A CLOUD OF QUILT PATTERNS: AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PATTERN IN BLOG FORM UPDATES & ADDITIONS BY BARBARA BRACKMAN

Monday, January 28, 2019

Butterfly from Laura Wheeler/Alice Brooks

Kelly Cline is quilting an old top and was curious about the pattern.


She found it in my Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns
#929 Butterfly from the Laura Wheeler/Alice Brooks syndicated column.


Their pattern is all pieced with embroidered antennae.


Kelly's is missing the antennae. Here's where the seam lines
seem to be. 

Top by Savannah Adkins, documented in the Arizona Project,
photo from the Quilt Index. She embroidered antennae over 
the seam lines.

It's a clever pattern, making use of the fashion for fans and wedding ring arcs in the 1930s and '40s. But hard enough to piece that you don't see that many of them.

From the New York project


There are a lot of butterfly quilts in the Quilt Index files
but this one is rare.

I found a few in online auctions


UPDATE: Laura Lane at the New England Quilt Museum reminded
me of their cover quilt:


Here's one in the warm side of the spectrum from an online auction.

The quiltmaker took the easy way out and appliqued the pieced butterflies.

With black embroidery thread.

Same solution; different species.
Note tail antennae



It's popular today, however. You can find patterns on the internet.

This one from Leila who added a seam to the bug body.

So, there you go, Kelly.

2 comments:

  1. OHHH, thanks for that, Barbara! I have one in line to quilt and then will start quilting this one. I just love the solid fabrics used in the top I have.

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  2. We have a lovely quilt in that pattern in the collection of the New England Quilt Museum. It is pictured on the cover of Jennifer Gilbert's 1999 book, "The New England Quilt Museum Quilts" A pattern is also included in the book.

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