Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters

Last January, I was lucky enough to be asked to try out

a score for Sherri Lynn Wood's new book,

Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.

I had been reading her blog for a while,

and threw my hat in the ring when she asked if people 

wanted to try out her scores for her book.

When I got the email that said I had been chosen to be a tester, 

I was excited,

and I must admit a bit intimidated.

I am very familiar with improv quilting, 

but this challenge took it to a new level.

The challenge of my score was to to fit together 

blocks and sashing to create a rhythmic grid.

My first task was to pick out some fabrics.

Then I started to cut everything up.

No rulers!

With the directions given,

I started playing around with my pieces.

This was a great process for me.

I'm not great at reading directions and figuring it out,

so I had no idea if I was "doing it right."

Which of course is silly, because improv quilting

is all about just "doing it."

Good lesson there, for just about everything in life.

I was surprised when I began my quilt that 

I really didn't like what was going on.

I couldn't see how it would work, but I pressed on and let go. 

As I laid it out and put my rows together, I started to really like it.

I could see my rows coming together in a way 

I had not anticipated.

I learned that even if you aren't thrilled with 

what you see before you, keep going.  

Try different things and put together enough 

to really get a feel for where you are going.  

You can always change it, but don't make any snap decisions 

on what you have, let it brew awhile.

So I kept cutting.

I loved not using a ruler.  I have done this before to some degree, but not for a whole quilt top.  

It was very freeing to just hack away at the fabric.  

And I realized that I could cut a pretty straight line 

without a ruler if I wanted to.

More rows.

I fiddled with the placement of things,

looking for a certain flow.

This kind of design work is

 out of my comfort zone,

but it felt great to jump in and go with it.

I struggled with the spacing between my blocks.

I know it was to be improv, 

and maybe I just needed to let go more,

lose control.

Can you see the flow here?

I added a top & bottom row in contrasting fabrics,

but trying to continue the flow I had established in the center.

I used all the little scraps to make a pieced back.

I really love this too. 

I decided to do straight line quilting on an angle,

about a half inch apart. 

Here is a closer look at the quilting.

I decided not to square up the quilt.

My sides were jagged and I loved the look of that.

Those jagged edges gave me the biggest surprise of this challenge.

Not everything needs to be perfect and square!

I LOVE those edges.

Binding it wasn't so easy, but I honored the challenge

of figuring out all those corners and indents.

This is the pic I submitted to Sherri 

for consideration to be in her book.

These colors are more representative of the actual quilt.

I'm not sure how well I adapted the score.

I'm horrible at reading directions and visualizing what it "should" be.

I just jumped in and let it take me away.  

I feel like anything I create is my version of something else,

so honestly this was perfect for me to own it.

And the finished back. 

I do love that back.

I loved the whole idea of just freely cutting and sewing 

and seeing what happens.  

I think my next improv quilt will be a little bit looser,

 with no grid to the blocks and see what happens.

Sherri had so many people testing her scores,

and in the end she could only pick a few quilts

to add to her book.  

Mine wasn't chosen, but I really loved being involved with her project.

It pushed me out and made me look at things differently.

I cut fabric without a ruler.

I sewed things that weren't perfectly straight.

I made a quilt that "wasn't me," but clearly is me!

Thanks Sherri for the gift of improv exploration.

You can order your copy of 

Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters

Here.

My Protege . . . .

Last fall I got myself a Protege.

She wanted to learn how to make a quilt, 

and I was happy to oblige! 

We started with some 5" blocks I already had cut up.

We talked about colors and value.

Design and balance.

She caught on very quickly!

Her favorite subject is math, although she LOVES to read as well.

Math!  Yeah, quilting is tons of math and geometry!

So we met on Sundays for a couple of hours most weeks.

She learned the importance of a 1/4" seam

and how it makes your design line up correctly.

There were only a couple of jack the ripper moments.

(I bought her her own seam ripper, every girl needs one!)

After a few weeks the borders went on and Tada!

A quilt top was born.

Next up basting on the floor.

I let her do this, her back is much younger than mine!

She stitched in the ditch . . . 

And stitched in the ditch some more . . 

Then onto marking the borders with tailors chalk

for some straight line quilting.

One afternoon we had some time to kill between steps,

and I decided it would be fun to fool around with my chevron quilt.

My Protege helped me figure out a much design.

A better shot of the finished top.

She is awesome!  My protege, I mean!  ;)

We practiced sewing on binding on a small block.

Practiced those corners.

Then she was ready to sew her binding on!

I swear she picked this binding herself! 

(Haha, maybe she saw one of my other quilts.)

Binding sewn on,

now to hand sew on the back.

This was a longer process than I thought it would be.

But she stuck in there!

Even had Mocha sitting on her lap one day.

Mocha looks pretty comfy huh?

And now today . . . 

FINI!

A finished quilt. 

Quite an accomplishment.

I'm so proud of my protege.

She is smart, fun, determined and delightful.

Now I think we will take a turn at making some bags.

Hehe . . . . 

Thanks My Protege for all the fun!