Thank you so much Janine for taking the time to stop by and comment! Use one on either side of a zipper pouch. Now you can download individual chapters. If you are using high contrast fabrics you should be able to press to the dark side. By the time the Zoom chat was finished on Sunday afternoon, I had made really great progress on the blocks and decided that I wanted to make 6 rows of 7 blocks for a 39 wide by 48 1/2 quilt top. Yvonnes quilts have been featured in numerous national and international magazines, quilt shows, and books. (This is more easily seen in the step 2 bottom photo below.) Sew up 10 distinctive quilts, each with full-size patterns, plus get tips on how to accurately cut and sew wedges. On to the basics of piecing improv curves. Inspired by a single piece of fabric or left over pieces from other projects, each design decision influences the next as the artist adds fabric along the way, creating a unified piece of textile art. Now, using your rotary cutter, shape these triangles so that they have straight edges. I recently sat down to do some improv quilting with my stash and not only did I end up with several of these cute blocks, but the process of sewing together fabric without following a pattern had me feeling quite liberated and productive at the same time. It was so cold here overnight on Wednesday night that the snow crust was frozen and we could walk on top of the snow for a bit on Thursday. The blocks are improvisationally pieced roses inspired by Corey Yoder's Newtown Auction Pillow . That is really a pretty quilt and so colorful. Its sew pretty, the colors are very cheerful and a rectangle shaped block is great. Using the method below, you may create roses any size between 6" and 18". I keep a basket of leftover blocks and units on my ironing tableanything that doesnt work in a particular project or that I made during a therapy sewing session goes in there. I think the obsession started in Nancy Crows Workshop called Sets and Variables. In 10 Ways to Love Improvisational Quilting, Malka Dubrawsky will introduce you to new forms of quilting with fresh color combinations, techniques, and patterns. Head to my shop to find thoughtfully designed quilt patterns and custom curated fabric bundles, or scroll through my content for tons of fantastic tutorials to get your creative juices flowing! . Polka Dot Embroidery Design. These were a lot of fun to make so I put together a quick tutorial in case you want to give it a try. One year I will get around to doing the Project Quilting prompts. I usually work with eight to twelve colors. In this example, a large enough scrap isnt available, so we will make our own! Please try again. I love your quilt. Step 1: Lay two fabrics right side up, overlapping by a couple inches. Cutting out hearts and circles for applique. Once you get the parameters, you can sit for hours repeating the same steps over and over again while appreciating the differences in each square. When piecing curves, be sure that that there is a 1/2 difference in radii or 1 difference in diameter (throwback to 9th grade geometry). As for my walking foot technique, I quilted in one color at a time, so I did all the wavy lines across the quilt in the first color, then went over the same area again with offset curves in the next color. Some colors may turn out to be duds, and they never find a pair. Hand quilting requires the same first steps regardless of the technique you choose. I love the colours and curves, a bright and cheery quilt! Using Facings Instead of Binding on Your Quilts premium Video 21 m Four-Patch Prism Block premium Video 18 m Simple Methods for a Diagonal-Set Quilt premium Video 7 m Aligning Blocks by Folding Free Video 29 m Labels & Hanging Sleeves premium Video 21 m Petal Applique premium Video 11 m Reading A Pattern premium Video 9 m Using Border Prints Free Well, I proceeded to have so much fun that I didnt really take any additional progress photos. You can also depart from those guidelines a little bit and fussy cut 5 with your ruler, with the extra room you provided by piecing 1/2 over the edges of the square. Two weeksago I happened uponan episode of Sewing with Nancy that featured Victoria Findlay Wolfeand her amazing quilts. I'm notorious from forgetting to get the Halloween quilts out in time. I used 4650 for the top ~1/2 of the quilt and 4662 for the bottom ~1/2 of the quilt with the two thread colors alternating in the center. Hope that helps! I see these squares as training wheels, which is why I recommend only purchasing one yard. In this beginning improv project, the 5 squares will serve as a great template upon which you can sew together your scraps of various shapes and sizes. Join right sides together with a quarter inch seam. I didnt get a chance to tell you at the conference that Break Up took my breath away when I saw it in person! Click here for full tutorial, or click here to purchase a printable PDF version. Im sorry, thats just too much. Give me 5 minutes to change your mind. But its handy. I am a huge lover of the plastic storage box. Piece the scraps so that they end up 1/2 over all sides of the interfacing square (to at least 6 x 6) to allow room to fussy-cut down to 5 x 5 Squares. 2. Cut along the outside set of markings. Bear Paw Quilt. 