Something different for Machine Embroidery

Stretching the imagination is my favorite thing to do, especially when it comes to machine embroidery. For several months now, I have been working on an idea which actually took place last fall. How time flies…sigh. Working full time during the day just does not leave me enough hours in the evenings and I am sooooo far behind. Nevertheless, I think I’m almost at the end of yet another journey and that is to create something totally different for machine embroidery.

Butterflies are everyone’s favorites and when it was suggested by several friends, I really didn’t want to do them. Don’t take me wrong, I love butterflies but everyone has them. My ambition has always been to create something different and unusual. So, my friends told me….create different butterflies.  And that is what I did! But, I didn’t just stop there, I went a bit further to create quilt blocks which would work with or without the butterflies to create all kinds of interesting quilts.

The butterflies are applique using fabrics from a very interesting online fabric store called someartfabric which has some of the most unusual and beautiful fabrics that I have seen. What interested me were the charm packs that Colleen carries. The charm packs are 5″ square and are perfect for the butterflies. Can you tell that I had a ball. Using some of the most unusual fabrics from the charm packs, I created five butterflies which are just large enough to also decorate not just home decor items but also wearables. 

The hardest part were the quilt blocks. I didn’t have the heart to stop and it is still difficult to stop. As the collection will have two parts, I wanted each part to be able to stand on its own and be usable by friends. So, the blocks section grew from five designs to…..I haven’t counted yet. But, they are all interesting blocks. My favorite is the faux cathedral window block which has so many uses and creates so many different looks depending upon the type you select. Yup, there are variations of the cathedral block. Then, just when I thought I had it all together, a tester and dear friend suggested border blocks or simple embroidery borders. That was a task in itself as I didn’t want to distract from what the butterflies or the quilt blocks. And then when I thought I had the borders completed, I kept envisioning more ideas and well….needless to say the collection grew.

My first test was with my friends and testers and I have to say it was interesting to see their perspective of my imagination. Just a few days ago, guess what I receive in my mail box….a gorgeous wall quilt from Evanlee! I did a double take on her use of colors and imagination…absolutely love it Evanlee. I love how she used different colors for her cathedral blocks from the border blocks. My wall quilt shown above was supposed to be something like what Evanlee has done, except it kept on growing and finally I decided to create setting blocks from the embroidery borders. Each setting block has five hoopings, four of the 4×4 hoop and the center motif in the 5×7 block. Each of the butterfly block also has five hoopings, center butterfly block is 5×7 and the border uses the 4×4 hoop. The applique borders were and still are my biggest accomplishment. It was not easy to figure out a border block which would match up to the butterfly block, considering that each of the butterfly block is a different size….but I think I have it figured out. The collection has about four different looks that I have created so far and I’m sure dozens more, depending upon how the blocks are used.

The collection is completed but my work for the PDF is not. I will however work hard on it as soon as possible along with a million other items that I must tend to. Anyone know the secret to cloning?