Thursday, October 20, 2016

One year later...

In memory of it being almost an entire year without a post - how very slack - I am inspired to begin blogging again. Our slow internet always put me off, but now we finally are on the NBN, I think I could be bothered again.

So I have had enormous amounts of fun in the last couple of days having a go at improvisational quilts using scraps and leftovers. I borrowed a book from Crookwell Library on a whim. I haven't been into quilts lately, have made so many in the past and even several unfinished tops lying around. I've been much more into dressmaking (more on those in upcoming posts, if I do them).

I wanted to share this quilt top. The book is great (you can see it here: http://www.bookdepository.com/The-Improv-Handbook-for-Modern-Quilters-Sherri-Wood/9781617691386).

The idea in this book is to cut freehand, no rulers; and to base your quilt on a 'score' (like a musical jazz score). So you set guidelines, such as only use striped fabric; only use curves; only use black and green; whatever you want, really. I followed a basic score for 'floating squares', and the guidelines I chose were to only use blue/purple fabrics, with a dash of red; and to use strips on three sides of each square.

I played around with the blocks placement with light and dark. Started off alternating lights and darks but that didn't grab me. Half an hour later I had the above. A gradient diagonally up from light to dark. If you squint at it, or take your glasses off if relevant, you can see the gradient more obviously.

I really had fun doing this. No matching, no measuring except by eye, filled in any gaps as I went and as I put the rows together. I think this has reignited my love of patchwork. 
Not sure what to do with the top. Might quilt it, might turn it into something else. Anyone of my lovely friends need a lap quilt....?

Now just for fun, here are some photos of quilts that I made over the past 10 years - all made with rulers and careful cutting, with a few minor exceptions. In contrast I really like the improv one, how the squares jump and move all around, and how the lights and darks work together. 
The above has some elements of 'improv' in that I pieced random strips for the centres, but then I cut them all equal widths.
This one is squares as well, cut precisely, but with some improv-ing in the borders with the strips. I did buy a lot of this fabric new, though, so don't really count it as upcycling.  

Above is similar squares but then cut into four and rejoined in a Courthouse steps variation. This is one of my favourite quilts made for an old friend's baby. 

Above I made this one 11 years ago, my first 'proper' quilt. Very traditional to my eyes now. It was the one and only time I stitched in the ditch!!

Have a great day everyone (that is, if I still have any readers after a year!)
Kath x




1 comment:

  1. Hi Kath! You left a comment on my blog, but since you are a 'no-reply' blogger, I have no way to reply to you. I thought I would try to see if this works as a way to get a hold of you. Hope to hear from you again. Joanne

    ReplyDelete