Vintage blocks are fun

My vintage block quilt is growing...

9 circle blocks done and another couple to make I think

3 square blocks done and three, perhaps five more to do

45 propeller blocks done and at least nine more to make!

Thinking of starting with the square blocks as I have a few I fancy making.

This one might be the first...

I think the description sums it up!

Life can be hard!

I have been accused of producing lots of quilts quickly however my guilty secret is that I'm a serial starter - heavens I think I started about ten new quilts last year while professing to being committed to finish my UFOs from years past.  

I am still itching to start new things but this year I am trying to keep myself under control - it is tough though.  But I do have help and here too!

Well with no good reason to start something new I have to be a bit crafty, a bit sneaky and am learning to be a maths genius too!  You see I have learnt that two sometimes will go into one (talking whole numbers here) !

I have these propeller blocks on my UFO list 

and my original intention was for a quilt full I think, but I got a bit creative, picked some blocks from some treasured out of print patchwork books and started producing something to go in between those propeller blocks - see sneaky huh?!   

Just couldn't face the idea of making lots of the same block over and over - the result of finishing off that schoolhouse quilttop!

I started making square blocks - love them - Turkey Tracks, Follow the Leader and Nosegay.   You can find instructions for Follow the Leader in Lynne and Kerry's book 500 quilt blocks (a 10" block)  or at 12" like mine in Charise's Vintage block quilt along though it is called Crazy Anne in her instructions.

Then was sorely tempted by a round block - Cottage Tulips

Then another - Cogwheel

Then another  - Cassiopia

And so on!   Unknown!??

Strawberry

Rising Sun

And most recently Rebecca's Rose

All the circles...

Now I have this many and I wonder if I have not been so sneaky after all? 

Not sure now if this is one quilt still....or two!  Ah well perhaps I'm not the maths genius I thought I was.....still I'm having fun with my new UFO quilt(s)!

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!