Beautiful Butterflies - February Catch Up

Leaving January behind and heading for a February catch up for my APQ UFO Challenge. It's so exciting when you have achieved your finish and you are just waiting for the next number to be posted. The only problem is that the 1st of the month arrives much earlier in Australia than it does anywhere else so I just have to be patient.....

At last the new number was posted.....#8....on my list, it was Sashiko Butterflies...

This project was not long a UFO....infact I had bought the project as a kit from Sylvia Pippen Designs in the US a couple of months before I went overseas and it only took me a week or so to do the Sashiko stitches....all that was left, was to add the appliqued butterflies. With the trip ahead, I decided to put it away....until I joined with the UFO challenge. I am glad it got the call up early on as the speed with which I got it done boosted my confidence that I could fulfill this challenge.

I was terrified to cut up the small pieces of marbled fabrics for the applique wings but it's just best to take the plunge or it will never get done.  I tried to plan where to place the wing template to make the most of the patterns in the fabric although the first one (the pink one in front) wasn't so wonderful.

However,  I learnt from it and was happy with how the others turned out....I used a needleturn method to do the wings but the little bodies were too tiny and I ended up blanket stitching them on.

Then it was just a case of adding the narrow border and then another indigo border and it is ready to quilt....I will probably do it by hand.

It was around this time that I also decided to start on another UFO...one that wasn't on my list...one that had been languishing in the cupboard for at least 10 years. I decided to make it my long term UFO and I work on it at night when I don't have any other hand stitching to do.


It is a Cross Stitch project and it is a long term UFO....I had only done a small part of it when I lost interest in it many years ago...It is called Tulip Trio although they do remind me more of Peonies. Here was my first progress photo. There is a long way to go but you will be surprised if you saw it today.....I have done so much.

Till next time....


 

Challenge Accepted

Goodness.....it has been absolutely ages since I wrote anything on my blog.....AGES! To say I have been busy would be the understatement of the year! What with numerous medical appointments to chauffeur my mum to, trying to cope with the stresses of planning a house, catching up on my UFO's just to name a few, blogging has fallen way, way to the bottom of the priority list.

I am going to try really hard to change that.....even if it is just baby steps.....from now on and take my chance to blog at least once a week....lets see how that goes.

I have, however, taken to Instagram.  At first I couldn't see what all the fuss was about but I find it a much better platform than Facebook which I have struggled to link up to my blog for awhile now. Anyhow, I post pictures on Instagram just about everyday and as well as my current sewing projects, there are also photo's of plants I am growing, scenes from our valley, and all my furbabies...if you are on instagram....seek me out, I am cathxxm......and I am already following a few of you...
 

Back to why I am here today.....back in the wayback, when I last posted HERE I was telling you about the UFO Challenge I was undertaking through the All People Quilt Magazine. Even though this was some months ago now, I am pleased to report that I managed to finish my January's UFO right on time......well at least to a flimsy....which is what I was aiming for!

I started off the month with that house centre block panel and the pink border but I still needed to finish the floral stitched border on the sides......

After that, It didn't take very long at all and I pieced it all together quite quickly

My favourite section of this whole quilt was stitching the fence and the garden at the lower end of the quilt.

So now it is ready and waiting to be quilted but that will have to wait until a later date.....in the meantime I have more tops that have been making progress......I can't wait to show you so please drop by again and take a look at the gorgeous butterfly mini that I completed.

And so I will sign off for now.....see you next time,
Cathxx