Friday, May 3, 2013

Retro Butterfly

 
 
 
Here is the "before" of this retro style butterfly quilt. These are old blocks, found , a few finished and then put together. There was some fullness in the muslin of the blocks, but it isn't too bad .

After: We just used a very lightweight thread, Invisifil , in a cream and an orangey brown to outline on the appliques. We kept it to a minimum just doing the butterfly body center and then the accent applique on the wings. The muslin background is done with So Fine in a light ecru color. I tried to keep the fill quilting more open , yet balance the feel across the quilt. Some of the blocks had a lot of background, some had a lot of applique and very little background.


I'm not sure you can see the critters quilted in as it's hard to get a good photo on the light fabric. There are grasshoppers, snails and a hummingbird nestled in the quilting.
 
This was a bit of a challenge to quilt as some of the areas are heavily appliqued and some have just a motif on a large background. Trying to keep the quilting balanced and tied together throughout was always on my mind. But what a happy outcome! this has a playful feel, just like the butterflies!
Client was very happy and said she had no idea it could look so good! Praise I always like to hear!
 
On a personal note: New Grandson George
Born May 2 in Hong Kong. Can't wait to see him when I go in June!
Yes, his quilt is in the works!