Butterfly Landing

So, the Flutterby Quilt made its way to ...

 my awesome Aunt Laura.

I wanted to give her something special
because she's a very special person.

She has a funny, feisty (in a good way) personality and is a

wonderful sister, mother and aunt!

We always look forward to her visits where

there's sure to be a rowdy, yet friendly game of Phase 10

followed by a nice slice of pie and hot cup of coffee!

So, Aunt Laura, hoping to see you SOON!

In the meantime, I hope it gets cold enough at some point

in the usually hot, hot Phoenix, AZ

so you can put your Flutterby to good use.

Your "favorite" neice! (wink wink)

Butterflies are Free to Fly

Finished!
(Update: Finally linking to Fabric Tuesdays over at Quiltstory)

the label...still not saying who it's going to  ; )

3D butterflies...

Fabric - Dream On...

By Urban Chiks...

...for Moda.

The complete top...

The back...

Ready to Fly Away

Bye-Bye

Yipes Stripes!!

I spent a few nights sewing down the binding on my Flutterby quilt all the while thinking how the green stripes (and the orange striped butterflies) reminded me of something from my childhood....anyone else remember...

I used to love that GUM.

Such yummy flavors!

Can you see the resemblance?

A little rainbow of fruity flavor.

I remember rolling up those gum sticks

before popping them in my mouth.

Even the wrappers were colorful and fun.

Been a carefree little trip down memory lane.

And I'm really happy to be finished with the binding.

I've designed a label, so all that's left is attaching it

and clipping some loose ends!

Thanks for stopping in!

Butterflies and Bias Binding

Took some time today to work on my Flutterby Quilt.

You'll see below, that the green stripe was the popular

favorite and that's what I decided to go with.

Here it is, ready to be turned, pinned and sewn down.

This is the first time I've done a BIAS binding

because I wanted those stripes on the diagonal.

I used this tutorial from My Sweet Prarie.

And it worked out fabulously!

And check this out...

I stuck the roll of binding in an empty

tissue box to keep it from rolling away

as I attached it.  I thought it was a pretty clever idea.  ; )



Anyway, here's some shots of the quilting too.

No time for FMQ so I just went with some

straight line and ditch quilting.

I used green thread for the quilting, but

honestly not sure I'm really happy with it.

But I do like the green quilting on the back.

Anyway, there it is.  Binding pinned and ready for a

few evenings of hand sewing.

In the meantime, I'm still in training for my new job

but should be getting students soon.

Also have an apartment lined up so my move date

is now settled, October 17th.

Lots to do before then!  But tomorrow is

Labor Day, so I'm taking a break from all of it.

Hope you all enjoy the holiday,

"Moving" Right Along

"Moving" right along on my Flutterby quilt. 

Layed the top out on the backing and batting

and crawled around on the floor

pin basting yesterday!

(oh my aching body)

And "moving" right along elsewhere in my life.

Yes, I mean "moving".

THAT was my original goal for the summer,

when the wrist & other health issues

stalled my plans.

Good news is, I don't need surgery for the carpal tunnel,

my wrists are healing nicely

and the other issues are under control

So, after much contemplation, I am back to my plan.

I've wanted to move back up north (out of California)

 for a very long time.

In June, I resigned my teaching position at the high school

and have since taken a job teaching online.

Now I can teach from home...where ever I decide home is.

So, Oregon, here I come.

My move date is still a month away.

But I'm packing, sorting & cleaning out storage units.

I'll miss my friends & family here,

but I do look forward to their visits

after I'm settled, and I look

forward to seeing more of my sons

who live there.

And I also look forward to getting

back into a routine of quilting and blogging.

I've missed reading your blogs and sharing in your

quilting adventures.  I especially miss One Flower Wednesdays

and hope to get back to my GFG soon!

In the meantime, I'm going to finish Flutterby

so I can send it on it's way.

Flutterby Border

Well, I've been busy.

Finished sewing all the rows together and decided on a pink border.

I'm happy with the border color choice

because I know the person this will be

going to likes PINK.

It's such a menagerie of flowers and butterflies,

although not my usual style,

looks so summery and happy

that I'm really pleased with it.

Remember, those 3D butterflies:

And it's almost ready to "fly".

But...I could use your help

deciding which of these three bindings

to go with (below):

What do you think?

Please feel free to leave me a comment

with your choice!

Thanks  ; )

Beach Therapy

So...I did make a bit more progress on my flutterby quilt but first let me share an afternoon at the beach! Last sunday, one of my best buddies and I drove to Pacific Grove in Monterey, CA and spent a relaxing day enjoying the surf and sand.

I never learned to surf, but I sure love watching those

who are braver than me catch some waves!

 I'll just pretend that's me.

The waves weren't huge,

but still awesome.

My favorite color, aquamarine (above).

What a mix of sounds, the roar of the breakers...

...the peace as they subside!

The salty air and the sounds of seagulls, laughter and fun.

Just what we needed.

There's more I want to share about the afternoon,

but I'll save it for a later post.

Meanwhile, I'll be working to add the final 2 rows to Flutterby.

Wishing all of you some relaxing beach therapy.

Try it...you'll like it!!