Butterfly Patch + Ultimate Beginner Quilt

I finished my Ultimate Beginner Quilt and I backed it with Butterfly Patch. Two quilts in one! (This is my second two-sided quilt. The first one is here.)

Both sides of the quilt feature Moda’s Day in Paris fabric line with some Moda Grunge mixed in to add some almost-solids.

My grandma, who wore Evening in Paris perfume and decorated her home with pinks and greens, inspired this project. I have a treasured family photo with all four generations of women and, of course, Grandma’s perfume bottle.

Ernest Beaux created the perfume “Soir de Paris” (“Evening in Paris”) for French perfumer Bourjois in 1928. “Evening in Paris” was originally sold in a cobalt blue bottle designed by Jean Helleu. The scent was discontinued in the late 1960s and revived and reformulated by Chanel in the early 1990s. (From the National Museum of American History | Smithsonian Institute)

Day in Paris by Zen Chic

Early this summer I bought a layer cake of Day in Paris without any sort of plan. I just liked it and it reminded me of Grandma. Once I decided to make the Ultimate Beginner Quilt (free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop) I bought more yardage and some Moda Grunge. The solids would allow the piecing to take center stage on the quilt top.

While poking around my sewing room I found my pattern for Butterfly Patch and realized that I could use the remaining Day in Paris 10-inch squares to make this quilt as well. Later inspiration struck. I calculated how I could size the two quilts to be the same size. After all, I didn’t need two similar quilts, but I would love to show off the different sides of one quilt.

I still adore this fabric. Perhaps you can see the flecks of gold on some of the following photos. Just like perfume, the gold elevates the ordinary to extraordinary.

As you can see, I quilted the layers with a diamond crosshatch using a pale blue Aurifil thread (#5007). The dark blue border and binding also have flecks of sparkly gold.

It’s a Wrap

Making a two-sided quilt isn’t for the faint of heart. It would have been easier if my Ultimate Beginner Quilt had larger borders so I could trim them. But I didn’t have extra fabric to spare, so both quilts finished at the same size, leaving no room for mistakes. Of course, my piecing isn’t perfect, so I clipped some points on the butterfly. But, do you know what? I don’t care. This quilt is all about happy memories.