Social Butterfly Mini Quilt

Beautiful butterflies are one of the best parts of summertime!

They inspired me to stitch a new mini quilt

called "Social Butterfly".

This pattern was designed by Lella Boutique.

I first fell in love with this project

when I watched the YouTube video

hosted by Fat Quarter Shop,

which featured the full-size version of the quilt.

You can see that project and lots of other

inspiration on the Lella Boutique blog.

I was looking for instant gratification,

so I was super happy to see that the pattern

was available in the "mini" size,

in a downloadable PDF format.

I got started as soon as the file was delivered

to my email account!

I chose some favorite prints from a

Riley Blake line called The Cottage Garden,

created by The Quilted Fish.

I've used this fat quarter bundle a lot,

 most recently to make this little pincushion.

Before long, I had my pieces cut out for the block.

Usually I like to do my cutting in the evening,

then stitch my projects another day, when I have more time.

At first, I was a bit disappointed in myself,

for not choosing fabrics with lots of contrast.

Once my little butterfly was completely finished,

though, I learned to love her more each time I see her.

So...quilting is always a challenge, right?

"Quilt as desired," the patterns always say...

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

Since this was a mini quilt,

I let myself go and tried something new...

free motion pebbles.

This was not within my comfort zone,

but I'm really glad I tried it for something I intend to keep.

I like to think I did an "okay" job with it...

my husband actually admires the rich texture.

I don't plan to do this pebble quilting any more, though.

Why? Two big reasons:

1 - I don't prefer heavily quilted projects,

because they interfere with the feel and drape of the fabric.

The thread can also sometimes interfere with the fabrics,

in my opinion.

2 - This. Took. Forever.

And it's only a MINI quilt!

My patience wore thin, and I was afraid

my circles would grow bigger and bigger,

 just so I could finish it.

{Note to self: try making bigger circles on even a smaller project.}

All the same,

I'm very happy with my pink and teal butterfly,

all bound in a tonal print from V and Co's Color Theory line for Moda.

Can you see my little faux pas?
I forgot to create a hanging sleeve!

In my rush to photograph,

I just used some Clover Wonder Clips to attach  my mini

to the cute little display frame.

I have a strip of binding left over that I'll add to the back,

to finish it off more professionally.

I loved making this pattern,

and I hope to use it again to make more pretty butterflies.

Mini quilts are great gifts...

if you can bear to part with them!