Applique??
 

I was going through some of my bigger fabrics today, still making room for the new sewing machine and just doing some general organizing and I came across this piece.

I have a great-niece that just turned 1yr. just this past week, her mama has dubbed her 'The Rainbow Baby', so everything in her nursery is rainbow colored. When I saw this piece, my thoughts immediately went to the baby, but could use some ideas.

The fabric is like very thin denim, it's heavier than most of the fabrics I use to quilt with, I don't even know when I picked this up or even why. My thinking is to cut out the individual butterflies and applique them onto a lap quilt, maybe with some pinwheels in sky blue, pink and light purple with the butterflies dispersed across the blocks, maybe have a corner with three or four?? I saw a baby quilt recently somewhere online where the background was colorful polka-dots on white, so thinking maybe that background?

Quilt as I go using a meander pattern so it looks like lazy flight patterns??

Any thoughts, ladies?

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butterfly quilt
 

I am getting ready to make another butterfly quilt, but this time i will Not do any raw edges. I will turn them all before sewing down. love butterfly quilts. Sylvia

I think I have some of that same fabric - if I remember it correctly, it is coarser than most of my quilting fabrics.

I would use it as a backing and use the colors for something on the front.

I think your idea of butterflies over a rainbow sounds perfect for that sweet baby. It follows the theme.

Same as I was thinking ...... then reverse quilt it ... by quilting on the backside
by FMQing the butterflies and some FMQing filler between.

You might pick up some ideas from this thread ...
https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...t-t306646.html

If it has a "coarse" feel, as bearisgray says, I wouldn't use it on the back as it sounds like it might be too stiff for a baby quilt which I like to be soft. I often use flannel for the back for newborns. Anyway, you would soften that feel by cutting the butterflies out and appliqueing them, but remember that some fusibles make things a bit stiff, too. So get the softest "hand" you can when appliqueing. It would be very pretty!

I think it would work great as a background for a play mat. I have found that most new moms love to have something for babies to roll around on the floor. You could make up a bright happy quilt for the front using the butterfly fabric as a focal fabric.

If you were going to do raw edge denim frays pretty bad so you might have a problem with that.

The fabric I have that is the same print - it is not scratchy - just more coarsely woven than some of the other "quilting cottons" that I have.

I have found that softer, more tightly woven fabrics, are easier for me to use for needle-turn applique.

If doing fusible applique, it probably would not matter.

I love butterflies! I have a variety of butterfly fabrics and each one is only cut into for a very special quilt. Some I have had more than 20 years and are well cared for. This is one I do not have. I love your idea of butterflies and the rainbows. This will make a very precious quilt for a very precious baby.

I knew I had this same fabric because I have a butterfly cut out and pinned to my design wall for inspiration. I finally found it. Will be using it on little girl dresses for donation.

And it did not take long to find the not so old post;) !!!