Lineplay

So when I left off sharing about the progress on my current Quilt Improv Studio challenge project, I had four triangle-ish segments of improv lines, and honestly, I could have just left it as it was. I liked the imbalance and the tiniest bit of yellow in my primary + black & white palette. But I had other plans, and I felt compelled to see them though.

I had ordered some 28wt yellow thread [Aurifil #2120 Canary] and set out to create two "ghost-blocks," if you will.... segments that echoed the feel of the improv lines in the red and blue slabs, but in thread rather than fabric. Honestly, I love how it turned out!

Then, of course, I needed to quilt the rest of the design. I chose Aurifil 50wt in black [#2692] and in the red and blue sections, stitched from the edge up into the black lines and back out. In the yellow sections, I again echoed those lines but just until they met. (Sorry, forgot to take a photo.)

Once the planned quilting was complete, there was just a slight problem, and that was that just a few of the blue 'lines' bubbled up in the center more than I would have liked. So with happily matching thread, I quilted just a few of the red and blue lines in each section. Minor, but it helped the problem, and added a little extra interest.

At just over 24" square, "Lineplay" barely fits the minimum dimensions for the challenge, but it works! I'm happy that though it started with a couple of purely improvisational striped slabs, I find the resulting shapes very intriguing. And the ghost 'blocks' were fun to execute - one of the few times I've used 28wt thread. I definitely want to use it more. And last but not least, this piece was constructed mostly of scraps, which made me verrry happy.

Working Small

For some time I've been of the mind that 'making a quilt' doesn't necessarily mean it has to be big. My friend Jill/@pieladyquilts said basically the same thing in her talk last weekend, and I appreciated her unknowing affirmation. Then Paola/@thecultofquilt shared a post with her latest 'experiment' and expressing the same sentiment. Alot of us have grabbed on to the respite that working small provides. 

I think of Gwen Marston often when I get a twinge of guilt over working small. But I figure if small "sketches" were ok for Gwen, they must be for the rest of us, right? Fact is, I find that working small is a great motivator. I can try a new idea, a new technique, just take a breather - whatever, making small takes alot of the pressure off at least for me.

With Crosscut (24" x 24"), I tried a method of piecing blocks together just to cut them into blocks to piece them together again. At the time, it felt excessive, but it led not only to a well-loved tutorial, but a sewalong and an avenue for folks to dabble with improv, even now.

StringSong (24" x 24") was another exploration into 'create it to cut it up,' which over the years has become a favorite 'technique' for me when I just want to play.

Playing with scale was one of the impetuses behind Nine of Ten (14 1/2" x 20 1/2"), something I don't consider often enough, but need to.

Relatively Subtle (17" x 17") was a palate cleanser, clear and simple, and though I created in fabric a doodle from my sketch book, it was in the quilting that I really got in the groove.

With So Wrong It's Gotta Be Right (17" x 17"), it was in response to a given challenge on the use of 'one wrong color,' and though I remember my viewers didn't think anything was wrong at all, it still was definitely exploring a concept, and the small size was all that was needed.

Scrap Leather (17" x 17") was a foray into minimalism in piecing and maximalism in quilting and it remains a favorite to this day.

Finally, Loosely Connected (11" x 11") was totally one of those where I didn't know where I was going at the outset, but just started cutting and sewing. It evolved, let's say, even into the quilting and the micro-binding. This one still screams of the best kind of creating for me, and hangs in my studio as a reminder.

So I know some of you aren't really into miniature quilts, that big and 'functional' is where it's at, and that's totally ok, obviously! But I really do love the space working small opens up for me, and I fully intend to keep on going there.