Friday 24 January 2014

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!


33 comments:

  1. What fun to meet fellow bloggers...and your quilt is fantastic!!

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  2. Great way to use up all those solids! Love the mix of background fabric :D

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  3. Perfect for retreat number 2 *gg* This one looks so much fun and I love it! I so loved to watch the progress! Finish it and enjoy cuddling under

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  4. Wow - do you ever make small quilts!!??? How do you do it - you seem to make a full size quilt every three days!!!

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    1. That's coz she's got a shockingly high amount of WIPS. Look for severe over-achieving this year from Nicky :-)

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  5. Well done! Absolutely fantastic!

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  6. ach what's a bit of layering, basting, quilting and binding between friends? you've done an awesome job!

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  7. What a fabulous top! Way to go on finishing it up.

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  8. It looks fantastic - an amazing finish!

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  9. Well sometimes you just gotta go with more is more! I love it!

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  10. Wow Nicky!
    Your quilt is stunning!

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  11. Really great schoolhouse quilt! LOVE it!

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  12. Truely wonderful Nicky! So nice to see two of my favourite quilters together x

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  13. And truly looks great! Though that little naughty in me would love just one of those schoolhouses to be the wrong way round...

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  14. Great story - and the end result is pretty fab too.

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  15. I think it's fabulous - all those gorgeous colours mixed up together and I love the backgrounds you've chosen. Stupendous!

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  16. Magnificent!!!
    I love your latest (almost) finish..
    the colours are showcased so beautifully.
    Well done

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  17. What a great quilt. It's lovely Nicky.

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  18. It is absolutely fabulous Nicky. I love it!

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  19. Love it Nicki. Love the story, love the photos, love the progression, love the colours, love the quilt. Love the fact that it still has another story to tell. Well done that lady! I used to be a proper prints person, till I discovered solids and now I see blocks in prints and think "hmm, how would it look in a solid?".

    Have a great Saturday.

    Sue

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  20. I know that I have been ribbing you on IG but I do admire you finishing this project. Di x

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  21. Fabulous! I think, if you have a house available, I will move right in!

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  22. Gone from a little village to a big city.. Love that there are different background colours.. Good luck quilting!

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  23. BRILLIANT! What a super story to go with a gorgeous quilt top. Nicky, it's just beautiful. Well done.

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