Machine Embroidery: A Swap and Butterflies

My friend Cindy and I did a little swap.  She had a few pieces of clothing in her Poshmark closet and I agreed to stitch some embroidery in exchange.

Cindy enjoys sewing little crossbody bags and the embroidery gives them a different look than what you normally see on-line.  I like to try some new designs so it turns out to be a win-win for both of us.

I spent Saturday embroidering the leg of a pair of denim jeans.  She'll cut them as she wants for her ideas. 

While I was looking through some of my designs, I pulled out a collection of butterflies I have from Anita Goodesign called Antique Butterflies.  It's a beautiful collection of appliqued and embroidered fantastical butterflies.  So lovely!  I've had the designs at least 7 or 8 years; unopened.  Here's a photo from the website showing a few of the butterflies.  The 12 different butterflies are very large; some up to 8 x 10 inches.

I originally purchased these designs to use on some grey wool I had cut in large rectangles and squares for a king sized quilt in the early 1990s.  The fabric was the tailend of the inventory from my fabric store in the 1980s.  I still have the large unpieced blocks.  Last year I pulled them out and added some vintage crochet pieces in the box with them.  I seem to be thinking an old fashioned look would suit the wool.  

I should at least try stitching one of the butterflies to see if I even like the process. I can always turn it into a pillow. Wouldn't it be so gratifying to use the wool I've had so long?  This would be a quilt for me. I'm going to seriously consider it for a summer project.  

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