8. Press the seam to the outside and then trim the added scrap to line up with the next side of your starting scrap. Here are two super-simple techniques to add extra scrappiness to your blocks 1 Break down the size of your final block into a few smaller blocks. This creates interesting shapes for the eye to enjoy. Using hand-dyed fabrics for a Valentine wall quilt. And you do it in a such perfect professional way. Photos and content may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to TeresaDownUnder and Sewn up with appropriate and specific directions and links to the original content. The tutorial format is photograph followed by descriptive text. Falling in love with IMPROV quilting is no laughing matter! In this example, the color groups are sectioned between the blocks instead of interspersed throughout the design. Repeat the process again for the other side of the triangle. Such a wonderful idea to subvert the square. Again, shes the expert so this is also what I did. I usually use a ruler for this step, but you do not need to do so. I went to my scraps and pulled out my solids that ranged from red/orange through teal. Required fields are marked *, Check here to Subscribe to notifications for new posts. Improv Piecing allows for an exploration of ideas without rules to rein in creativity. I want to keep exploring this idea in a bigger piece, so stay tuned! I love this shot in the woods. 2021 Sarah Goer. Press seams. After every seam, I continuing to shape the units so that they fit together. Once straight edges are created from the curved pieces, it is easier to grow the block. Fantastic work! I love my label maker nearly as much as I like the plastic storage boxes so Ive labeled all the boxes to try and keep some order (cause having all of one colour in one box isnt enough for me). Next are 3 examples of improv strategies (examples pictured below): The Improv Quilt Top uses large scraps with curved and straight edges. I was very excited about the Color Builder thread boxes that Aurifil had recently released. If the fabrics are difference lengths, also mark where the edge of one fabric hits the other. These blocks may lead to other block design ideas. Square up the finished block so each side is parallel to the opposite side. Youre amazing! Improv piecing is basically just choosing random sized pieces, sewing them together, and adding more as you go. Use code JETGIRL to get 10% off any order fromCurated Quilts! Theres not a square in this quilt: just curves and rectangles. This quilt went together very quickly. It also gives tips on making the trunks skinnier. I think of this as controlled wonkiness. Full Circle by Audrey Esarey, Bob Bosscher, Carson Converse, and Jen Broemel. Great tutorial, Patty. Lets start at the beginning: Sorting your scraps. Teresa, you brought a huge smile to my face this morning.Thank You!..I love this videoI have a scrap pile of 10 squares that I didnt know what to do withnow I do!( in addition) I have a Cuve Master foot that I can use to whiz up these blocksIm going to call it my Crazy Lockdown Quilt.haha Cheers, stay safe, Elizabeth. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. I love working with freehand curves; I never know how they're going to turn out! The beauty of this method is that you can use orphaned blocks, excess binding and all those little half square triangle offcuts to continue growing your scrappy fabric. If you make any of my tutorials this is how you can share your pictures: Turnabout Patchwork. After that, repeat the following four steps until the interfacing square is completely covered. Some people are good about organizing scraps after each projectand some people eat fries and ice cream for every meal and look amazingbut the rest of us live in the real world. Improv Circles 24 Pins 6y L Collection by Jan Knell Similar ideas popular now Quilting Tips Quilting Techniques Quilting Tips Quilting Tutorials Sewing Techniques Sewing Tutorials Sewing Projects Beginner Quilting Fabric Projects Quilting Patterns five easy steps to perfect sewn curves nightquilter Circle Quilts Mini Quilts Small Quilts Art Quilts In this project, I group similar color families, and if youre new to improv piecing, this is a good way start. Love all the curves and colors! What a fun and cute baby quilt in such a short time! Sarah, this is a lovely project, and sharing your how-to is a real bonus. I made a lot of little improvised houses and related blocks during COVID and decided to combine them into a quilt for our builder, since we love our house! Open and press, then repeat until the fabric scraps cover the interfacing square, or open and sew over the seams. Website by Granat Design. Step 4. What a great idea and the circles are better if theyre not perfect. As you can see, I also like to keep all the crazy knick-knacks that Ive amassed over the years in my sewing room and candy, I like candy. My improv triangles is the second quilt I've made using techniques from the book. You may NOT republish my content. Notice that the pieces go over the edge of the interfacing square by about 1/2 on all sides. For the backing, I picked Kona Cotton in Burgundy. I use the lines on the mat and no ruler for this step. Just keep adding and trimming, adding and trimming until you reach your desired size. Fold the circle again, this time matching up those points and marking the new outer edge diameter points. 