Konaville!

This is the story of a quilt are you sitting comfortably?   Then I'll begin.  

There was/is actually a solids online shop in the UK and I started buying some fabrics there as I didn't have much in the way of solids being a proper print sort of a person.

The shop was run by Mandy!  I even went to my first big quilt show in 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham and told Mandy I would be going. 

 I was also making my first real life encounter with a blogging friend and that marvellous person was Susan!  Have to say we didn't stop talking all day!

We found Mandy (and hubby)

 and I bought some more gorgeous colours with the intention of making a colour chart as I didn't think those commercial ones were much good as the samples are so small (have to admit to buying one since though).  I even tested poor Mandy on her knowledge of her fabrics.

I made a few schoolhouse blocks with bright colours and thought schoolhouse blocks should have something relating to education somewhere.  Hence the text print in the background.  I only made a few blocks....

.....turns out I thought the dark background didn't show my solids off as well as they should.  Result project parked for a while....


Then the online shop was sold onto someone else - a friend of Mandy's - enter Justine!   She temptingly started a solids fabric club and I joined in, thinking this would help my colour chart (which I still hadn't picked up again but that little detail didn't stop me)

The fabric arrived and piled high - six lovely solids in one of the major colour groups every month for a year, and they piled higher and higher!

Now this project has been on my UFO lists (I have several - I have needed that much encouragement)  until this month when challenged by May who runs the Lazy Bums group to pick up a project with lots of blocks in it and a date was set for a marathon stitch along or global retreat as it was called - different places, different time zones, different projects, different people!  I managed to double my tally of blocks from 18 to 36!   

By now my blood was up, my skills were up (I had to relearn how to make those blocks - much unpicking accompanied those first few blocks) and I was raring to go!


So this project grew

And grew

And grew!

And grew!

Welcome to Konaville!

And finally at 81 blocks I think this project is finished - all bar the layering, basting, quilting and binding.   






But that my friends is another story!

FAL la la la la!

Not singing a Christmas carol but looking forward to a frenzy of finishing! (You will see I need one)

I didn't get around to doing an end of quarter 4 Finish Along 2013 post as I only actually finished a couple of cushions - none of the quilts on my long list!

The good thing about the Finishalong is there is no punishment for FAILURE!   Just as well as last year was more productive in the starting projects phase rather than the finishing one!

Oh well there is always 2014!   


I have a growing pile of quilt tops to quilt so these are my target for this year and here they are 

I finished a fair few of these tops in Q4 last year!




And then there are those UFOs I thought I'd finish - ah well I may do this year



The Wonky House Quilt - so nearly finished

Konaville  -  made recent progress on this one during the Lazy Bum Retreat - so lazy we stayed at home and stitched while chatting online - but I doubled the amount of blocks - from 18 to 36!   And I've added a few more...my new target is 81 blocks in total!  Am I mad??  

No I just want to use up some of the lovely solids I got from Justine in the Simply Solids Fabric Stash club last year.

Sewing words hanging - one word block to make and wanting to add some blocks with scissors, sewing machine, needle and thread on them - inspired by the Sew Out Loud Quilter's wordplay 

  Rose Star Quilt - 10 made - one totally gorgeous one from Lucy

 Bookshelf hanging - 14 gorgeous blocks on my bookshelf!  Trying to imagine how fab this will look when finished!   

Thinking of a totally different layout now....

 Started in March 2013 - some propeller blocks which may be a border in medallion style quilt - not quite decided yet!

 Started in March 2013 - Tulip Dance

Think this one is an original block of my own twisted invention - it combines butterflies at the crossing subunits with a hexagon pinwheel...

It has grown a bit

Started in March 2013 -   Another charm quilt in the making - arrows! Undecided whether to make a go of this one or not!??

 Arrowhead stars -  a bee project from last year

Big Hexy Balls  - using Kona Pastel and Bright hexies and hand screen-printed fabrics from Karen Lewis @ Blueberry Park!

Since this photo I've added more of that background blue on either side - I just need to trim one side as I want that strip off centre!

Edited to add one more project:   How could I forget...?

Well I thought I'd just put them all on my FAL list and see which takes my fancy!  I am not numbering them and I don't want you to tell me how many there are ....

....it might make me think I haven't got enough!  Hahaa!



Linking up with the lovely Katy from Littlest Thistle the dominatrix of our FAL for 2014! 

Millefiori!

Millefiori is the name I've chosen for the latest quilt top I've finished!

It reminds me of all those Italian glass paperweights made from rods of   colourful glass!

This one sold for £1,813 at Christie's in London in 2010!  Eek!  

Millefiori means thousand flowers and I may not have a thousand flowers but there are lots of bright florals in there, and some glorious oakshott solid to add a little sparkle.   I even have lots of stars as seen in these paperweights..

It all started with Lynne's Hexalong in 2011 but after making these few blocks 

I got distracted and finished two other hexy quilts I had started!  I did finish those though!

In a last minute effort to get my UFOs up to a completed top stage I restarted on this one - ditching two of the above blocks and remaking one - and adding a lot more!

It kept me sane while we had a power cut all through Christmas - from early on Christmas Eve right through till Sunday evening!  

The top half I've shown already - this was the layout for the bottom half!

And now this is whole quilt...

Have to say that from such unpromising beginnings I am really pleased now with the result!  I love it!

So my thanks to Lynne, Helen and Alison and the rest of you cheerleaders helping me get it thus far - it really does make a difference!

Siblings together bee block for January

In between hexing around on my #hexalong quilt I have finished my  bee block for the siblings together bee.   We are banding together to make quilts for children in care who are separated from their siblings and only reunited at holiday camps. 

This month's queen bee is jenny and she has chosen the broken wheel block and bluebird park fabric from #moda.

And here it is

Hoping to take a few photos tomorrow of my finished #hexalong quilt....just so you know I'm still working on it!

Intervention required!

I am happily hexing along, only a year or so late to finish with Lynne and lots of others in her #hex along.  Never mind better late than never and I'm enjoying it so much that it is the right time for me!

Not sure how big this quilt will end up as it is already about 60"x90" - could be a really big one then!   Already thinking how fun it will be to quilt so maybe I'll stop sometime but not yet....

Here are the latest batches of hexies...

More stars....

For balance I thought something different from stars was due ....and I used up more of that #kaffefasset flower fabric I bought for this project - works great as a focus fabric!

It even has some brown in it!   But I don't mind!

And just to show you how big it is growing...

If it gets bigger I will need to take my photo from outside through the window!   Well maybe not but thinking of sticking the rest on my other design wall - a quilt in two parts??  To be married before or after quilting...?

Hexies continues

Today I managed to get more hexies done.  Well it seems I am really obsessed with making them now.   Still not sure how many I'll be doing but as long as I still have more ideas I am happy for my quilt to grow....

And here are my new ones - a variation on the whirling stars....

Really pleased with them and may even make a few more unless I get distracted making others or something else.  After all I have quite a few choices!