December Day Three and butterflies

Today was a drizzly sort of day - very welcome for the farmers - so after the necessary stockwork I was happy to shut myself in The Palace and have a bit of R and R after the busy day yesterday.

A little while ago Jo put out a call for some purple butterfly blocks to make a quilt for the birthing unit at a local hospital. Sure, I replied, but I won't be able to get them made until the end of October. NO worries, that would work, she said.

(Cricket Butterfly)

So here I am at the end of November (ahem, I know, that's a stretch). Jo has reassured me that she will still be able to use them if I send them now.

(Gidget Butterfly)

Many of you know that I enjoy Foundation Paper Piecing so I decided to use the really cute butterfly pattern offered by Lillyella.com. My brain wasn't working particularly well and I didn't do a sizing check - Jo asked for 12½" blocks and the butterflies were 5½"!!

So after a bit of maths, and trial and error, I came up with this block —

(And for my own future reference as much as anything, the rectangles I cut to tilt the butterflies were 6½" x 3½") (For the length of the rectangle add one inch to the unfinished size of your block).

This block wasn't without its dramas. The body sections of the first butterfly didn't line up when I sewed the two halves of the block together. I unpicked that seam (too many times) and finally got it right. I later realised that if I had pressed the seams slightly differently there wouldn't have been a problem.

Consequently the second butterfly went together like a dream!!

Then, I discovered I didn't have enough of the solid for the background, to make the whole thing 12½". After much hunting, I found another piece and completed the block. And in the light of day, realised that it was a different shade of solid!!! I'd had to join two bits of fabric for one of the 'setting rectangles' - of course, I had used the two different shades and it stuck out like a sore thumb. 

At work the other day I found some the correct colour - but only replaced the joined piece. The fabric used to tilt the flutterbies is some of the wrong shade but it looks uniform enough - and worse in some lights and not at all in others so it will be fine in a quilt of blocks from lots of different makers!

From here on it was plain sailing. I enlarged the pattern to make a third butterfly and here she is —

(Pepper butterfly)

She went together beautifully!!

So now I can get these in the mail asap. I look forward to seeing them in Jo's quilt.

I can't believe I've managed three blogposts in three days! I think I'm starting to get into a bit of a rhythm. 

My dear friend Joanne of the Threadhead blog has decided to join me in my challenge and spend December catching up on her year with a blogpost a day. She is very clever, skilled and creative and I will enjoy seeing what she has to share!

'til next time

happy stitches 

Raewyn