Butterfly Garden - A Finish!

Butterfly Garden

78 x 87

Hand quilted

It's a Finish!

Based on the pattern Follow the Sun from Adding Layers by Kathy Doughty

I have a lot of butterfly themed fabrics and I thought this would be a fun way to use them. 

I used regular hand quilting thread in different colors to stitch around most of the butterflies in the circles. 

I used perle #8 in navy to stitch 1/4 inch outside all of the star points - both the smaller ones directly around the circle (here in aqua floral) and...

...around the outside larger star points (here in yellow floral). 

I used Lizbeth 20 wt threads in different colors and leaf and flower templates for hand stitching in the sashings.  I'm not sure what the green thread was that I used for the leaves but I think it's some sort of old crochet cotton I picked up at the thrift store in a bag of different threads 

The actual stitching doesn't show up much but I know it's there and it has some incredible texture. 

I started out making blocks with that darker floral fabric but ran out so substituted some dark background butterfly fabric.  (I usually never make sure I have enough fabric before I just start in making blocks so my quilts often have "substitute fabrics" here and there). I used the darker fabric in the blocks to represent the shady parts of a garden and the lighter overall floral are the sunny spots. 

I used a different dark (shady) overall large floral for the binding.  

I used this fabric for the backing. I don't remember when I bought or the designer/maker but I'm sure it was on sale or I wouldn't have bought enough for a backing. Anyway, it sure has a silky feel to it.  I like how there are little bits of color here and there from the hand quilting. 

I like the backside almost as much as the front. 

This is the end result of many months of Slow Sunday (and Saturday and Friday...) Stitching so I'm hanging out with other Slow Stitchers today at Kathy's Quilts. 

This was my goal #12

for

The 2016 Finish-A-Long

Kaleidoscopes, Butterflies and Kaleidoscopes of Butterflies

ROY G BIV Kaleidoscope

80 x 80

Last year I made 8 inch kaleidoscope blocks from scraps as one of my projects for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. All 100 of the blocks came from the 2.5 inch scrap box. I used solids for the corners of the blocks.

I arranged and rearranged the blocks on the floor and couldn't come up with a good arrangement. I finally settled on arranging them clockwise starting at bottom left in rainbow color order.  I left the brown and black blocks on the outside edges. 

I quilted it on my DSM, Little Bro, with some spirals. I used a variegated gray, pastel blue, pastel pink thread on top and a dark gray thread in the bobbin.  It's what I had on hand. 

Since I used solids for the kaleidoscope corners I decided to use it for the binding also in all colors of the rainbow.  And I originally was going to use muslin for the backing but went with a more colorful option instead. 

Since this quilt was from the scrap box I'm linking up to

 Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

This finish was also my goal #4 

for the Q2 Finish-A-Long

And, as for butterflies...

Butterfly Garden is still in my hoop. 

I have the hand quilting on three of the lengthwise sashings completed. You can't see it very well but I know the quilting is there and it's giving the quilt a nice overall texture. 

I'm quilting leaves and flowers. I'm using these stencils and marking with mechanical pencil. I'm using Lizbeth size 20 (100% Egyptian cotton) threads in a variety of colors. 

This is my slow stitching I'm slowly stitching a little bit each evening. 

Linking up with other stitchers this dreary Sunday for Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts. 

Now, did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope? 

I found that out last year.  

To celebrate butterflies (real or in fabric) and kaleidoscopes Ann of Fret Not Yourself and I host a monthly linky party.

I thought it was too early in the year to see butterflies around here but I saw a Silver-Spotted Skipper while I was out weeding the strawberry patch.   I knew it was a skipper but wasn't sure of the exact name. I identified it from pics in the gallery at the BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of North America) site.    I hope to get the grandkids to help me take pics and catalog the butterflies we see this summer. 

An InLinkz Link-up

In the Hoop: Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden is in the hoop. It is based on a Kathy Doughty (of Material Obsession) design called "Follow the Sun" found in her book "Adding Layers". 

Right now I'm using navy perle #8 to quilt around the "sun rays".  I'm not sure what I'm going to do after that. In the centers I'm contemplating using regular hand stitching thread to quilt around some of the butterfly shapes. And then there's the sashing...

Slow Sunday Stitching with lots of others at Kathy's Quilts

Also, because there's butterflies involved here...linking up to Kaleidoscope of Butterflies. 

Butterfly Garden: A Flimsy

Butterfly Garden

It's just a flimsy for now.

78 x 87

Pattern is called Follow the Sun  from Adding Layers: Color, Design, Imagination by Kathy Doughty. 

I wanted to make it as a way to use up some of the butterfly fabrics from my stash but it hardly used any butterflies at all so I guess I see another type of butterfly quilt in my future. 

For the background of each block I started out using some dark floral backing fabric left over from My Favorite Things Hexie Quilt as you can see here in those four darker batik squares. 

I knew I probably wouldn't have enough of that fabric so some blocks have a darker butterfly fabric for parts of the background as you can see here...

...and here.   I've had that floral fabric I used in the sashings for quite awhile too.  It was heavily, heavily discounted so I bought several yards which is unusual for me.  

Anyway...I love how it has turned out so far. Now I will see what I have that I can use for the backing (I'm trying to stay on a "no buy" diet) and then it will go into the hand quilting pile.  Won't that be fun to quilt on a dreary winter day.  Color is the best anti-depressant I know...right up there with butterfly gardens. 

Linking up to:

Can I Get A Whoop, Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

WIPs Be Gone at A Quilting Readers Garden.