October Done!

Here is my October Butterfly. I have really been zipping along! Once I got all the Christmas gifts completed it was a little easier to find the time to catch up. The colour of the photo is not perfect but close. I have a new camera (Nikon D60) but I'm still learning so I'm sure I'll get better photos soon. The words with this have been interesting; including things like Vitamin C! The colours here remind me of oranges & we have been eating them to combat a cold. It is interesting to see that some of my words from last month & this month were the same. I'm sure that will happen constantly & I'm letting it brew. I know that the words that repeat themselves will end up being used more promently in the final piece, I'm curious to see where they will lead.

I actually have worked a lot more than just my butterfly. I have also finished the background patchwork that will go with this. I have realized that I am not perfect when it comes to doing the patchwork but I really don't mind. It is me. I am not perfect. I still don't know how all of these will go together but the thoughts are flowing. Seeing this piece sit with last month's piece, they really flow together. I am going to enjoy beading these as well. I think I am leaning towards making them 12 individual pieces so that I can move them around to create different colour patterns but still haven't decided on that yet. Until I do, I can't actually work with this background piece, but give it a little more time and it will come to me!

I have also been spending a lot of time getting things prepared for the 12 months of the project.
On this last picture you will see all the colours that I have pulled out to use for the butterflies each month. What you can't really see is that behind these colours I also have the strips that will be used to create the patchwork. Cutting the strips took a really long time but now I have everything set & ready to go. It will make the beading process flower better.

It all just emphasizes how much I love colours & my journey this year to actually record what each colour makes me think of is already putting lots of smiles on my face! Just pulling all the fabrics together made me smile. I have put the rest of the fabric that the strips were cut from into their own drawer. Opening the drawer & looking at the rainbow of colours makes me smile. It is easy to work in my workroom when I can look up on my design wall & see these strips, just waiting to be made into patchwork to compliment my butterflies! There is something about looking at a rainbow of colours that really gets my energy levels up!

BJP September Part 2

OK, I couldn't stop! I had to finish the quilting part of my idea. This took a lot to get sorted out but now that I know what I'm doing, the rest of them will be quicker. The darker fabric in the middle is the fabric for my September butterfly. One of the colours on either end are the fabric for October 2008 & August 2009. My goal is to be working with colours for the year. I have found a way to make the colours flow from one month to the next using fabric and the beading on my butterfly. For my beading, I have decided that one of the beads from this months butterfly will also be used in next months butterfly. I couldn't put this down. I'm already nearly done with October. It will not take long for me to catch up!

As for the quilt part, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this but I'm sure by the end of the year it will come to me. Maybe everything will be put in one big quilt. Maybe my September Butterfly will be on this piece or maybe it wont. I will have to see. I will definitely be putting my words for the month on this piece but I'm realizing that some of my words for September and October were the same. I thought it might be interesting to see where that goes before I start adding the words to the fabric.

BJP September Done!

Well, it is finally done! I could say that I'm all up to date & that I just haven't taken the pictures yet but then that would be robbing myself of my process. My problem was I had this idea in my head & I kept mulling it over & over & over. I wasn't sure it was going to work but until I had the time to actually sit down & figure it out, it would haunt my mind.

I have been extremely busy traveling, making Christmas gifts, having family home, etc. but yesterday I forced myself to finish & I'm so glad I did. I will be working through the colour wheel. Along with this I am working on a small patchwork piece that will also have similar colours in it. Not sure yet that I will sew this butterfly to the patchwork piece for this month but the two will work together.

I have also been recording words that come to mind as I'm working. For September, my words are: Chinese, blood, happy, strong, favourite colour family. I'm hoping to incorporate these words somewhere in the finished piece but I will have to see.

Anyway, now that I have the process actually figured out, it will hopefully be easy to catch up. Now if I can just find a couple more hours in the day!

Christmas

I've been working on more Christmas presents. I had my husband pick up some shawls for family members and today I made cases for them and tissue holders to match.

I have also been working on socks for my daughter. She will wear socks I make so I'm happy to make them for her!

Coffee Sleeve

I have been working on Christmas presents. I thought that reusable coffee sleeves would be a great idea. Then I was in Hancock fabrics & found the coffee bean fabric. The inside is the fabric that the pocket is made from. In between the two layers is insulation batting. I made the first one & then thought it would be cool to actually put a pocket on the sleeve to hold a Starbucks coffee card. I now have about 10 more of these to make. Aren't they cool! (or should I say hot!) This is the small cup, they also fit the largest cup.

I have been working on my sewing and beading projects. I just haven't been taking pictures or writing on my blog. I need to change that. Whether anyone reads this or not, it is a great place for me to document that I've actually accomplished something!

If you want directions for this coffee sleeve, e-mail me. I put together directions for myself for next time I need to make a bunch of these.