Kona Challenge Improv Quilt, Corner Hanging Pockets

Earlier this year, the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild accepted the Kona Charm Pack Challenge. Each participant received one charm pack. The challenge was to make anything we wanted using as much of the charm pack as we wanted, and adding only solids (no patterns/prints).

I decided to play with some improv piecing for my challenge. This quilt was built by sewing together charm squares and white background fabric at angled increments. Then, the column was straightened up, sliced at an angle, and sewn back together with white in the cut. And on from there. In some columns, I sewed white into multiple cuts.

front

Once the columns were sewn together, I sliced and sewed back together more and more times. Each time, the scrappy effect grows.

from the back

back detail

I quilted this on a longarm with a tight loopy meander. I wanted a lot of quilting on this to make sure all of the seam allowances were sewn down really well.

on the long arm

I added hanging corners to the back. See below for adding these corners.

All done!

Did you participate in a challenge like this in your own guild? What did you make? I'd love to know!

Happy stitching!

Kelly

Adding hanging pockets are sooper easy. Cut two squares from scraps, each about 5"x5". Press each square on the diagonal, wrong sides together. Before you bind the quilt,  place a square in each top back corner, aligning top and side raw edges with the raw edges of the folded triangle. Baste the triangles in place, using 1/8" seam allowance. Then, bind your quilt as normal. The binding holds the corners in place, and you shouldn't need to remove the basting. Just slide a dowel rod slightly shorter than the width of your quilt into the pockets, and hang.