2) Construct 2 Columns with Blocks | Play with the layout of your blocks by stacking them on the design wall into two columns of blocks. These are blocks that I make when I want to sew but dont want to think too hard about itI call it therapy sewing. And those curvy, abstract quilts you love? I have a couple of choices at this pointgive it up and come back to it after the show is over, or find a way to finish ithopefully without staying up all night! Sew from the top single point towards the base point with the skinny triangle on top. Its not only liberating but the end result is a beautiful modern block. Improv? Using your rotary cutter, slice off the little bit of fabric that extends past the edges of the triangle while also smoothing the edges of the skinny triangle shape. It's fun and makes use of all your scrap sizes! The seam shown above is the left seam below on the finished back of the quilt. This block is a lot of fun. It is easy to get so caught up in the rules and rigidity of quilting, that we forget how much flexibility and creativity can be found within those guidelines. It looks like you brought a piece of your tropical Hawaiian garden out to play in the snow. Quilter | Designer | Tech Editor | Blogger. (LogOut/ Today Christina is sharing a fun and easy way to explore improv quilting with your scraps! You are the reason the pointy shape chapter exists in my book. My goal with the book is for people to learn how to make the units and then make their own quilts. Now check your email to confirm your subscription. Thank you so much for commenting on the triangles. I had no idea if I had enough fabric here to create what I wanted, but the only way to find out was to start sewing. You will make them approximately all the same size later. http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/2019/05/thinking-vertically.html. However, I had no idea what I was going to do for the quilting. From bold designs to intricate stitching, these quilts inspire and impress any quilter or sewing enthusiast. Make a vertical or horizontal row of them and use them to divide a pieced quilt back. Use them as a square in a traditional quilt block and mix with solids for a contrasting look. Then, just sew. If a thing is done overnight, we say ohhh, the Heinzelmnnchen did it. This is one of my RSC projects I experimented with last year and am continuing on this year. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. I am so happy to subscribe to your blog. Trim the strips to align with the edges of the curve (Figure 1). If you make a twin-sized quilt like mine, you will need 335 9-patches that finish to 3" (but with raw edge included, they are 3.5"). The following afternoon, though the South Florida MQG, I'll take another three-hour online workshop with Malka Dubrawsky to make a "Maze" quilt, a free pattern from February 2019 available to MQG members. We still dont care if they are the same size, but we do care that the edges are nice and straight. Do not leave raw fabric edges or interfacing exposed in the middle of the square. I never know exactly how things are going to turn out, and thats fine with me. Students will leave with a collection of circle and curve quilt blocks-great for a sampler. You have a great finish. Money well spent! What does improv mean to you? The sizes of the triangles will vary quite a bit at this point. Enjoyed reading about the constructing process and the Aurifil article. Teresa Mairal Barreu, TeresaDownUnder of Sewn up. First, cut 4 squares of fabric - mine were about 8" x 8". Click to follow Quilting Jetgirl and receive notifications of new posts by email. Thats a lot of snow, guess Ill have to stop complaining about my little dustings. Begin by sorting according to size, color, and shape. I respect your privacy and I won't send you spam. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. SoI headed there to see if I had anything that might work. You could do this with any patchwork block to create a wonderful new take on the patterns created by the block geometry. cut through both layers with your rotary cutter (but no ruler or template), making a smooth improv curve. I love the feel of this one so much. I used layer cakes for this tutorial which makes the quilt a breeze and the layouts are many. Press. You might wonder if this is a failure of creativity. Very nice! I hope this tutorial is useful and has you thinking about how you might use triangles in your work. Day 2 was putting it all togetherat least mostly together. I have your book, but I still learned something about your aesthetic reading this. Thanks for visiting Elm Street Quilts. I must admit to finding improv difficult (too much of a control freak) but this technique just has me captivated. And I get stripes to use in other projects like this one. To get the free patterns simply add your details below and click the button! Iron the seams toward the skinny triangle. Quilted using Aurifil #4657, 50wt. Your units will now look like this. The colors are less consistent between blocks, but are all from an earthy palette that blends as you zoom out. I love the shapes, I love the flow of color, I love the fun I had piecing it, and I love that you can just get a sense of the beautiful snowy sparkle in the photo above. This is what the two blocks from this post look like once they have been trimmed: Go ahead, make a ton of em! Do you ever do that? I used layer cakes for this tutorial which makes the quilt a breeze and the layouts are many. I love this modern baby quilt Yvonne. If you are anything like me, you might have a storage bin (or two) full of fabric scraps in your sewing room, but are not in the mood to sort through colors and cut out the pieces youd need for a scrappy quilt. Way back in November of 2019 I signed up as one of the Aurifil Artisans to participate. Insert the needle " away from where you plan to begin your actual stitches and without taking it through to the back bring the needle back up where you plan to start the stitches. I hope that happens some day. Slowly and carefully (keep those fingers out of the way!) I thought Id start here so if youre looking for a way to manage your scraps this might give you some ideas. ABSOLUTELY B R I L L I A N T!!!!!!! Requiring one black-on-white charm pack, eleven 2 " white-on-black jelly roll strips and 1/2 yard of your favorite contrast fabric, this quilt can go together in a matter of hours. Explore. In