Beautiful Butterflies - February Catch Up

Leaving January behind and heading for a February catch up for my APQ UFO Challenge. It's so exciting when you have achieved your finish and you are just waiting for the next number to be posted. The only problem is that the 1st of the month arrives much earlier in Australia than it does anywhere else so I just have to be patient.....

At last the new number was posted.....#8....on my list, it was Sashiko Butterflies...

This project was not long a UFO....infact I had bought the project as a kit from Sylvia Pippen Designs in the US a couple of months before I went overseas and it only took me a week or so to do the Sashiko stitches....all that was left, was to add the appliqued butterflies. With the trip ahead, I decided to put it away....until I joined with the UFO challenge. I am glad it got the call up early on as the speed with which I got it done boosted my confidence that I could fulfill this challenge.

I was terrified to cut up the small pieces of marbled fabrics for the applique wings but it's just best to take the plunge or it will never get done.  I tried to plan where to place the wing template to make the most of the patterns in the fabric although the first one (the pink one in front) wasn't so wonderful.

However,  I learnt from it and was happy with how the others turned out....I used a needleturn method to do the wings but the little bodies were too tiny and I ended up blanket stitching them on.

Then it was just a case of adding the narrow border and then another indigo border and it is ready to quilt....I will probably do it by hand.

It was around this time that I also decided to start on another UFO...one that wasn't on my list...one that had been languishing in the cupboard for at least 10 years. I decided to make it my long term UFO and I work on it at night when I don't have any other hand stitching to do.


It is a Cross Stitch project and it is a long term UFO....I had only done a small part of it when I lost interest in it many years ago...It is called Tulip Trio although they do remind me more of Peonies. Here was my first progress photo. There is a long way to go but you will be surprised if you saw it today.....I have done so much.

Till next time....