Buttons and Butterflies: October 2017

Friday, October 27, 2017

Catstar {Quilted Pillows}

The only way a cat can ever come into our home would be in this form.

I'm severely allergic, but utterly fascinated by them!

I wanted to make some pillows for our family room couch and I didn't want to do pumpkins or bats.

I thought about cats and instantly remembered my good friend Janda's mini she made for a swap a couple years ago.

Super cool, right?

Janda doesn't have a blog, so Kristi Schnitzel and Boo's offered to write a tutorial for her.

Her finish is a bit different than the original with fabric placement, but the pattern design is the same.

I copied Janda's radiating square quilting and just love it.

I attempted to start with them closer together and have the space gradually wider towards the edge.

I'm not sure if it worked, but I gave it try!

The solid cat faces were begging for some embroidery.

I had some leftover witch fabric from my Monster Bash Quilt to use for the hidden zipper backings.

And I couldn't resist the dotted fabric for the binding.

The background fabric I used was certainly a bit more busier than I normally like to use, but I felt like it went with out drastically traditional family room furniture.

Quilt Stats

Measures: 20" square

Pattern: Catstar block by Janda Wilden

Fabrics: Various Halloween fabrics by Moda, Riley Blake and scraps from stash

Quilted: Radiating Squares on Babylock Emore

I keep telling myself I'm done making Halloween quilts and pillows....but who am I kidding??

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Jamie's Birthday Quilt {Block 8}

“Say not in grief that she has gone, but give thanks that she was yours.”

Saturday was a special day.
It was the day our daughter was born eight years ago. The day where we seem to make everyone else more uncomfortable than we are ourselves about our incredible loss.
But we can't let the day go by without acknowledging an important family member. The family member that requires us to choose life. Choose adventure. Choose joy.

This year would be her 8th birthday. As I have in the past, I think about what life would be like during that year. What activities she might be involved in? What toys would she like? What big events in her life would be happening?

I thought about how this would be the year I would have had the joy of preparing her for her First Communion. All of the spiritual growth. All of the retreats and classes together. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I would be so excited to buy a dress this year instead of pulling out the boys’ suit that they have all worn.

I hunted for some patterns of a little girl in a dress. A little girl kneeling. I considered the symbols of the Eucharist. None of them seemed right for her quilt.

I then had a flash of memory. The year she was born, our third son was celebrating his First Commmunion. The second grade teachers asked me if I could make the floral crown for the May Crowning ceremony.

I used pink roses and rosemary for remembrance. He also asked me if he could carry one of the pink roses.

The significance of the roses has a deeper meaning. On the morning of our daughters memorial funeral, I had given my husband a task. I asked him to buy some flowers for the church. My favorite flowers are daisies, but I was insistent that he go buy flowers for her. Whatever he wanted to buy his little girl. He returned with this beautiful delicate pink and white rose bouquet.

I knew, without a doubt, that I had to do a rose quilt block this year.
I found this really pretty paper pieced rose on Craftsy.

https://www.craftsy.com/quilting/patterns/rose-paper-piecing/466517

Click on photo for link

I think the solids are gorgeous, but I’m still trying to use these out of print fabrics from the Posey line by Aneela Hoeey.

Her birthday is sometimes ordinary or extraordinary. This year it was extraordinary. In the category of choosing adventure and joy, we decided to send the older boys on a last minute, once in a lifetime trip to Houston to cheer our Astros in the ALCS with my husband. We also bought a ticket for our oldest son to fly from college and meet them.

Button and I opted to stay home. He hasn’t been feeling so hot this past week and we thought it best he stay home to recuperate. I found some quiet reflective time to work on Jamie’s Birthday quilt. We rounded off the day by making and eating cupcakes, choosing joy.