Remember This?

Butterfly Vest

Well I mentioned last time that I really needed to get started in my 12 in 12 UFO projects. This being six months into the year I thought I was going to pick some items that needed just a little bit of work. But no, my eyes landed on the butterfly vest and that’s where I went. To have it totally finished and lined will take some time. In the meantime my goal is to get all of the outside edges stitched down and the butterfly antennas done by July. I’m down to a few more wings and then the antennas. I plan to wear it to my quilt guild meeting in July. I’ll be wearing a work in progress!

So here are my tips stemming from this project:

1. Keep a record of the brand, colors, and number of strands used for the colors. Also add any notes or ideas you have as you progress on the project. A notebook or sketch pad would be good for this. Then just in case your supplies get separated from the project you’ll still have a record. You guessed it, this project is years in the making and has gone through several moves and an organizational attempts by my daughter. I think I succeeded in matching what was already done pretty well but it would have been easier with a record. Of course the record has to be available too! I’ve even thought about using sticky notes on the project.
2. I’m down to just needing black thread for the first goal. I plan to take it with me when I take my husband in for some medical tests. He’ll be in for at least 2 hours so I should be able to finish. Since I know I’ll need quite a few sets of floss I’m going to prepare them ahead of time. First I’ll cut my lengths then separate them into 2 groups of three strands each. I put a small overhand knot at the end of each set. As I cut the lengths and separate the strands I keep them all going the same way so I know which is the top (edge pulled from the skein) and which is the bottom (cut from the skein). When I put the strands back together I try to get the edges even as near as possible. I’ll pull them through my thumb and forefinger to smooth them out and then tie the knot. Then I can trim the excess and make the top even. I’ll prep several of these at one time if I know I’ll need a lot and know how many strands I’ll be using. Of course this won’t be necessary if you are using a non-stranded thread like pearl cotton.

Another section of the vest

Happy Stitching!

Rose