Butterfly Garden

In October 2008 I bought a f/q pack of Ava Rose fabrics to make Butterfly Garden, designed by Leanne Beasley.  In April 2009 I started making the blocks.  Last night the final stitch was sewn.

"Butterfly Garden" -  62" x 62"

Backing

I am so happy that this quilt is finished - it's taken a very long time to make.  Leanne had a hand in choosing the colour of the fabric for the butterflies and hearts when I had a chat to her in Adelaide at the time I was just starting to make the blocks.  I'm still not 100% convinced that needleturn and I are friends.

Might get back to "Gingham Girls - My Favourite Things" one day soon and when that's finished I'll think about starting "Down in the Garden".  Too many beautiful quilt choices from our talented Australian designers.
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 Elizabeth has entered The Impossible Cake Challenge, which is a fund-raiser for the Australian Red Cross, taking place tomorrow.

All you have to do is click on the link – http://www.redcrossfundraising.org.au/elizabeth_hezemans  - from the web page you can make a donation and also leave a comment as to what cake you think she should bake.

 

The top 3 suggestions so far are below, pick one of these or suggest one of your own -

 

The Carousel Cake - http://notdrowning.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/carousel-cake-03.jpg?w=260&h=352

The Rainbow Cake - http://babyology.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Rainbow-Cake2.jpg         

The Chocolate Crepe Cake - http://cdn.taste.com.au/images/recipes/del/2006/11/14393.jpg

Almost Done

Big progress has been made this week quilting Butterfly Garden and I finished the quilting late yesterday afternoon.  The binding is sewn on ready to be stitched down.

We've had some big storms the last couple of days - very tropical weather here lately.

Another cot quilt top is finished and I have 2 others cut out ready to sew up but first I'll pin and quilt some of the finished tops. 

Criss-Cross

A couple of weeks ago a girlfriend showed me a book she'd bought which explains how you take a striped fabric, eg

Cut it into squares, then quarter-square triangles and re-arrange the triangles to make different patterns, eg

I think it's brilliant.  Might make some cushion covers out of these when they're sewn together.

The Pirate Quilt

The Pirate Quilt was started a few months ago, the binding was finished on Thursday night and I made the pillowcase on Friday night.  This is for Michael and Peta's Godson.  They can decide whether to give it to him for Christmas or his 3rd birthday in February.

52-1/4" x 77-1/2" (133 cms x 196.5 cms)

I loved this fabric as soon as I saw it and knew it would make a wonderful quilt for a little boy.

Backing

How cute is this gift bag that I found at the local $2 shop?  Perfect size for the quilt.

Yesterday was a great day for pin basting and Butterfly Garden is finally ready for quilting - started this morning.

Lots and lots of stitching in the ditch for this quilt.

Butterfly Garden

Block 5 was finished on Saturday night

Yesterday morning I sewed row 2 together

and then the quilt top (a bit windy outside yesterday afternoon).

The backing is ready:

Was hoping to have it pin basted but ironing had to be done.  Maybe when I come home from my trip to Queensland to visit Diann.  We are going to Kingaroy (The Quilters Rest) for the weekend - can't wait!

This quilt has taken a long time to get to this point and I've received loads of encouragement and friendly ribbing along the way. 

Little Kids/Big Kids

Yesterday was a beautiful day on the South Coast.  We were invited to Wil's first birthday party - we had a lovely time.

Little Wil with his Mum and Dad

Birthday boy with his Poppy and Nanny

Face painting had been organised for the children and some of the adults had to join in.

Wil's Uncle Shaun and Auntie Kellie bought him The Best Present - what every one year old needs in his garage:

Auntie Kellie, Wil and Uncle Shaun

Uncle Shaun had a fun time driving Wil around.

"Floral Bouquet" is now together - we've moved the clothesline to another area of the back garden, so I need to find somewhere to photograph larger quilts.  This quilt is 80" x 81" - I changed the setting a little bit by making two extra blocks, adding one row to the width and taking two rows from the length, so it now fits a queen bed.

Floral Bouquet

Progress so far on Butterfly Garden Block 5

"Butterfly Garden" Block 5

Oops

Looks what happens when I'm paying enough attention.

Was easily fixed and now Block 6 is finished.

A close-up.

Block 5 is sewn together, stitcheries are traced and the applique pieces (5 butterflies) have been cut out - so, it's time to start the last block - hooray!

Lots of little tart segments have been cut and glued ready for car trips etc.

Getting There

Butterfly Garden as at last night:


Block 7

Row 3

Progress so far ...

The embroidery is underway on Block 6, then a bit of applique and it's on to the dreaded centre block with all those needle-turned butterflies.  I'm so happy that finish is now in sight.

