Welcome to Treadlestitches!
Today I have two quilts to show.
First, the small quilt for donation, which is also a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project. I made DOZENS of string blocks this year, and this is only the second quilt.
Lots of skinny strips and triangles make up these blocks. I always feel thrifty when making them. Can you spot the purple butterfly print?
The border is a different purple butterfly print. Years ago I bought a bag of fabric at Goodwill, and there were SIX YARDS of this fabric in it. I have loved using it. It goes with most of the colors of the string blocks.
I've pinned up the back here to show you. I bought this cotton fabric at the Winter Quilt Show a few years ago. It cost $2 for a 2 yard piece. Great, right? But there was a problem.
These Easter theme borders were on either side of the dots. They might have looked a little weird sideways on the quilt, so I cut them off. (Don't worry, I'll find a use for them.) The resulting dot print was narrow, but I pieced it to make it wide enough. For quilting I did diagonal lines through the blocks. The binding is a scrap of solid lavender.
So that's quilt #1, one of my usual small quilts for kids. The next one is different.
This is officially a UFO. And it has kind of a long story.
My niece Jenny died in August of 2021 from a massive aneurism at the age of 39. Butterflies were her favorite thing, and purple/lavender was her favorite color. I started making this quilt that fall, with the plan to give it to my sister as a comfort quilt. I found this pieced butterfly pattern/tutorial online (click
HERE), and started making blocks from Kaffe Fassett fabrics and light prints from my stash.
I had all the blocks made and the border (also a Kaffe print) ordered when my sister died in May of 2022. For a while I couldn't even look at them. I set the project aside. What was I going to do with it now? I didn't think it would be a good fit for her husband or her son.
In time, I decided to finish the quilt as a comfort quilt for me. My friend Joey Mahieu is a professional quilter, and she quilted it for me. I picked it up the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Can you see the hearts and swirls in the quilting? Joey did a wonderful job (as always!).
This week I bound it. The backing is a soft flannel, and Snicky the cat loved it so much he wouldn't let me sew! I had to wait until he left the room.
I can't wait to snuggle up under the quilt after the Christmas quilts are put away.
Speaking of Christmas, it's almost here! This week Little Guy had his program at school. You can probably tell he loved it! We loved it too.
The snow this week feels very seasonally appropriate. We will probably get lots more after the holidays, this is winter in Wisconsin, after all.
Tomorrow I'll be baking cookies with my daughters and grandchildren. Icing and sprinkles and sugar, oh my!
Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! And happy quilting to everyone!
Cheers for reading,
Sylvia@Treadlestitches
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Your butterfly quilts are lovely, Sylvia! One to donate and one to keep - that sounds perfect to me. I hope the one you made for your sister will give you warmth and comfort. Little Guy looks like he's having fun, and your baking get together sounds yummy! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diann! I look forward to our Christmas baking every year. I hope your Christmas was very Merry!
DeleteBeautiful butterfly quilts, Sylvia! I hope all the love that you poured into the making of "the keeper" quilt will bring you comfort. Glad to see that Little Guy is enjoying the season!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joyful! Little Guy's enthusiasm is contagious!
DeleteI’m so glad you finished the purple butterfly quilt as a comfort quilt for yourself. It’s gorgeous and the quilting is lovely. Little Guy is sure growing up fast!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cathy! I'm glad I finally got it done. Little Guy will be five in a few months! It's hard to believe.
DeleteCongrats on getting two quilts to the finish line. I'm glad you are keeping your sister quilt for yourself. We mostly think to bring comfort to others in trouble times, but rarely do we think that we also need comforting and a quilt is just as good for us as it is for others. I didn't know her but I'm pretty sure she would have wanted you to keep it too. Hugs! ;^)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Chantal, you are so kind. You're right, we know how comforting quilts are for others, but we don't think about it for ourselves. Hugs for you as well!
DeleteWonderful finishes, both of them, with some butterfly theme/border to each! Nice you'll keep the Kaffe butterfly quilt for yourself and remember your niece and sister with love. Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nancy! I hope you had a lovely Christmas!
DeleteI am so sorry for the loss your family has had to endure. Your quilts are gorgeous and you will feel your sister and nieces love wrapped around you. Hugs to you and Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Vicki, you are so kind. I hope your Christmas was wonderful.
DeleteThe butterfly quilt has had quite the journey. I do hope it brings you comfort and I'm glad you decided to keep it for you!. It is beautiful!--TerryK@OnGoingProjects
ReplyDeleteThanks, Terry! Purple is my favorite color too. I will enjoy the quilt and remember happy times.
DeleteI hope you find comfort while snuggling under that quilt. It is lovely. Happy holidays to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rose! Happy holidays to you too!
DeleteI'm so sorry for your loss. I love that you decided to finish the butterfly quilt as a comfort quilt for yourself, and it looks like Snicky loves it too. It's gorgeous, love the colors. Bright and cheerful string quilt too, so pretty. Love the bunny border, so cute. Mr Little Guy is a cutie. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Astrid! Snicky loves all the quilts, but especially anything flannel lol. Happy holidays to you too!
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