Quilt Block Mania - May 2022: Butterfly Wreath Block

May 3

Hello, May! I don’t know about you, but I’m excited for warmer, sunnier days ahead. We had a particularly rainy April, and I’m more than ready to get outside and enjoy spring already — which makes the May theme for Quilt Block Mania particularly relevant. It’s Bug time, people! This is my first month joining in on the mania, and I don’t know what took me so long. In addition to my block, you can download blocks from a great group of designers for free* and get started making right away. You’ll find a photo of all the blocks and links to the other designers at the bottom of the post, but first, let me introduce you to my Butterfly Wreath block!

When I saw the bug theme, I knew right away that I wanted to make a butterfly, but I wasn’t interested in doing something super literal or lifelike. That’s just not my look. After playing around in Illustrator for far too long (what designer hasn’t gone down that rabbit hole, amiright?), I zeroed in on a more geometric take on the butterfly that I knew would also look great when combined into a group.

The Butterfly Wreath block pdf includes paper-piecing templates to make a single 6.5” block, but when you combine four blocks together, you create a butterfly wreath! It’s hard to imagine any nature lover wouldn’t love to see this block made into something special.

There are really so many possibilities for this block. In my samples, I made the background scrappy using low-volume prints, but look how lovely it would be using all one fabric, either a solid or a small-scale print that reads as a solid. And, of course, butterflies come in so many beautiful colors, so your blocks can too. The pdf includes coloring sheets for a single butterfly block and the entire wreath block, so you can play around before you start sewing.

You can now find the Butterfly Wreath block in my shop for just $3! And stay tuned for more free Quilt Block Mania blocks in future months. Signing up for my newsletter is the best way to stay informed when new blocks and patterns arrive. I only send it about once a month, and it’s always chocked full of fun new things. Give it a try!

And be sure to check out all the awesome blocks from the other designers this month (the names below the image are live links; click to visit each blog):