All's Well ...

because my machine is back where she belongs.

 So last night I was able to work on some more secret sewing for swap presents due in mid-April

and I sewed together Block 8 of Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden - Block 8

Next step in this quilt is drawing up the applique pieces for Block 7, the embroidery was done while watching tv this week. 

I'm hoping to make a large dent in the Big Birthday quilt sewing over the weekend.  Back to stitching The Wish Quilt at lunchtimes - although this quilt is taking forever the end is in sight.

Cake Recipe

During the week I came across a recipe on Bloom's blog - Roast Plum and Blackberry Cake.  Friends were coming over for dinner last night so I decided to make it.  It is delicious!

So many lovely flavours.  Thanks for posting the recipe, Bloom.

This morning I sewed together Block 9 of Butterfly Garden - I have to admit I am starting to enjoy needleturn, well, at least on these blocks.

Butterfly Garden - Block 9

Some more secret sewing prepared this morning using my favourite Fig Tree fabrics.

Still not friends ...

... with needleturn but I feel like I'm slowly improving.  The photos are of three mini blocks in Block 9 of Leanne Beasley's "Butterfly Garden".

The flowers are good to applique because the pointy ends don't have to be neat as they are covered by the flower centre.  I have tried needleturn applique many times over the last 11 years or so but this time I've been determined to make friends with needleturn.

This quilt is going to be extremely busy to the eye so I've tried to choose plainer sections of the fabrics for the petals.

Blocks 1 to 4 are finished. Block 5 has 6 appliqued butterflies so I decided to work backwards from Block 9 to Block 5 in the hope that my needleturn would have improved by the time I reach Block 5.

"Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" blocks so far - 122 to go

Some Blocks

Over the last few days I've been sewing together the Little Patchwork Village blocks.  As of last night the two bottom rows were together and the middle row blocks were ready for trimming (and the block on the left hand side is now facing the correct way).  The quilt top is together and the borders have been sewn on.



Little Patchwork Village

I've made this quilt/wallhanging a little differently to the pattern in that I've used one fabric for the star backgrounds rather than 9 as suggested.  This meant I was able to make square in a square blocks for the some of the star points and cut large squares for the filling in squares - so many less seams to match up.

For a couple of years Peg and I have been making Butterfly Garden - we haven't been doing such a great job of encouraging each other as this quilt is always on the back-burner.  I took it out again two weeks ago and have been doing some of the stitcheries at night but avoiding the applique.


Butterfly Garden - Block 9

The stitcheries are finished for Block 9 and most are done for Block 8.  It's time to "pull on my big girl panties" (to quote my friend) and get on with the needleturn.  All the pieces are cut out ready to be sewn on. 

The latest Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Block (somehow I've photographed this block crookedly).  I've been making a few one colour blocks because some of the blocks I've made recently have been so busy with a large number of very small pieces in a variety of colours.

Dutchman's Puzzle

Had lunch with the Schoolgirls today, which was lovely.  Gosh those girls get around - one has just returned from a cruise around New Zealand, another is going to Europe in March/April and another for a holiday and Penang.  The weather today is so much more pleasant than last Saturday - might even cook a roast tomorrow.

Block 4

Block 4 "Butterfly Garden", which is hanging crookedly on the design sheet.

I'm stitching Block 9 next and working backwards towards the centre block - hopefully my needleturn will have improved a bit by the time I reach Block 5.

Big Weekend Coming Up

Karen (a friend from work and brand new blogger) and I are heading off to Sydney on Friday night to attend a workshop on Saturday and Sunday with Kellie of Don't Look Now fame.  I've been looking forward to this weekend for so long and have been assured by many (including the Lovely Loz) that the workshop will be fabulous.  Both of us have new sewing machines, so this will be a great opportunity to test them out.

Working on Butterfly Garden block 4 at the moment - seems to be slow going (lots of backstitch in those "patchwork" blocks).  No Sylvia's Bridal Sampler block this week.

Block 3

Block 3 of "Butterfly Garden"

Needleturn still isn't great although there is some improvement.  Haven't made up my mind yet whether I'm a fan or not.

The three blocks sewn together.

Diann has decided that we need to make a second SBS block this week and she's chosen another doozy ("Tennessee" - more set in seams, foundation pieced diamonds).  I think it's a job for the weekend as it's too much for my brain to cope with after a day at work.  I'm also thinking it's time Miss Diann found an alternative method of choosing blocks - close your eyes and point is no longer working for me.  I prefer a system that chooses easy blocks and then slowly brings in the more difficult blocks (being the chicken that I am).