Thursday, January 10, 2019

Introducing Butterfly Wreaths and Four Rails

As you know, I have planned to work on a lot of new quilts this year - not just trying to finish WIPS and UFOs but to start as many quilts as I want.  I am not going to give myself any limits and see if I can manage to stay in control without limits. The plan is to start what I want, and when I am starting to get tired of it, turn it into a quilt and call it done, no matter how small it turns out to be. The process is more important than the product.

In order to make this new process work, though, I need to make sure I document and keep track of the quilts I have started. So here are the new quilts I have started this month.


Butterfly Wreaths is a quilt that Gayle, Cathy, and Julie are making.  They each have come up with their own name and I am hoping that the name and this picture will help me remember the layout I am choosing. It will be a scrap quilt.  I really want to use scraps and make the wreath rings really stand out, but I am really not sure how to make that work.

I enjoyed making eight HSTs at one time for Sunlight in Winter, and realized I could make these HSTs the same way. Sunlight in Winter is cut 1/8th less than a whole square, so there is no trimming needed to make it fit the squares that it goes with.  Butterfly Wreaths only uses triangles so I am cutting three 5 inch squares at a time - two of the main fabric, one light and one dark.  The main fabric is paired with each of the others (one main with the light and one main with the dark) to make 8 HSTS each and then they are put together to make the blocks. I need to remember to press to the main fabric to make the seams nest. I think those butterflies can be either dark or light, but for now, I think I am going to see how I like it with just dark butterflies.

Yes this means there will be repeat blocks, but hopefully this quilt will be big enough that it won't matter. Repeat blocks might be good to add some cohesion to the quilt. And if it gets on my nerves, I might try to combine the subunits in different combinations to have more variety.


Four Rails is a rail fence quilt designed to use up my scraps.  Like my other rail fence, it will include all fabrics with no discrimination.  I will just cut and sew when the whim strikes me to make these.  It will be a kind of leader/ender project. I am hoping it takes over like the other rail fence did. This quilt will use four rails instead of three rails like my other rail fence quilt, hence the name Four Rails.  The pieces are cut 1.5 x 4.5 so they will be squares.

My plan is to use all my fabric scraps without any regard to color.  I will take a scrap, and cut as many five inch squares out of it as I can. Once it gets too small, then I will cut as many one and a half inch strips out of it as I can, and subcut them into rail fences. Once that is done, they go into the trash.

For my trash and snippet quilts, silly. You didn't think I will actually throw them away, did you?


 Today, I appreciate snow that makes everything pretty but isn't slippery.


9 comments:

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

I came to the same conclusion that you did, work on it until it isn't fun any more and then finish it into whatever size quilt it can be. I see a lot of small quilts in my future, some from the UFO pile will have this happen too.

I'll be watching all of your fun this year!

Joyful Quilter said...

Hmmm...I really like your (and Gayle, Cathy and Julie's) butterfly wreath...I think I see a new squirrel crossing my path.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Hooray that you have come up with yet another cool variation inspired by those vintage blocks!!

O'Quilts said...

Well...now thank you for absolving my guilt....U R right on...I will do the same...just have fun and no worries about finishes...whew...

Tanya said...

You are so good to use up your scraps and keep focused! Are you making your butterfly wreaths by hand or by machine?

Frédérique - Quilting Patchwork Appliqué said...

Great resolutions, and easy to keep ;))

Kate said...

An interesting strategy for keeping the new projects from getting overwhelming and lingering in the sewing room. Good luck!

June D said...

Look like fun blocks!

Cathy said...

I missed your Butterfly Wreaths! Way to go! I like your interpretation and your name.