Tag Archives: Kona Cotton

Sunday Stash: A Class and New Releases

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Carolyn Friedlander was in North Carolina for the weekend teaching classes. On Saturday she was scheduled to teach “Olive” at Studio Stitch in Greensboro (about 90 minutes away). At the very last-minute on Friday night, I checked with a friend to see if there were any spots left. Lucky for me there was!!

So, yesterday, I made up 3 of the 4 tree blocks in class, using Hawthorne Hues and Cotton and Steel Basics. I love the blues and the corals/oranges. One more block to go in Navy and Red. I am thinking of using Mustard, Bone and a Grey for borders.

CarolynFriedlander_Olive

I had some happy mail this week. The first package is yardage of some of the new Kona solids and a new color card. I ordered from Fat Quarter Shop who has great service. Did you know that you can just add a note, at point of sale, to label your Kona cottons!!! I love it and will now always ask.

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Just a FYI, the color card was not a single card. You get the old one with an insert sheet of the new 32 colors. I thought the description was a little misleading but the FQS do mention at the end “insert”, so I thought I would mention it here – just a heads up. Description: “The Kona Cotton Solids Color Card features 303 cotton swatches. Swatches are approximately 1″. This color card already includes the 32 new Kona colors insert.”

Lastly, but definitely not least, I bought some of the grey, white and black prints from Frances Newcombe’s Cherie from Hawthorne threads. I love it!!

Cherie_FancisNewcombe

I will have an update next weekend on my big tidy up….I spent all day today going through my recent purchases (probably the last 6 months), putting the yardage around the comic book boards that I use adding what I can back into my sewing room.  [OH, YES….I have an overflow room at the moment].

Linking up with Molli Sparkles for Sunday Stash (see button on the right).

Circles, Stripes and Solids

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I have been working on a new design which I shared on instagram at the beginning of May. The design consists of circles that are segmented in various thirds. I was not sure on whether this would land up being a fabric design (my first one…come back on Sunday for a peak) or a quilt design.

OriginalDesign

Then it struck me. If I made it a quilt design, I can use the reverse appliqué method that Carolyn Friedlander had shown me in one of her classes. Brilliant!! I have never tried reverse appliqué. Exciting!!

I was pulling fabric and deciding on colors, when another idea pop into my head. I knew that a  Robert Kaufman’s new Kona solids would be perfect for the stripes (most of these came from the Summer Kona Skinny Strips pre-cut I had which meant no cutting). They matched perfectly with a pull of Carolyn Friedlander prints from Architexture and Botanics.

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I started sewing up the circles last night (approx. 8.5 ” diameter). I stopped at two circles and went to bed…..but…..after twenty minutes, I could not stop thinking about them. Don’t you hate that :-). I got up and finished all six circles.Circles_Complete

They were super quick to make up, in total for all 6 circles, maybe 90 minutes. Today, I am deciding what the background fabric will be for the circles. At least for now, I am going with a mix of 4 grey prints / Kona solids.
PossibleBackgrounds

That’s what I am working on this week (and yes I am procrastinating the quilting of the butterfly quilt). Linking up with Lee over @ Freshly Pieced for WiP Wednesday (see button on the right).

Carolyn Friedlander’s “The Grove” class + Winner of Book Review giveaway

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This weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Carolyn Friedlander’s The Grove class. It is a paper piecing pattern, which was so totally unexpected. The class was well constructed, and the pattern was wonderful to work with. I managed to finish two blocks of the 12 block quilt. I still have a lot of work to do…yes, it means I have another WiP :-).

TheGrove_Collage_blocks

I am using various Kona cotton neutrals for the backing and Collage by Carrie Bloomston for the trees. I am so happy I broke out my Collage fat quarter bundle.

Meeting Carolyn was definitely the highlight of the day. She was so lovely and was open to questions around various topics from appliqué techniques, quilt market, and designs/patterns. She bought along her trunk show and we got to see her pillows and quilts she had made from Kona cottons and her new Botanics line.

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Two things I am now looking forward to since, I took this class:

  1. Buying Carolyn’s new line – it is amazing. You should see Carolyn’s amazing quilts she has made with her new line. LOVE!! I may have to buy 1/2 to 1 yard of the whole line.
  2. Taking Carolyn’s class at Sew Down Nashville next year (yes, I am registered!!!)

I loved the block so much, it made me change the blocks I was sending Cath @ Wombat quilts for her October Scrap-bee-licious blocks (requirement a paper pieced block of low-volume fabrics). I added this low-volume grove block into the mix. The text-based print is part of “Road 15” Fabric line and the grey stripes is from “Just for Fun – Creative Thursday”

Grove_LowVolume_Block

I am linking up with Lee over @ Freshly pieced for WiP Wednesday.

Last part of today’s post….the announcement of the winner of Elizabeth Hartman’s “The Practical Guide of Patchwork”  (last week’s book for Book Review Tuesday) is:

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which is Gill Watson (buntyw). I am sending you an email to get your mailing details. Congratulations!!!