Butterflies, Art Exhibit, and Some Quilting

It's the first of September and I got to see my last two butterflies hatch. I hope they recognize my yard for egg laying, since all these caterpillars were brought over from Ellen Hall's yard, about five miles from mine. I felt like a third-grader getting excited about these beautiful creatures. Elizabeth, my constant companion, was fascinated at the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. She wanted to touch but was calm as I kept her paw back. I think this one is female--with smaller yellow spots and larger blue area on back of wings (fourth picture). The fifth picture shows a male for comparison.

Elizabeth watches butterfly emerge from chrysalis

Butterfly on coleus flowers drying her wings

 

Butterfly on portulaca

Female Butterfly with wings open 

Male (larger yellow spots on open wings, smaller blue area)

I entered three fiber art pieces in the South Mississippi Art Association's exhibit at the Lucile Parker Gallery on the William Carey University campus. One was pictured on the invitation (far left), and another won an honorable mention.

Invitation to  the Exhibit

My pieces hanging with those of Jeanette Graham and Mary Judice

Improv Music, 25" x 28"

Pine Belt Quilters had a workshop for Leanne Green to teach us how to use a Bosal product to make this little bowl which can be molded into a curved shape. It's a clever project but took longer to make than it looks like it would. It's about 10" from top to bottom and 8" side to side.

Molded bowl, taught by Leanne Green

The Interleave Symphony is finished except for black binding (so named because one of the fabrics contains composers' names), and I decided it needs to hang vertical instead of horizontal.

Interleave Symphony in progress

Interleave Symphony, 31" x 34" ready for black binding

Caterpillars into Black Swallowtail Butterflies

My caterpillars emerged from their chrysalises after nine days. The first one was out one morning when I awoke. I had taken a little sewing trip to my friend Jackie Watkins' home on Lake Caroline north of Jackson, and the jar of parsley and two chrysalises went with me. Thinking the second one was about ready, I positioned the jar on my dash so I would not miss anything on the two-hour drive back to Hattiesburg. (My kids will probably freak out when they read this, but I swear I was careful and safe!) I took the first hatchling out of the jar and put him on the dash, where he stayed for the ride. When I got back to Hattiesburg I put him on some parsley in my flowerbed so he would know where his home was.

Hatched in the jar

 

My view of the dashboard

    The second one began to emerge about Collins (30 miles from home) and it was such a fun scene that I found a place to pull over and watch and take a few good pictures. He was also placed in my flowerbed. Both butterflies stayed a couple of hours before flying, and it was quite a happy sight when I saw one of them the following day on my Lantana flowers.

He rode on the dash for two hours

Placed in flowerbed on parsley

Crawling all over the parsley

Checking out the portulaca

Resting before taking flight

      I put the binding on this Leftover Triangles piece, did a ghost quilting project, and planned another Interleave design using black, red, black print, and green/red/gold print with composers' names on it. I think this will be called Interleave Symphony. It is wider and taller than any previous pieces I have made and I thought I would have to give up when the first few rows were so difficult to handle under the machine head. After several rows it became more manageable. I think I am going to like it. Elizabeth approves after close inspection.

Leftover Triangles

Wild Rose Ghost Quilting

Layout for new Interleave

Elizabeth giving her approval

      The dog puzzle is still under construction, and I often find Elizabeth sitting or sleeping on it, waiting for me to come and work. Three friends came one afternoon to help, and she enjoyed the added attention so much that she finally just insisted on laying down on it to be admired. I would try to pick her up, but her swishing tail could fling pieces everywhere. We gave up and left her, so she quickly became tired of this game. Rahrah sometimes comes to check it out. She can fit into the box quite easily.

Elizabeth breaking up the puzzle party

Rahrah fits easily into the puzzle box

Summer Veggies and Caterpillars

The Farmers' Curb Market had these beautiful long eggplants that I love. I also bought pink-eye purple hull peas and okra and some little miniature eggplants. Buying the peas caused me to make a recipe of my family's beloved Hot Tomato Relish before I could cook the peas.

Pink-eye purple hull peas, okra, eggplant, miniature eggplant 

   I made a little progress on this black and white wall quilt, but it will take one more day (with Elizabeth asleep in another room!) to finish it.

In progress

   After my disappointment over having no black swallowtail butterflies lay eggs on my HUGE parsley plant this spring/summer, I kidnapped (rescued) four fat caterpillars from Ellen Hall's parsley when she said she had two plants being devoured by a bunch of them. I put them in a large jar with some parsley bought from Winn-Dixie, and after four days I had two chrysalises. The other two did not live. Felder Rushing, our state gardening expert, mentioned that the Eastern Black Swallowtail is Mississippi's state butterfly. This made me even happier to think I saved a couple from the birds. The butterflies should wake and shed their chrysalises in 10-20 days; then live another 6-14 days, hopefully laying eggs on MY parsley! This article and pictures confirmed my identification. I got another caterpillar from Ellen, with less yellow-green and more black, so it might not be a swallowtail. She's munching away on her very own parsley plant, so I'm eager to see what she turns out to be. (Be sure to enlarge pictures to see these better.)

https://www.butterfliesathome.com/black-swallowtail-butterfly.htm

Four hungry caterpillars

See the chrysalis on the right, hanging by silk thread

A different caterpillar?

    Progress is very slow on the dog puzzle. Elizabeth says this box is too small but will do for now.