Why I Love Improv Quilting

Have you tried improv quilting yet? How do you feel about it? Today I want to talk a little about why I love improv quilting. I’ll also be sharing about the upcoming virtual Improv Retreat I’m hosting with Gotham Quilts next month. I’m super excited, and sign ups close today, March 20th. Don’t worry, it will be a really soft sales pitch at the end of the post.

In preparation for our retreat I was asked to make a little sample. I was clearly told “little sample”. I wrote “little sample” in my notebook. And then I woke up, cleaned up the studio and played all day, making a fairly large sample. The top is about 45″ square. It’s too small for a sofa quilt, so I may add on to it a bit, but I also want to hand quilt it immediately, so I’m a bit torn.

This is where I started. I spotted this beautiful plaid print at Gotham Quilts when we were prepping for QuiltCon. I didn’t grab it then, but I had been thinking about it ever since. It’s a gorgeous blend of colors, from peach to purple and goes so nicely with my current raspberry obsession. If you want some, you can find it here. Don’t worry that the stock photo looks red and it is called red. It’s just a bad listing from the manufacturer, in my opinion.

For our upcoming retreat we are working from The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters, by Sherri Lynn Wood. I love the book and the way it approaches improv. You build up from really simple concepts, gradually building more complex compositions and techniques. It’s a great way to get into improv if you are curious about it. I’ve also taken an in-person class with Sherri Lynn, and she is so fun to learn from.

My assignment was Score #1. Sherri breaks up her techniques into “scores”, comparing them to jazz music compositions. They are a framework, not a pattern. Score #1 focuses on squares. We start with a limited palette of 3 fabrics, then add more as needed. I did break this rule, but I worked within it to a degree.

I spent some time planning the quilt. Improv is spontaneous, but not completely unplanned. This is my journal page. You can see I have my plan, along with some loose ideas. Sherri Lynn encourages this kind of rule-setting. My plan was a little too open at first, but I tightened it as I went along.

My stash is very limited when I’m in Florida, so I pulled from the large bag of yarn dies, then noticed a tula pink tiny tent stripe in the fabric cupboard. So, there are two prints, two yarn dyes with a stripes, and the rest shot cottons. I glued little snips of the fabrics to the journal page when I was done, because I love flipping through these kinds of pages later.

Step 1 was to cut squares from my colors. No rulers, no specific measurements, just a mix of large and small squares. It can be hard cutting up a favorite fabric, but let it go. I try to remind myself that my next favorite fabric will be in stores soon. I cut one long strip from my focus fabric, to use as a filler.

Then, I pulled out my three starting fabrics. I matched up squares of the same color, stitching them together to make a larger piece. My focus fabric was used to fill in as needed to make things the right size. I discovered that it is much more enjoyable to add a piece of fabric than to cut a unit down.

I went along until I ran out of one of my color fabrics, then just chose the next stack of squares to add in. So, I started with fabrics A and B with plaid. When I ran out of fabric A, I did fabric B and C with plaid. It worked very nicely, moving through the colors without a lot of agonizing.

When blocks felt right, about 12″ or so, I put them up on the wall. It was fun watching them grow and fill in the design wall. Once I was out of squares, it was time to think about getting the blocks to fit together. I kept in mind my strategy of adding, rather than subtracting. If I trim my blocks down, the quilt gets small very quickly.

I used my bright green fabric sparingly to fill in small strips as needed. I love adding a little bit of this acid green into my deeply saturated warm color palettes.

Here is the finished top, or the current stage. I enjoy critiquing my improv pieces, so here are some things I want to notice and avoid next time.

Things I want to change on the next piece

1. My color palette doesn’t have much range of value. It’s mostly medium. Not very surprising. All of the lights I used are down in a row on the bottom. They need to be spread around more next time.
2. It is too small. I want it to be larger.
3. I didn’t pay too much attention to the strip of blocks on the left. They were curved, and I tried to force them into submission. I need a dart over there to flatten things down.

Things I want more of

1. These colors, but a broader value range
2. Pieces like this to hand quilt on!
3. Improv pieces, because the process makes me happy.

Why do I love improv?

For me, improv is like watercolor painting. I have to let go of rules and see where the process takes me. Often, it takes me to the UFO pile, and that is okay. Sometimes, like with this piece, it brings me something I want to finish immediately. I think learning to let go of my usually tightly controlled process helps me enjoy patchwork more. It also allows me to ask more questions when I’m designing something. What if I didn’t make this line go to the corner? What if I softened the curve? Working through Sherri Lynn’s exercises is a great way to try things I wouldn’t have thought of.

Sales pitch

Have you tried improv yet? How do you feel about it? If you are interested in spending a weekend with me and my friends at Gotham Quilts, we are hosting our Virtual Improv Retreat April 19-21. We start Friday at 4pm, and go until Sunday at 4pm. We have a great group of repeat retreat attendees, and I’m really looking forward to it. All registrants get the book, although we do have the option for you to get a bundle of fabric instead if you already have the book. Registration also comes with a one pound bag of our fabric scraps to get you started on your improv adventure, and some other goodies.

Not everyone will be doing improv, and it is certainly not required to make anything in the book. We just like to give a little structure to the weekend. It’s like a low-key class. Each member of the Gotham Quilts team will do a demonstration. Andrea will talk about Improv in general – what it is and what it can be. I will go over Score #1 – Floating Squares. Ivete will cover Score #7 – Layered Curves. Curves are what excite me, but they are totally optional!

Want more info? Head over to the Gotham website. Registration closes tonight, 3/20 at midnight.