Beautiful butterflies are one of the best parts of summertime!
They inspired me to stitch a new mini quilt
called "Social Butterfly".
I first fell in love with this project
when I watched the YouTube video
which featured the full-size version of the quilt.
You can see that project and lots of other
inspiration on the Lella Boutique blog.
I was looking for instant gratification,
so I was super happy to see that the pattern
was available in the "mini" size,
in a downloadable PDF format.
I got started as soon as the file was delivered
to my email account!
I chose some favorite prints from a
Riley Blake line called The Cottage Garden,
I've used this fat quarter bundle a lot,
most recently to make this little pincushion.
Before long, I had my pieces cut out for the block.
Usually I like to do my cutting in the evening,
then stitch my projects another day, when I have more time.
At first, I was a bit disappointed in myself,
for not choosing fabrics with lots of contrast.
Once my little butterfly was completely finished,
though, I learned to love her more each time I see her.
So...quilting is always a challenge, right?
"Quilt as desired," the patterns always say...
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Since this was a mini quilt,
I let myself go and tried something new...
free motion pebbles.
This was not within my comfort zone,
but I'm really glad I tried it for something I intend to keep.
I like to think I did an "okay" job with it...
my husband actually admires the rich texture.
I don't plan to do this pebble quilting any more, though.
Why? Two big reasons:
1 - I don't prefer heavily quilted projects,
because they interfere with the feel and drape of the fabric.
The thread can also sometimes interfere with the fabrics,
in my opinion.
2 - This. Took. Forever.
And it's only a MINI quilt!
My patience wore thin, and I was afraid
my circles would grow bigger and bigger,
just so I could finish it.
{Note to self: try making bigger circles on even a smaller project.}
All the same,
I'm very happy with my pink and teal butterfly,
all bound in a tonal print from V and Co's Color Theory line for Moda.
Can you see my little faux pas?
I forgot to create a hanging sleeve!
I forgot to create a hanging sleeve!
In my rush to photograph,
I just used some Clover Wonder Clips to attach my mini
to the cute little display frame.
I have a strip of binding left over that I'll add to the back,
to finish it off more professionally.
I loved making this pattern,
and I hope to use it again to make more pretty butterflies.
Mini quilts are great gifts...
if you can bear to part with them!
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