Friday, February 20, 2015

Butterfly Whirl - A Finish

Last month I was contacted by the lovely ladies at Riley Blake asking me if I could design and make a quilt for their Quilt Con booth.  Absolutely, what an honor!!!   I was given 2 words as guidelines, Butterflies and Modern.   And from that came Butterfly Whirl :)


It is actually quite funny how I settled on this design.  I was playing around with designs and knowing I wasn't anywhere close.  It is always harder to design with a deadline and the ideas weren't flowing.  So I was getting a little frustrated and my pen was dying, which turned out to be a great combination.  In my frustration I started drawing large swirly motions to try and get the pen to work and viola!!.   Butterfly whirl.  


From there, everything started to click.  I loved the idea of the butterflies getting larger as they moved outward in the swirl.  It just added that extra dimension ;)   And yes, it took a while and a lot of graph paper to figure out just how to get all of the piecing to work.  But I am so happy with the results!!


And of course, when it came to quilt it, a giant spiral was the only option.  It so adds to the design!!!  I did change it up just a bit though ;)  I started with my regular tiny swirl at the very center of the first butterfly in the Whirl.


But about every 10ish circles, I increased the width of my spiral 1/8".   I used the guide bar on my walking foot to do this.   Just a small change to start, but as you move out . . .


It really adds just one more layer to the quilting.  Just as the butterflies are getting bigger as you spiral out, so does the quilting!!!  So fun!!!   If you have wanted to try this type of quilting but don't know how, check out this Giant Spiral Video Tutorial I made a while back.  It might help get you started ;) 


This quilt really incorporates a lot of white space, and I love the way it makes each of those butterflies pop!!  The butterflies are made of Riley Blake basics in a rainbow of colors ;)  I had so much fun piecing these little guys, something about working in rainbows that just makes you smile ;)


And yesterday, the gals at Riley Blake sent me this picture of it hanging in their booth ;)  So fun!!!  The entire theme of the booth is Flying Away and they have made a dress of those butterflies draped on the quilt.   Thanks again Riley Blake for asking me to be a small part of your booth.  It was such a fun project to make and so fun to see it all come together!!


 And that is Butterfly Whirl :)  I hope you like it as much as I do ;)   It was a joy to create!!


I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Weekend!!!


Linking up this finish to Sarah's and Amanda's ;)
Pin It!

Posted by Melissa Corry at 7:56 AM

33 comments:

  1. A.J. Dub. (Amy)February 20, 2015 at 8:38 AM

    Wow, wow, wow!! Love this!

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  2. MartinaFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:18 AM

    Dear Melissa,

    it really looks amazing. It is so beautifull.
    Wish I could do things like this too
    Martina

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  3. CarolineFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    This is gorgeous!! I love the simplicity of the design and the quilting is beautiful:)

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  4. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:50 AM

    So THIS is the quilt I've been spying in the corners of photos on Instagram!! Beautiful!

    P.s. It's voilà, rather than wha-la. Those darn French ;)

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  5. Crafty Ashley BFebruary 20, 2015 at 10:01 AM

    Such a pretty design! That quilting completely makes the piece!

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  6. UnknownFebruary 20, 2015 at 10:05 AM

    This is a perfect design! the space and the butterflies and the swirl quilt all compliment each other so well :-)

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2015 at 10:38 AM

    BEAUTIFUL !
    msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  8. Rike BuschFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:12 AM

    Dear Melissa,
    That's a fantastic and beautiful quilt! So clear and simple - really beautiful!
    Greetings from Germany, Rike

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  9. TeriFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:15 AM

    Are you going to do a pattern or tutorial, please?

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  10. JenniferFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:17 AM

    Stunning! I just love it!

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  11. RachelFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:37 AM

    Sometimes inspiration come from the most unlikely of places. Very nice.

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  12. Aunt TCFebruary 20, 2015 at 12:40 PM

    I love this quilt! Riley Blake would have had a better display without those butterflies covering up the quilt. They could have put them along the top so the butterflies in motion on your quilt would show up. I would be interested in a pattern. Will there be one? Thanks!

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  13. krazgrlFebruary 20, 2015 at 1:01 PM

    Melissa, this is beautiful! I think you did Riley Blake proud. I'd love a pattern or tutorial for this. :o)

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  14. BarbFebruary 20, 2015 at 1:36 PM

    Absolutely beautiful!

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  15. Katy CameronFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:26 PM

    Love the swirling of the butterflies and the quilting

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  16. Helen LFebruary 20, 2015 at 4:26 PM

    Great idea for the quilt, and it is a fantastic quilt!! Congrats for being asked to do it for RB!! Hugs, H

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  17. carlaFebruary 20, 2015 at 4:43 PM

    Hi!!!! Yes!!!! Very beautiful!!!!! Love the way it all gets larger going out!!!!!! Wonderful!!!!

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  18. KarenFebruary 20, 2015 at 5:23 PM

    What an honor, you passed with flying colors. Congrats it looks wonderful.

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  19. SuperMomNoCapeFebruary 20, 2015 at 7:55 PM

    What a fabulous quilt! And congratulations for receiving and then completing such a fun commission.

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  20. MelanieFebruary 20, 2015 at 8:53 PM

    Love this! Please make a pattern so I can make one for me 😃

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  21. LilpuddinFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:25 PM

    Your quilt is so beautiful! I hope you consider making a pattern or posting a tutorial :-)

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  22. CassandraFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:12 PM

    This is a lovely quilt! Your quilting technique is very effective in creating a sense of depth.

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  23. Carie @ Space for the ButterfliesFebruary 21, 2015 at 12:38 AM

    Oh WOW! That is just so beautiful - I love all the white space and the quilting is so much fun and really adds another dimension.

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  24. DorianFebruary 21, 2015 at 6:23 AM

    Oh Melissa, that is so cool! I don't like a lot of negative space in my quilts, but this is just lovely. Great job!!

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  25. MicheleFebruary 21, 2015 at 6:55 AM

    That is just such a fun idea and I like the way it turned out.

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  26. ElsaFebruary 21, 2015 at 7:03 AM

    Oh I love this ~ it is so so wonderful! Love the swirl of the butterflies and the quilting! Will it be available to make? I hope so!

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  27. legato1958February 21, 2015 at 7:11 AM

    It is just so beautiful! This is such a fun pattern and perfect for the theme!
    Susie

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  28. Dr. MFebruary 21, 2015 at 8:32 AM

    Please make a pattern for this quilt! I will buy it in a heartbeat!

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  29. Barb NeiwertFebruary 21, 2015 at 9:03 AM

    Amazing where inspiration comes from - well done in every respect!

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  30. M-R CharbonneauFebruary 21, 2015 at 5:38 PM

    I love this! Don't you just love when serendipity works? Beautiful!

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  31. nancie boyceFebruary 22, 2015 at 7:01 AM

    So pretty! The simplicity of the design and spiral quilting work well together.

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  32. Sew Stitching CuteFebruary 24, 2015 at 2:20 PM

    No wonder they asked you to create something! This is simple and yet stunning! I would love to see this with all different types of solids used... so stunning!

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  33. Judy1522February 25, 2015 at 10:42 AM

    Absolutely love it!!!

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Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I just love hearing from you!!
Have a Happy Quilting Day :)

Melissa

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