A smaller version of something that is adorable 🙂
My origami butterflies are now available in super cute small size, and come attached to hair slides and hair bands, making them a special gift for a little girl.
These are available as individual clips or bands or come as a pair, head to my Etsy shop to place an order. They make a perfect gift for a special occasions, especially birthday parties.
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/creativeblondegifts
Have a wonderful Tuesday
Michelle x
These super cute fabric butterflies are so versatile, they can be used as a hair slide for a little girls special occasion, such as a birthday, wedding or Christening, and they make a wonderful housewarming gift, or even just as a little treat for yourself, cause we all deserve one once in a while…
They are made from 100% cotton fabrics which are Oeko-tex Standard 100.
Beautiful fabric butterflies with their 3D nature makes them especially versatile and appealing.
They can be added to decorate a tote or pouch, be used as a brooch or to embellish a quilt and much more.
These fabric butterflies are available to purchase from my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/creativeblondegifts
Please get in touch if you have a particular colour you would like to match them to.
Wishing you a lovely weekend, until next time…
Michelle x
Hello, thanks for stopping by to read my blog, today I’m sharing with you Block 11 of the #quiltandhsine quilt along, hosted by myself and Dawn from Honeybee cloths.
How is everyone doing? if your anything like me, you’re happy to have unlimited minutes on your phone. I know I have a house full of kids, but nothing quite beats an adult conversation to keep you sane – Keep talking!
Its never to late to join in with this quilt along, as the patterns will be available forever, but even if the thought of a whole quilt is daunting, maybe choose your favourite block and create a cushion cover or a table runner using a few blocks.
This block is all about butterflies…
Its a beautiful, relaxing block to sit and hand sew, we all need some time to switch off, and relax
Download my free pattern here, be sure to tag me on Instagram @michelle_creativeblonde so I can see your finished blocks, use the hashtag #quiltandshine
We all need friends and family in our lives especially during these difficult times, keep talking, stay inside and stay safe xx
Follow me here on my blog, and share with friends, you can also find me on Instagram and Facebook
‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing
Michelle
Welcome to the Island batik July challenge , the fabric and threads used in this project were given to me as part of the Island Batik Ambassador program 2019
Artsy Fartsy using three different Aurifil thread weights.
I’ve used thread weights 28,12 and floss.
The larger the number, the finer the thread.
I’ve used the Aurifil floss to hand embroider the letters in the center, 12 weight cotton thread for bold decorative machine stitches, and the 28 weight threads was used to machine applique my fabrics in place, using free motion embroidery
I had such fun fussy cutting lots of bright and bold flowers, butterflies and dragonflies from my gorgeous Island batik fabrics, which i fused to Vlieseline Bondaweb.
After I fused all my gorgeous fabrics into a 10″ circle, and used free motion quilting and thread weight 28 (slightly thicker then my everyday thread, I wanted it to be a little bolder) to secure my applique.
Before starting this project I fused the 16″ square piece of main fabric to Vlieseline Interfacing, this gave it extra strength, so I was ready to hand embroider the letters using floss and a darning needle. I chose a simple back stitch. I love the reverse of this piece too
To finish this piece, I used thread weight 12 (make sure you change your bobbin thread to match your top thread weight). I wanted to create a strong bold decorative stitch that would stand out
I framed my finished piece in a 12″ embroidery hoop. I’ve never made ‘Artsy Fartsy’ before, but I’ve had such fun – love a good challenge!
Thanks for reading, be sure to head over to the Island Batik Facebook page to see what the other ambassadors are making this month, and throughout the year…
Follow me here on my blog, and you can also find me on Instagram and Facebook
‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing
Michelle
Make It Modern with Hobbs… I have been sooooo excited to use the Tuscany Silk Batting By Hobbs since I received it in box 1 as part of the Island Batik Ambassador Program, so this was the perfect opportunity
Here is a little info about the BattingÂ
“Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting is soft and supple, quilts magnificently by hand or machine, and drapes like no other batting. The luxurious feel and lightweight nature of this batting is ideal for both quilts and garments.
Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting breathes naturally, making it an excellent choice for airy, lightweight quilts and coverlets, and while it’s a ‘cool’ quilt, it can also provide excellent warmth.
Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting is a blend of 90% very fine imported silk filaments and 10% fine polyester, ingredients which are carded and bonded to help retard bearding and fiber migration. And, unlike other silk batting, this batting doesn’t need to be handled with gloves or encased in cheesecloth”
So what is a modern quilt?
As defined by the Modern Quilt Guild “the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, alternate grid work”
I woke up on Saturday with this idea in my head, of a 3D effect box, with butterflies being set free. I called on hubby to help me design the 3D look of the box – thanks hubby – he knows all about those important ‘vanishing points’
Once the box was designed, and drawn out, i just had to work out how to create it from fabric…
The butterflies were cut from the gorgeous bright, bold fabrics from Island batik, a collection called ‘Caribbean Breeze’, which I backed against the black batik to really make the colours sing
I laid the butterflies out in so many different arrangements, I think I must of taken over 30 photos, until I finally decided on the layout I was happy with…
I’m thrilled with the flowers I quilted all over the quilt, it gave the impression of the butterflies flying free in a meadow full of flowers, this batting was a dream to quilt.
