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.