Tag Archives: Kona Breakers

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For March, Emily asked us to make improv Sawtooth Stars and to set them within our choice of improv pieces to make blocks approximately 8" x 16". And she asked us to use some pink.

The first thing I did was to sew an improv Sawtooth Star (my favorite traditional block). I couldn't decide on just one pink, so I chose a variety of pinks for the star with a pop of yellow, all set in a turquoise background.

Then I got to work on some improv piecing. I started with this row of pink squares. This is the playful stage of improv where I have no preconceived plans and I'm just putting parts together.

I decided to angle my irregular sawtooth star in my larger block and added sections to each side of it. Then I used my strip of improv squares to add to the top and bottom. I continued to build out from there until I got up to approximately 8" x 16". I'm excited to get this block in the mail to Emily.

P.S. Quilts Unscripted Bee now has an Instagram account. Please follow if you'd like to see what everyone is making for the bee.

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Today was the first day of the last 100 days of 2021. Time sure flies. I've mentioned in recent blog posts that I did #99DaysofWIPs this summer, from Memorial Day to Labor day, focusing on WIPs that were started in classes. I finished three small bags, two pillow covers, and five quilts in that time. Plus progress on a handful of other projects.

Today I started #WIPsBeGone2021 with Leanne of Devoted Quilter. We're spending the last 100 days of 2021 working on WIPs (works in progress). This time I'm not limiting myself to class WIPs. And I'm aiming for larger finishes. First up is my 60" x 60" Tic Tac Toe Quilt (free block tutorial by Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts). I have 25 blocks made for me by my old quilt bee, The Solid Seven. In August 2020 I asked them to make blocks in their choice of these Kona colors:

  • Breakers
  • Limelight
  • Lapis
  • Cabbage
  • Spruce
  • Pool
  • Blueberry
  • Cactus
  • Steel
  • Leaf
  • Spring
  • Cypress
  • Celestial
  • Nightfall

Today I took the pile out, put them up on the design wall without overthinking their placement, and started sewing them together. The first two rows of 10 blocks are all together now.

I absolutely love the interaction of the color combinations. My plan is to focus on this project until completion before I dig out my next WIP. I'm also working on a couple other things at the moment. :-)

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Ya know how I said I was going to start early in the week for this week's challenge? Nope. Here's my Saturday quilt, finished in the wee early hours of Sunday morning.

I taught the first half of my All About Angles workshop on Tuesday. I can't teach a workshop without being inspired by my students to create another version on one of my techniques. I don't always have time to carry that out, but this week's Project QUILTING challenge was the perfect opportunity. This week's theme is Virtual Vacation. We were asked to make a project that was somehow inspired by vacation.

On my very first weekend away with my husband we went to Monterey for the weekend to celebrate my 30th birthday (thirteen years ago!). We stayed in a lovely B&B, visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and walked around Pacific Grove. This included a stop at Back Porch Fabrics where I purchased this fat quarter of fish fabric. I intended to make a mini quilt as a memento of the weekend. This challenge was the perfect opportunity to finally use the fabric, but I opted for a table runner. I cut the fat quarter in half. This determined the width of the runner. Then I pieced eight All About Angles units (one didn't make the cut) in coordinating Kona solids. They weren't all labeled, but this included Kona Papaya, Parrot, and Breakers.

The quilt is bound with a pillowcase finish and free motion quilted in 50wt Aurifil Jade (#4093). I echoed the piecing in the All About Angles panels and quilted seaweed among the fish. The runner finished at approximately 10" x 56", the perfect size for my kitchen island.

For those of you who have seen my PQ 12.1 and PQ 12.2 projects you may remember that I was using a modern traditional design for each challenge. I had to make the choice to skip modern traditional this time, because I couldn't get excited about a way to feature the large print fish and maintain a modern traditional design in a 16" mini. I hope to be back to modern traditional designs for the last three challenges this season.

Thanks for visiting! Be sure to hop over and see the many vacation quilts linked up on Kim's blog for the Virtual Vacation challenge.