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!

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Purple and Pink V and Co Tote Bag

Hello, Friends!

So...you know me pretty well,

after reading my posts and seeing photos of my projects, right?

How many times have I used purple?

Hmmm...have I ever used purple???

{Crickets...}

Do I even OWN any purple fabric?

There's a lilac print in this divided basket...maybe that counts.

I've been stitching with this junior layer cake

of Simply Colorful II by V and Co for Moda,

in the purple colorway.

{You can find lots of other colorways, too, over at Kimberly's Fabric Stash.}

There are shades of pink on the top layer,

but a lot of the fabrics inside are purple.

They are actually very purple indeed.

When I opened it, I could feel my heart racing...
uh-oh...I think I may have a touch of purplaphobia.

I have a bundle of the Ombre Basics, also by V and Co.

When I put them together with this layer cake,

I could see that the plum and magenta ombres 

went together just perfectly.

It calmed me considerably when I saw the potential!

I cut some squares from the ombres,

and some more squares from the purple and pink prints,

and I created a wild and crazy tote bag.

I really love the way it turned out.

There's plenty of room inside, with the bag

measuring about 11" wide by 10" tall.

It's a full 6" deep.

It would make a great travel tote bag.

I love the various solid shades of ombre,

interspersed with the bright prints.

Along the bottom of the bag,

I used a strip of the darkest ombre shade.

It's very difficult to photograph,

but I made a large patchwork of prints

and solids, to add interest to the interior.

I always use a large piece of yardage for the lining

of my bags, so this was another step out of my comfort zone.

Even the handles were patched from

three different layer cake prints. I love the look!

My mother doesn't read this blog...

shhhh...this tote bag is right up her alley!

Mom looks great in purple and really loves to accessorize.

I can't wait for Mother's Day, when I give it to her!

This project has been therapeutic for me.

Maybe next time I won't go into a purple panic,

when I see 50 shades of violet!

Do you have a color phobia, too?

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