AHIQ: Improvisational Utility Quilts

21 July 2018

Quilt 'Licorice Allsorts' Finished, Started Last Summer as an Improv Quilt Challenge

Licorice Allsorts was started last summer as an improv challenge quilt.

Back view, I pieced the strip from scraps.

Happy Weekend improv quilters!

My quilt, Licorice Allsorts is finished. As I stated above I started it last summer 2017 as an improv quilt challenge.

I first pieced the 'liberated' rail fence blocks; the center medallion, and then added units/blocks of triangles, strips, squares and rectangles for the borders. Read more details here @crazyvictoriana.blogspot.com.

I forget what the challenge called for. I think I got inspired and went in my own direction.

Have a good day and I'll be by to visit.

'Is this improv?' link

A couple of recent posts have prompted some discussion around how we define improv, so I thought I'd just share this link to an article by Melanie at Catbird Quilts. (I first saw it on someone else's blog, but can't remember where - sorry!) I really like what she has to say on the subject.

15 July 2018

Red Wine and my Improv....

It is midnight...Under the influence of a few glasses of red wine,

I am thinking about Improv...I understand the creativity of the wonderful Kaja

Now I am wondering if fabric choice can be Improv...Even though this is a pattern,

I feel that the fabric choices are my own...I called it A-mazing Cats...

Is defining Improv as difficult as defining Modern Quilting used to be?
Can it be the secondary design within???

Here I show it on top of my husband's piano,

with the Christmas candles that were my grandmother's,

maybe 75 years ago.....and

the lamp I bought in Pakistan, made of camel's stomach..

I bought this lamp in Karachi probably 50 years ago.

I think that the camel would be pleased at its ever lasting life

and adoration

In all fairness to me tonight, I spent the day reading a great novel, The Orphan Train,

while dozing off under the influence of Benadryl...from a nasty spider bite.
Just stretching the thinking
Let me know...Diane from O'Quilts xo

08 July 2018

O'Quilts Potholder Tute

Hi Ann....here is the tute I have posted on my blog for potholders.

Potholder tutorial

I am flattered that you like them.

For me they are the best stress reducer...and the best quick

gifts for folks who go the second mile.

Diane at O'Quilts

07 July 2018

everything is going according to NO plan

This is one quilt that had a mind of it's own all. the. way. through. I started out with one single thought - that I wanted a piece of bold floral in the middle, and I would work outwards from there. I made it up as I went along, hoping each additional border went on ok.

Now I must admit, I have found 'improv' challenging, but I keep coming back for another go, over & over. And in the end, everything went really well according to NO plan with this quilt. That's improv I guess, yes?

A little while ago I had this quilt machine quilted by Sandy Mayo in an all-over floral pattern. The centre block is a lovely 'Outback Wife' fabric and as I was adding on the binding this afternoon . . .

. . . I suddenly remembered that I was going to add a little extra something to the centre. So for my 'slow stitching' today, I gave Kantha style stitching a go, the simplest stitch in the book! It's a bit hard to capture in a photo but here's a few pics to give you an idea of the texture.

I came across this comment recently from here -
"Modern quilting is NOT just about clean lines, solid fabrics and negative space!

It also embraces gorgeous modern prints and is a mindset which embraces ancient arts

such as #kanthastitching with modern fabrics!"

Not sure what the thinking is about the 'modern debate' these days . . I just make what I love making. And I have to say, I'm hooked on kantha stitching and I can see just a little more improv happening around here in the future! Love to hear your thoughts too, Linda from kokaquilts

Greetings Improv Quilters!

I've really been enjoying all the posts here, and finally have one of my own to contribute. Though I have been missing from the blogosphere, I have been hovering in the wings and I'm still quilting. And though I'm not doing a lot of "utility" quilting, I am still doing a fair amount of improv.

I do realize that this page is titled "Improvisational Utility Quilts", and though I still do the occasional utility piece, I am primarily focused on making art quilts these days. And, although I have been exploring a variety of different methods of making art quilts, I continue to return to pieced construction simply because I enjoy sitting at a sewing machine and stitching. I am equally happy sewing HSTs and piecing from patterns as I am doing improv, though the improv has the added quality of unexpected results which makes it so compelling.

Hopefully, this new iteration of AHIQ will motivate me to actually finish my Chinese Coins quilt which was the last challenge I actively participated in here.

In the mean time I am sharing a small art quilt that I just completed, that was definitely made in an improvisational fashion, and which I enjoyed making very much. I've written all about this quilt in more detail on my own blog here.

Without further ado, I give you Sedimental Journey, 18" x 18" (2018).