All In with McKinney MQG

It was nearly a year ago that my buddy Ellyn/ellyn's place first suggested the possibility of me traveling to Texas to do a workshop and trunk show for McKinney MQG. We worked out all the details and then waited for the time to come. Finally, last week it did!



The workshop, Everyday Improv, focused on the 15 improvisational piecing techniques I'd worked into my recent All In. I also shared several other quilts with the group that used some of those techniques, just to give them some idea of how versatile they can be.



Guild president Martha/@sewgreen created the perfect atmosphere with her infamous letter dishes.



And needless to say, we all had alot of fun immersing ourselves in improv.



It was so good seeing friends again, meeting online friends for the first time, and of course, making new friends.

Bonnie, Debbie, Beth, Loide, Jenny, Ellyn, Bethany, Jackie, Martha

Chris, Chris, Jeri, Stephanie, Michelle [Sterrett, not pictured]

So the next couple of days I had 'off' and had a chance to explore McKinney with my hubby, who had traveled to Texas with me. [Check out the Instagram hashtag #debandjoegototexas if you like.] We also hooked up with Ellyn again to visit Urban Spools, a wonderfully modern shop and 'sewing lounge' in nearby Dallas.



That night, it was time to share a trunk show with the entire McKinney MQG! I had taken 25(!) quilts of various sizes, from my very first quilt to my most recent, and a variety representing my quilting journey in between. I gotta say, it's gratifying when folks are interested in your story... a good reminder to be open and affirming, no matter what phase and stage our fellow creators may be at.



Bonnie gifted me with a McKinney MQG mug and a few tasty treats.



And Stephanie kindly brought one of her quilts that I had admired on Instagram and featured in my most recent newsletter. It was SO good to see it in person!



So... there's a little recap of my visit to McKinney MQG. It was a very good time!

All In

As I was planning for the Everyday Improv workshop I'll be teaching with McKinney MQG in a couple of weeks, I was listing all the improv techniques I wanted to share with them, and decided it might be fun to have a sample quilt using all of them. Crazy, no? Probably. Most definitely. But that's how All In came to be.



I chose some solids that I thought would be fun to work with, and they definitely were - Kona Bright Peri, Tiger Lily, Pickle, and Lipstick. I cut and pieced, adding segments to the design wall as I finished them, not really knowing where I was headed. Gotta say I love designing that way.



Of course things get rearranged as more is added, and eventually some trimming and make-to-fit is in order.



And as some point, you just start sewing parts together and figuring it out as you go. When playing with these techniques, I find I usually just squish things together - ie. go very maximalist and dense. One of these days I might think about giving these shapes some room to breathe. Another time!



For quilting I used Aurifil 50wt #2250 [Red], at first because that was the only coordinating thread I had, but the more I quilted, the more I loved the choice, and eventually that red component ended up following into the binding. About the quilting though.... I used the section of dots as a guide to start an organic grid - straight lines, though angled as needed to avoid quilting over a dot - and then just carried it out from there in both directions, approximately 1 1/2" apart. That's less compact than my usual, but I think it really suits this quilt. Maybe that's where I let it breathe a little.



Just for fun, I added in a little pieced scrap into the binding.



And then I chose just one more technique of sorts for the backing - drawing from a traditional block, the Improv Quarter Log Cabin.



Sooo.... there are 15 improvisational techniques pieced into this smallish 32.5" x 34" quilt. Hopefully my students will have as much fun playing with them as I did.

Improv Piecing :: The Class

Remember several weeks ago I shared that I'd be teaching a class on improvisational quilting at Gossypium Quilt Shop? Well yesterday was the day! 



Gossypium has a really comfortable and well-lit classroom, and it was perfect for our six participants - everyone got their own table so they could spread out, which is so great for improv.

Before we knew it, everyone had their first block - an improv nine-patch - up on the design wall!

It was an easy-going day, with everyone working at their own speed after beginning our time with some demonstration and a mini trunk show. We chatted and shared everyone's blocks through the afternoon, and it was fun to see how each was unique to the maker.

It kinda made my day when one of the students said, "You're a good teacher. You make it all so accessible." Oh yes.... precisely my intent. That was good to hear!

So all in all, it was a really terrific day, and as a first-time teacher, I was more than pleased. Good times.

 Sharon/@redapplestitches, Louise/@imfeelincrafty, Janey, 
Terry/@terrypeart, Carla, me, Ruth

Green-Patch

So.... a few weeks ago, Gossypium Quilt Shop asked if I'd be interested in teaching a class on improvisational quilting. After some discussion back and forth, here's what we came up with!

 

Improv Piecing - July 29
Instructor Debbie Jeske from A Quilter's Table - Learn all about improvisational piecing, straight AND curved, while making nine different improv blocks. The blocks, all based on traditional block designs, will give you practice with a wide range of improv techniques. 

Pretty cool, right? For a class sample, I replaced one block from my beginning suggestion (the crazy-pieced block), and settled on the nine you see below - churn dash, quarter log-cabin, flying geese, quarter circles, nine-patch, rail-fence, quarter pineapple, strings, and hour-glass.

With a random mix of greens and white, the blocks were pieced together like a tradition nine-block sampler, then tilted a bit with uneven borders in Kona Parrot.



For the backing, I pieced together some stash finds, including that plaid that I was so happy to see again.



Quilting was an uneven grid using Aurifil 50wt #1114 (Grass Green) in line with the blocks, so it also appears on an angle in the finished quilt.





The quilt finished at 50" square, and was delivered to Gossypium over the weekend. Needing a quick photoshoot before dropping it off, we happened on nearby Sena Park, which was a delightful discovery and provided just the kind of setting we were looking for.

Now hoping some folks are inspired to explore improv piecing with me later this summer!