Best of Butterfly Quilts

For the past two weeks we've been chasing butterflies (quilts, that is).  Out of dozens of butterfly quilt patterns, here are the ones we've picked as our favorites.  As a bonus, we're including photos of two lovely butterfly quilts we've spotted at quilt shows.  Perhaps you'll be inspired to create a butterfly for your own collection !

Above: Row 1:  Butterflies for Amy pattern and variations by Barbara Bieraugel at Barbara Bieraugel Designs. Row 2: Butterfly patterns by Diane McGregor at Castilleja Cotton. Row 3: Butterfly patterns by Sheril Drummond at Serendipity. Row 4: Butterfly patterns by Debra Gabel at Zebra Patterns.

Above:  Butterfly quilts by Nanette Merrill at Freda's Hive, Lisa Cox at A Spoonful of Sugar Designs, Michele Lancaster at Nostalgic Cafe and Kumiko Fujita.  For details and links to the original posts, see Quilt Inspiration:  Butterfly Quilts (and free block patterns!)

Flying Flower, 46 x 37, by Nancy Swanson, photo by Quilt Inspiration

We spotted this quilt at the 2011 Arizona Quilter's Guild show. Nancy Swanson's own photo from a butterfly house inspired her original design. The butterfly is more than 12" wide, allowing for the detailed treatment of the wings with raw-edged applique and thread painting.  The subtly textured background seems just right; it provides the textures of bark and leaves without detracting from the butterfly.  An embroidered spider and painted web enhance the interest of the design.

Swallowtail at Red Flowers, 68 x 60.5, by Deborah Theresa Bailey, photo by Quilt Inspiration

This original quilt by Deborah Theresa Bailey was exhibited at the 2010 Pacific International Quilt Festival. The quilt was machine pieced, hand appliqued, and machine quilted. With this ethereal image, Deborah invites us to escape into the world of a butterfly indulging on the nectar of life.

Close-up, Swallowtail at Red Flowers by Deborah Theresa Bailey
 

The intricate detail of the large butterfly can be seen in this close-up photo. Hand dyed and commercial fabrics were embellished with fabric and glimmer paints over 30% of the quilt. On a domestic machine, free motion organic echo quilting was done to compliment the curved piecing.

Image credits:  Quilts by Debra Gabel, Diane McGregor, Sheril Drummond, Barbara Bieraugel, Nanette Merrill, Lisa Cox and Michele Lancaster are shown with the generous permission of the artists. The close-up of the Japanese butterfly quilt with applique is shown with the permission of Kathryn Krentz.  The other quilt show photos are by Quilt Inspiration.

Butterfly Quilts by Sheril Drummond

Sheril Drummond lives in Lexington, Kentucky, where she publishes her blog, Serendipity, sells her beautiful patterns, designs and creates quilts, teaches yoga, and gives workshops on quilting. Sheril's outstanding work has been accepted into major quilt shows including the International Quilt Festival in Houston and the AQS shows (see Three Friends, which we featured at Quilt Inspiration, and Remembering Barbaro, which was featured at All About Applique).

Anastasia butterflies in Flights of Fancy by Sheril Drummond

Sheril began sewing in early childhood, but when she moved to Kentucky, she took a quilt class in using the "stained glass" method of creating appliqued quilts. Small pieces of fabric are fused onto the background fabric, with just a small amount of the background between each piece of fabric.The small amount of fabric that shows through gives the look of a leaded stained glass window. This stunning quilt above was shown at the 2009 Pacific International Quilt Festival. We think the results of Sheril's technique are spectacular!

Close-up, Flights of Fancy by Sheril Drummond

The fabulous butterflies on the original Anastasia quilt are actually an arm's length long, but Sheril's pattern is 21 x 18. Sheril notes that you can make the butterflies larger or smaller according to your own personal taste. All of the butterfly patterns you see here, plus other equally fabulous ones, are for sale by Sheril. For more details, please contact Sheril by email at the profile page of her blog.

Bridgette Butterfly, 22 x22, by Sheril Drummond

We think that all of Sheril's butterfly quilts are gorgeous. However, we are especially fond of "Bridgette", because the layout design of the luminous batik fabric creates a lovely swirling kaleidoscope effect. Sheril is now giving lessons on the internet on how to create these dazzling stained glass applique quilts. For a very reasonable fee, Sheril will be your personal tutor and will provide individualized instruction on making your own quilt using the method shown here. For more information, please see Sheril's "Serindiptiy2" blog .

Franchesca Butterfly, 43 x41, bySheril Drummond

While the size of the actual quilt is 43 x 41, the vibrantly colored Franchesca butterfly itself is size 33 x 18. Therefore, you can vary the size of the quilt by changing the appearance of the flower or by inserting a smaller bouquet of multiple flowers. Also, notice that Sheril originally appliqued the fabric for this butterfly on a brilliant red background, which is why red lines show in between the fabric segments. You could also applique the fabric on a pure white background or tangerine background depending upon the hues in your surrounding room decor.

Image credits: Images shown are with the generous permission of artist Sheril Drummond.

Opening Night at the Houston International Quilt Festival

It's Preview Night at the  Houston International Quilt Festival, the biggest quilt show in the world! What a paradise for quilt lovers. Come with us while we look at some dazzlers.

Three Friends, app. 48 x48, by Sheril Drummond at Shedrum, Lexington, Kentucky

This gorgeous work looks pieced, but it is actually a stained-glass-look applique, made from all-cotton fabrics.  Sheril writes, "This quilt is the final one in a series of four horse quilts made to show during the 2010 Equestrian Games held in Lexington, Kentucky."  Notice how Sheril has designed all the pieces in curved rather than straight shapes to match the curves of the horses' faces and bodies.  

Flower Raft, app. 65 x 48 by Takako Ishinami,  Yamaguchi, Japan

Takako writes, "The wind blows, and cherry blossom petals are floating in the river. I am pleased to depict the magnificent Japanese spring."  Here is a close-up photo of "Flower Raft":

We love quilts made from recycled clothing, so we were fascinated to learn that all the fabric in this quilt was from old Japanese kimonos. This work is all hand-pieced and hand-quilted with beautiful sashiko embroidery, as you can see in this close-up.

Yo-Yo's In Bloom, app. 48 x48, by Helen Remick at helenremick, Seattle, Washington

Yo-Yo quilts are always so fun and cheerful, this one particularly caught our eyes.  Helen was inspired by the design on an Islamic tile to create these modified yo-yo flowers,  with four to eight petals in each, which all nestle together.  Here is a closeup photo of Yo-Yos in Bloom:

We purposely took this photo off-center, so that you can see the three-dimensional effect created by the use of eyelash yarn and pearls in the center of the flowers. If there was a category for "Most Happy Quilt in Houston", this delightful creation would surely win the blue ribbon.  

It's now 1 a.m. as we write this from Houston... stay tuned for more images from the International Quilt Show!