I shared the Flutterbye Butterflies pattern with Margery Tadder, an internet friend, a while ago. I asked her to keep it a secret until the book was closer to release. The book, 100 Whimsical Applique Designs, is available now for presale so it is time to share Margery’s Butterflies :-). I love it so much!
At long last, I’m sending a picture of my butterflies using your lovely Flutterbye pattern. I’ll be 93 December 1st and compared to some of my contemporaries, am doing wondrously well. After surviving a long bout of pneumonia and slowly regaining energy, am back out and about and grateful for it! I used the butterflies for a pillow. Am really happy how they turned out after a couple false starts.
Over the years I have saved family signatures thinking to use them in a quilt. It never happened but on the pillow back will trace the names of those who have passed away. It will be the perfect place.
This is my finished(yay!) Flutterbye pillow and also one of the back although it didn’t turn out as I had hoped. My plan was to scatter a number of signatures in a freeform way, but about went out of my tree trying to trace them so they didn’t look like a jumbled mess! After wasting a couple pieces of fabric, got serious and did a few the easiest way possible!
Love the butterflies and tulips and they are such pretty and cheery spot on this cold and snowy day! But what’s not to love about this darling pattern?! The pillow does need to be stuffed again as this form is too loose. You probably know the story…the Navajo women purposely make a mistake in their weavings so the gods won’t be angry because only the gods are allowed to be perfect. I tell you, if there are any Navajo gods looking down on my pillow they definitely aren’t mad! haha.
Thank you many times again, Becky, for your generosity and kindness, and Best Wishes to you and your family for a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Margery, thank you for sharing your pillow and the story to go with it. I think the signatures on the pillow back are perfect as they are and I’m not entirely sure that it needs more stuffing—but that is your call :-). I hope you keep right on stitching because it does bring joy, both in the doing and the finishing!
Thanks to Sue Kersey for sharing this photo of her Butterfly Garden quilt. She wrote:
I just loved this pattern so much and this was so much fun to make and quilt. You have been wonderful to share so much with us all during this pandemic. I so look forward to your emails.
I have spent the last two years using the wonderful fabrics & patterns that I had in my quilting studio. I knew all my stash would be needed someday and I feel so lucky to have enjoyed it during this stay at home time in our lives.
Butterfly Garden made by Sue Kersey
Sue has a very nice stash of fabrics :-). I love the colors in the butterflies and the way she kept the colors moving across the face of the quilt. Well done, Sue!
Sue’s butterflies are vertical whereas mine are flying on the diagonal. Both are good choices and I’m happy to have the opportunity to see the blocks in a different way. That’s one of the best parts of any Show & Tell!
Piece O Cake Blog 