The Blue Improv

Ok, you faithful readers know I really like the Denyse Schmidt looking quilts. I bought her book a while back and thought all the projects were just lovely. I was disappointed to find all the patterns filled with unique templates. I'm not a template girl. Right around that time, I found Kathy Mack's tutorial for an improvised Hop Skip Jump pattern.

Well, it turns out there's a huge movement, especially in blogland, to make improvisational style quilts. I love the look, but assumed many of them were template based (which seemed to be very contrary to the improv concept.) I then made the blocks for the Bushfire Quilt Project. Those were improv-style and super fun and easy.

Of course, I see tons of these improv's all over flickr and upon further inspection I found Jacquelyn at Tallgrass Prairie Studio. She's organizing a whole improv donation bit on her blog AND she has the most excellent tutorial for making REAL {no template} blocks. Let me get the link for you, its got pictures and lovely explanations. Go check it out!

And I had to try it. After I posted, she emailed me to let me know, these might infact, become addicting. I have to say, she was right. I started adding pieces and realized... oh smokes, when do I stop? How big should it be? What am I going to do with it? Ooooh... but it needs just a little more. Just one more strip, no one will know. Everyone's doing it. Nobody will find out... *wink wink*

My mini-quilt is 12" x 15" and uses all scraps. I even used some of the fabric I painted with the Glue Gel resist technique. In fact, the blue bricks inspired the whole blue/black/cream color way for my first ever improv.

I did this sort of channel stitching with my walking foot all over the whole piece. I'm quite thrilled with it and I definitely want to try it again. It IS addicting. And its a great way to use up the scraps.

So thats what's new-to-me today. And its only 7a. I hope you have a lovely Friday! ~jen~

The Blue Improv