What's A Conch?

I have received several e-mails asking me "What is a conch?"

Here in Key West, there are several meanings, all related to the conch shell.

People who are born in Key West have the esteemed title of Conchs. To differentiate between them and the newcomers, the natives are considered Salt Water Conchs and you become a Fresh Water Conch after living here for 7 years. It's a badge of honor.

There is a "Conch Republic" flag:

If you want to read about how Key West "seceded" from the US in 1982,

you can read about it here.

The conch shell is also the "mascot" of the high school. Their teams are called the "Fighting Conchs" and the girl's drill team members are called the "Conchettes".  There is a huge conch shell in the high school's parking lot.

There is a style of house down here and they are called conch houses.  Typically they are made of wood, built on pilings and have a front porch. Often they are painted the prettiest pastel colors.

They have given me lots of inspiration.

 And one last tidbit of information.  People each conch - the inside of the sea creatures, that is.

There is cracked conch and fried conch and conch fritters and conch chowder.

I wouldn't know what they taste like, but my younger son is a fan!

Key West Houses

I have Key West fever. I decided that I had to make some of the typical conch houses that are all over the island, out of fabric. I went to The Seam Shoppe, which is the local quilt shop. It's actually the only quilt shop for 150 miles. I bought a charm pack and a few quarter yards and some sky fabric. I also had some fabric that was usable from another project.

This is a photo that I took of one of the house styles that you see everywhere. The hard part is getting a clear picture without cars or foliage blocking the view. The roof is metal.

This is my rendition:

It's small, about 4"x6".

Here's another house style,

and another.I made 15 of these little pieces. I couldn't stop. I turned 8 of them into a fiber book. The cover I made separately. I did the printing using WordArt with the computer. Timtex was used as a stabilizer to make the book rigid. It's constructed accordion style so that it can be displayed on a table or shelf. I plan on doing some beading along the top edge.

I am making the rest of the houses into postcards. I have also gotten carried away and started making postcards out of the fusible scraps. Stay tuned.