Inspiring Improv

I'd been following Nicholas/@quiltsfromtheattic over on Instagram for a while and admiring his work long before I heard he had a book coming out. A lover of improvisational quilting, like myself, I was pleased when I was able to pick up a preview copy of his Inspiring Improv at QuiltCon. I was immediately a fan.

"Warholian Cabbage" - Photos of book projects courtesy of @luckyspool.

One of the great things about Nicholas’ book is that it’s technique-based, with each being so well-explained, with plenty of diagrams. The focus is on six techniques - curves, inserts, rings, slabs, stacks, and triangles - all key skills to have in your improv toolkit.

Topography

So you can explore from there on your own, or choose one of 12 quilt projects as an opportunity for guided improv. Nicholas’ designs highlight how the various techniques can be combined, which is cool. All very good stuff!

Foliage

So obviously, when Nicholas asked if I’d like to join his Inspiring Improv Instagram Tour, I was more than pleased and said YES immediately.

The technique I chose to dabble with for the tour was Slabs, which are so great and highly versatile. They are so conducive to scraps, and as Nicholas says, “the possibilities are endless.” Though Nicholas uses the slab technique in several of the quilts in his book [such as the three quilts shown above], I also enjoy using it more randomly… basically creating with very little forethought, making slabs and putting several together just to see what evolves as I go.

For my current project, I chose to use scraps in blue, gray, tan, & gray, including some low-volume prints and a mix of substrates. Minimalism isn’t my first inclination when building a design like this, but it’s always a lot of fun. “There are no hard and fast rules, so expect some trial and error.” Those are Nicholas’ words, but I echo them whole-heartedly.

So whether you’re new at improv, or it’s your primary sewing language, you’ll find inspiration in Inspiring Improv. From planning to piecing to puzzling it all together, Nicholas’ book really is a comprehensive primer on creating improvisationally.

Throughout the tour, you'll get a really good glimpse of the techniques, so I'm just going to list the round-up of makers here so we can all find them easily over the next two weeks. Meanwhile, I'll be working on finishing up my work-in-progress!

July 15 ~ Mathew Boudreaux/@misterdomestic

July 16 ~ Debbie Jeske/@aquilterstable

July 17 ~ Jo Avery/@mybearpaw

July 18 ~ Karen Lewis/@karenlewistextiles

July 19 ~ Kate Basti/@katebasti

July 20 ~ Latifah Saafir/@latifahsaafirstudios

July 21 ~ Chris English/@afullenglish

July 22 ~ Anne Marshall/@madewithmadness

July 23 ~ Rebecca Bryan/@bryanhousequilts

July 24 ~ Katy Jones/@imagingermonkey

July 25 ~ Nydia Kehnle/@nydiak

July 26 ~ Nicole Daksiewicz/@modernhandcraft

July 27 ~ Lucy Brennan/@charmaboutyou

July 28 ~ Sarah Thomas/@sariditty

Arbitrary Blocks

There've been some miscellaneous blocks stitched up over the last couple of weeks, and I'm going to start with one that I'm sharing only to keep it real. In no way do I fault the pattern for this Sunlight Star, June's block in the Lucky Star BOM. But the teensy-weensy bits in this 6 1/2" block just plain did me in. Let's just leave it at that.

On the other hand, the slab blocks made to benefit "Just One Slab Quilts Recover Southern Alberta" went together flawlessly. Actually, I made two (the pink and aqua), and my local quilting buddy, Sharon/SharonBinWA, made a couple also (the navy and orange).

Lastly was a block for the SMQG Clothworks Organic Solids Modern Block Challenge. We were each given a stack of delightful solids, courtesy of Clothworks.

I opted for some crazy piecing, inspired by Quilting Modern. The technique in the book worked like a charm for me, and before I knew it, I had quite a modern little blob.

And here's what I ended up with! The block measures 8 1/2".

At our guild meeting last night, we turned our blocks in by placing them together on a large flannel board. Soooo inspiring! We kind of over-filled the board, and I only have a phone photo to show, but I still think it's worth sharing! (See my little block in the botton-right corner.)

So very inspiring! These blocks will be made into a charity quilt (or two), so I'll be sure and share when it/they are done!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.