Thanks for reading, be sure to head over to the Island Batik Facebook page to see what the other ambassadors are making this month, and throughout the year…
Follow me here on my blog, and you can also find me on Instagram and Facebook
‘Do what makes your heart smile’
Happy Sewing
Michelle @creativeblonde66
Can you believe it, just 44 days til the big day?! so i thought id share with you a little Christmas mini wall hanging quilt… let it snow, let it snow, let it snow …
These super cute Christmas fabrics are available from Craft Cotton
A great little piece of Christmas to hang up as we get ever closer to the big day
I was chuffed to bits to be asked to make a cot size quilt from the beautiful new Camelot licensed fabrics available from Craft Cotton very soon ‘Winnie the Pooh’ – they are super cute
I knew straight away i wanted to try out my new sulky transfer pen, and the new pre packs of Vlieseline Stitch ‘n’ tear. The hardest part was choosing which of the adorable Winnie the pooh quotes to use.
I used two strands of Gutermann variegated threads to back stitch the writing. The Winnie the pooh fabric went so beautifully with the craft Cotton Fat Quarter bundle of nursery basics in grey
This quilt measures 30″ x 40″ so its just the right size for a new born’s crib or play mat, ***tutorial coming soon***
In case you missed my last post, I’ve been busy doing a little bit of paper piecing for my October island batik challenge, using the stunning pattern by Nicole –  lillyella stitchery @lillyellasworld. The quote was written by Helen Keller and emphasizes the importance of having a friend by your side. Although it is preferred to walk in the light, solitude and being alone makes this seem undesirable.
Many thanks for reading, have a lovely week ahead, until next time… happy sewing
 I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment  🙂
Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66
~Michelle~
x creativeblonde x
This month challenge was to complete a paper pieced project (Foundation or English) I knew straight away which project i wanted to try, its been on my ‘to-do’ list for a while…
The fabrics i chose to use in this project were given to me from island batik, as part of my island Batik Ambassador program. The threads are from Aurifil and the batting is from Hobbs.
Meet Gidget, Cricket and Pepper, these beautiful paper piecing butterfly charm block patterns are by @lillyellasworld. Here is my version, i love how the colours glow on the dark fabric.
I decided to mount the butterflies with a hand sewn quote i found, written by Helen Keller, using an embroidery Aurifil thread. To keep my fabric taught whilst sewing the words, i backed the fabric with Vlieseline Stitch ‘n’ tear – and it worked fab. I simply printed off the words, reversed them onto paper, using Sulky transfer pen, and then ironed this onto the chosen fabric. The great thing i found about stitch ‘n’ tear is that it doesn’t need bonding to the fabric, and simply tears away when you’re finished sewing.
See my progress photos below…
Island Batik fabrics are great for paper piecing, not only because they are beautiful fabrics, but the fabrics are reversible, so you can never get them the wrong way up.
Many thanks for reading, have a lovely week ahead, until next time… happy sewing
Check out my Instagram and Facebook page @creativeblonde66
~Michelle~
x creativeblonde x
We all know the traditional paper origami, but have you ever had a go at fabric origami?
I wanted to make butterflies, and found this amazing tutorial by Ralph Matthews at origami-instructions.com, on his site he has a whole heaps on inspiration…
Take two different pieces of 4.5″ x 6″ fabric, lay RST and sew all the way around 1/4″ from the edge. Leave a 2″ gap. Turn right way out through the gap, and hand sew up the gap using a ladder stitch. Press, then begin at step 4 here:
http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-matthews-butterfly.html
To see/print my step my step photographic tutorial, and read about the tools, threads and fabrics I used, click the link below
To purchase my origami butterflies, available in lots of sized including hair bands and hair clips, head to my Etsy shop
www.etsy.com/uk/shop/creativeblondegifts
Thanks for reading, I’d love to see your origami butterflies, be sure to tag me here, or on my Instagram page to show me
happy sewing
x creativeblonde x
I’m so excited to tell you about my Butterfly Peg bag tutorial being published in this month Popular Patchwork Magazine, I even made it to the front cover 🙂 Sadly its the last PP mag EVER to be published…
 Fabrics are from Craft Cotton. All sewn together using Gutermann threads and using interfacing and batting from VlieselineÂ
I was so pleased with the cute butterfly I added, I really enjoy watching the butterflies visiting my garden
This peg bag is reversible too, as all the seams have been cleverly hidden away…
The best part is still to come… buy this last issue of Popular Patchwork ANDÂ get a previous issue of British patchwork and quilting magazine FREE!!Â
To see more of my tutorials, you can follow my blog www.creativeblonde.co.uk and/or Instagram page www.instagram.co.uk/creativeblonde66 and www.facebook.com/creativeblonde66
Stockist for all the fabrics found in this tutorial
www.craftcotton.com  0161 832 9431
 Stockist for Gutermann threads
gutermann@stockistenquiries.co.uk 01453 883581
Stockist for Vlieseline Wadding
Michelle aka Creative Blonde 