Quilting – Insectamonarca's Blog

I thought our butterfly friends might want to know that Happy Tonics, Inc. is raising money for the Monarch Butterfly Habitat, in Shell Lake, WI. We are hosting this orignal butterfly quilt auction on eBay at http://www.ebay.com/itm/290730362729?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_568wt_941

Please share the eBay auction site with your family and friends. Thank you!

BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE

Hand appliquéd quilt

Myrna Atkinson and Carol Hubin quilting the butterfly pattern

Hand appliqued butterfly quilt, approximately 90” across and 102” length, double bed size. The Stitch and Chat Wednesday Quilters of Shell Lake Friendship Commons, Shell Lake, WI, made the handmade butterfly quilt for Happy Tonics, Inc. as a fundraiser. We implemented and maintain a Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake, WI. Happy Tonics is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) environmental education organization and public charity. Our mission is Sanctuary for the Monarch Butterfly.

Heart appliqued border copyright Mary Ellen Ryall

One can tell the ladies put a lot of heart into the butterfly quilt. The border has hand appliquéd hearts surrounding the borders. The quilters spent a whole year hand appliquéing the butterfly quilt. They met weekly to accomplish this feat. The butterfly quilt has a variety of butterfly colors, much like different species of butterflies.

Closeup of blue butterfly copyright Mary Ellen Ryall

With the sale of the Butterflies are Free Quilt, Happy Tonics will be able to fund the Monarch Butterfly Habitat into the future. The City of Shell Lake gave Happy Tonics land use to create the habitat in 2007. It is an entrance to a city, located along Highway 63, as you enter Shell Lake from the north. The butterfly quilt Won First Prize and People’s Choice at the Spooner Fair in 2010.

Myrna Atkinson master quilter copyright Mary Ellen Ryall

Myrna Atkinson is a master quilter and she supervised design and stitching. The other quilters are Carol Hubin, Mary Olsen, Mariah Brinken, and Mary Raehsler.

SHIPMENT: FREE USPS Priority Mail within three days of close of auction.

PAYMENT: PayPal

NOTE: I waited to put the item up on auction till the economy was a little better Not sure that it is, but hope more shoppers feel confident now.

Happy bidding and thanks for visiting the Butterflies are Free Quilt Auction!

Shell Lake, Wisconsin, USA –

A year ago, in January 2009, the Sit and Chat Quilters of Friendship Commons Senior Center began stitching a butterfly quilt as a fundraiser for Happy Tonics, Inc.

The nonprofit 501(c)(3)environmental education organization and public charity implemented a Monarch Butterfly Habitat on city land in 2007.

The elders wanted to donate a quilt for a fundraiser to help maintain the habitat. The restored remnant tall grass prairie boasts native wildflowers and grasses for pollinating insects including butterflies, moths and bees.

The quilters celebrated their One Year Anniversary in January 2010. It is hard to believe that the ladies are about half way finished with the project. They meet weekly and work on the quilt for 3 hours at a stretch. Can you imagine having the patience and diligence to work on a project with this time requirement? I am amazed by their dedication and persistence.

I visited them yesterday, February 11, 2010. I asked where the fabric came from. Mary Olsen looked up and said, “We brought in fabric from our homes and matched colors we wanted in the quilt.” Each butterfly has a story of course because each has a fabric history. Nothing goes to waste when one is thrifty. The quilters have lived through the depression, recessions and the booming 90s. They know the value of sustainability and raising milkweed for the monarch butterfly. The quilters surely know the value of not throwing things away.

Curt Atkinson drives Myrna to the center each week because his wife doesn’t drive. He helps her unload the frame each week and then the frame is setup by the quilters.

Myrna explained that the long boards for the frame were donated by Angie Klopp, a quilter up to a few years ago. No longer able to get about, Angie now resides at Terraceview Living Center in Shell Lake. Even the frame has a story.

Myrna called me last night to say, “The quilt is 93 inches x 103 inches. There are 42 big butterflies in the middle and 28 little ones around the edge.”

Stay tuned. The Butterflies are Free quilt will be auctioned off after it is completed. Happy Tonics members and friends will have an opportunity to help support the Monarch Butterfly Habitat in Shell Lake with an online auction in our eBay store. Visit the store at http://happytonics.org/store/ where we sell milkweed seed, books, and clothing that supports our mission.