needle went through it like a knife through butter.  And as a side benefit the back looks like a whole cloth quilt. It's difficult to get a good picture but all of the different colored threads on the pale blue are joyous. 

This was my goal #1

for 2017 Finish-A-Long Quarter 1

Lots of scraps in this one so linking up to:

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

And since it took a month of Sundays to hand quilt linking up with:

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Hooped Butterflies

Butterflies are in the hoop. 

Actually this block is officially called "Beggar's Block", "Spool Block" or "Butterfly Spool Block" 

I started making these 9 inch blocks a few years ago as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project after I saw a vintage quilt that showed up in a google search of "vintage butterfly quilt". 

And actually, the little 3 inch butterflies that make up the nine inch blocks are exactly the same block as the spools in the quilt top I showed last week. 

I'm not marking anything but the butterflies for the centers.  

I'm stitching inside each wing and all over the black body. 

Slow Sunday Stitching

Oh Scrap!

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

Brownies

Brown is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I used my 1.5 inch scraps to make up four 9 inch butterfly blocks (aka Beggar Blocks). 

I then made two more blocks in white and cream because that is all I needed to bring my total blocks to 56. 

I've been making these blocks since last year.  I was inspired by a vintage butterfly quilt  I had seen at a blog called Nostalgia Cafe.  

This week I also got as far as cutting pieces for 29 brown 3 inch Spool blocks but haven't had a chance to get them assembled yet.  There's always next week...or the week after...or the week after that...or...

Got scraps?

Join us each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Orange 1.5

Orange is the color of the month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

This week I made three nine inch butterfly blocks that consist of eight 3 inch "butterflies".  And that makes 50!  Only 6 more to go and I'm ready to assemble a top! I've been making these from 1.5 inch scraps for a couple of years. 

Also from 1.5 inch scraps...spools. They are made the same way as the butterflies but with a different arrangement of fabric.  I've been making these for a couple of years also. 

And that's it for my RSC projects that use 1.5 inch scraps. 

Got Scraps?

Use the orange ones up this month and join us each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

Green 1.5

With green 1.5 inch scraps I made four 9 inch Beggar blocks. 

I first saw this in a vintage "Butterfly" quilt on the Nostalgic Cafe blog. 

I started making these last year and now have 39 blocks.  I think I want 56 blocks for a large quilt with sashing between blocks.    I'm trying to decide if I want a floral sashing since it is a butterfly quilt or if I just want to stick with the Kona Candy blue.  Time will tell. 

And actually these three inch spool blocks are the exact same block as the individual "butterflies" that make up the Beggar block.   I've been making these for a couple of years too and have 534 of them.  I guess it is about time to decide what to do with them. 

Got Scraps? 

Use them and join us each ScrapHappy Saturday to show us what you've done. 

Purple

This is the last week of purple for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

I've made four 9 inch Wonky Log blocks which in turn became one 18 inch Wonky Log...

...Sixteen 3 inch Spool Blocks...

...and a couple of 9 inch "Butterfly" /Beggar Blocks.     Look closely and you will see that the 3 inch "butterflies" in the block are made the same way as the Spool Blocks above. 

Where has the month gone?  I still have some purple strings and crumbs. 

It's raining so won't get out to the garden so I guess some sewing is on my agenda. 

So many scraps so little time...

Want to see how others have spent their time using purple scraps?

Visit ScrapHappy Saturday - a linky for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Black, Brown, Gray Scraps

We are supposed to use up our black, brown and gray scraps this month as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. 

Last month the color was orange and I started on an RSC project for next year- Dresdens.  I decided I would use any gray background but was undecided about the centers.  I decided any dotty fabric will do surrounded by gray medium sized rick rack. I love rick rack. 

I made 3 more vintage butterfly blocks (Beggar Blocks) and a few spares for the border.  I think I will have to continue this project into next years RSC. These are 9 inch blocks and I want enough for a full/queen sized quilt similar to the one I saw at Nostalgic Cafe. 

 

I also made a few 6 inch Twinkler blocks. 

Got Scraps? 

Use them.

Then link up each ScrapHappy Saturday. 

The Grandkids are here so we will make Halloween cookies, play some card or board games and probably make another cooperative effort to try to solve a Nancy Drew mystery (computer game).