Who is Carolyn Konig?
I came from a creative family. My father Stuart and my mother Betty always ‘made do’ with what we had or we would simply make it ourselves. From a very young age, I have always dabbled in some sort of sewing or craft, secretly pilfering my mother’s most prized materials from her to turn them into special outfits for my doll “Jenny”.
I began sewing by correspondence in Primary School and continued into Secondary School where I boarded away from home. After leaving school I worked to help support myself, number one to live, but more importantly to me, to support my dress making, home interior, and craft desires.
I live on a small parcel of land outside, Wodonga in Victoria, Australia with my husband Wolfgang and my two treasures, our dogs Abby and Tilley and a few crazy chooks. I am the proud mother of two beautiful daughters, and gran to three grandchildren.
Over the years I have learnt so much about patchwork by attending classes and visiting exhibitions and museums around the world to study and admire many antique quilts.
I just love patchwork and antique reproduction is my passion. You could say I am a little obsessed. I eat, sleep and breathe patchwork and quilting. I gives me a sense of calmness and tranquillity - though if I am on a tight deadline, the girls in the shop would tell you otherwise.
I love to sew early in the day, and a lot goes on while the rest of the household are still sleeping. It is my time.
These days I tend to hand piece most of my quilts but they may also include some applique or Broderie perse. Hand piecing is so portable. I always carry some stitching with my wherever I go. Why sit around waiting when I can use that valuable time to stitch as well?
I really enjoy re-creating old quilts and adding my own special touches to them. The more fabric I use in a quilt, the better. I called my quilts ‘scrappy controlled’. I can spend hours searching for just the right fabric, in the right shades with just the right amount of movement.
I have many favourite quilts and as new ideas and inspirations take me onto a new project, some works in process are tenderly put aside with plans to finish them at a later date.
My hobby has now become my business, set up at home in 1995 and has turned into an extension of me in the form of a wonderfully inspiring and fabric filled store. We have a lovely, large bright classroom space where a lot of laughter, and much sewing takes place.
I am fortunate to have been given many wonderful opportunities to travel overseas and around Australia to teach. I have won numerous awards for my quilts at different shows across Australia. Some of my quilts have also been shown in France and Houston, USA to coincide with the launch of my book from Quiltmania called “Creating Heirlooms, One Stitch at a Time”.
I have recently had the honour of a solo quilt exhibition at the Rocky Mountains Quilt Museum, as well as my first teaching tour of the USA. In 2016 my first fabric collection was released by Penny Rose Fabrics call Houghton Hall.