general, you'll be gently stretching the fabric that has a concave curve in that section. Put you foreground fabric underneath your block, positioning it at the bottom of your block (make sure you leave enough to make the block the right size) and trim along the slope line. The traditional Kawandi is a hand-stitched quilt, made from scrap fabric, including old saris. Eventually, I landed on improv curves as my plan. I just want you to know your work inspires me. That doesn't always result in this texture. I like very much your wonderful work !!!!!!! I decided to make this pattern in a baby quilt size using very different colors. Congratulations on completing this project so quickly, in spite of all the snow. And while I dont have photos of the improv process I used, I do have an Improv Quarter Circle Tutorial that more or less walks through my general method. (See image 2 below), 4. Please check your entries and try again. Food for thought! The small scrap would be traced and the cutting line drawn 1/2 inside the original tracing line. There really are no mistakes with this technique. Easy Improv Quilt Pattern for Charm Square Precuts. Thank you Melanie! Please check your email for further instructions. Step 3. Log cabin quilts were also used to symbolize stops on . * The small scrap would be traced and the cutting line would be drawn 1/2 inside the original tracing line. top to bottom) for every line of stitching, so I'm pretty sure I did that here. I do have signed copies available in my online shop too! Trace along the raw edge of the curve. It is a larger palette then I typically use. Sew square and rectangle scraps together that are the same length, or in ascending/descending length order. Sew your roof on to your house. Layer the interfacing and the fabric circle so that the right side of the fabric is facing the adhesive side of the interfacing. Mix and match circles have been on my to do list for years, and this is a great approach. With your rotary cutter, carefully cut a freehand curve. I thought it would be fun to walk through my design strategy for this one. The very first step is to make lots, and I mean lots, of 9-patches that finish to 3". You can find the Youtube tutorial on how to make an Improv (ish) tree quilt here. Traditional Curved Piecing Many traditional quilt patterns use round shapes which are pieced together with a curved seam. Taking the pictures outside in the beautiful snow makes all the colors really pop! I read this post more than once, and all your suggestions were good. Improv Quilting. And I admire your determination to take pictures in the snow . In April Ill be participating in the Charm Dash Quilt-Along with Melissa (of Ms Midge) and Ive been toying with how to work my magic with her pattern and so I decided to give scrappy improv a go. I generally prefer to press my seams open, but improv curves are a time when I press the way the fabric wants to go. Linking up with Project Quilting 14.5, Needle and Thread Thursday, TGIFF, Finished or Not Friday, and Beauties Pageant. I used 2 different 50wt Aurifil variegated threads for the quilting: 4650 (Leaves) and 4662 (Creme de Menthe). but never overwhelming. Jul 12, 2019 - Quilts with circles (and dots). Thank you for sharing! This example is using a rainbow scrap created while testing templates and a curved scrap from the cutting process: Step 1. If you would like to follow along for more improv inspiration, you can find me @wellspringdesigns_co. Thank you Thea! As well as the instructions and fabric needs to make the blocks youll find a section on quiltmaking basics at the end of the pattern that discusses: I LOVE THIS!! thanks *. It hasn't been washed and will really wrinkle up when I wash it. My favorite kind of fabric cutting :) Step 6: Iron your circles and blocks. Which means you can use them like you would any other Drunkard Path block. . Good job! Now, on to the real fun scrappy improv patchwork blocks! This was an absolute delight to make from start to finish. Improve Piecing can be faster as the need for accuracy is greatly diminished. Once youve made your scrap fabric piece big enough, trim down to the size you need. Feb 1, 2023 - Explore Mardi Gruber's board "Circle quilts" on Pinterest. She started with the traditional Drunkards Path pattern and played with color to make the circles "shimmer, shake and roll"!!! Then there is no measuring and squaring up required! New patches are laid on top as needed . Get the latest news, stay up-to-date with sew-alongs + events and receive the occasional free offer! This is a color gradient improv masterpiece! I am blown away by this quilt, especially that it is all improve and you created in a less than a week. Break Up is my most recent improv triangle quilt. Now I'm just waiting for the right Day 3 to get it quilted. With a set of 42 layer cakes youll get a small quilt top 48 x 56. The short rows (the multi colored strip set) are much wider in Tundra than Birch Woods Glimmer. The straight quilting lines are perfect to offset the curves in the piecing. And we also got several big snow storms in a row, so my life got a bit distracted by digging out and handling other life things. It is smooth yet exciting! QuiltCon 2020 Austin - Quilts From the Show Floor. That would be an added incentive for me to go. Connect these points on the circle's outer edge making a square. Step 1 The first step is to simply collect materials. Piece your strips together. Great tutorial for these improv curvesthanks hugs, Julierose. Pin and sew the curves together. Thank you, thank you! I want to make a Marie Shell inspired quilt not a Maria Shell Quilt. The patterns are copyrighted for Elm Street Quilts. Turn the square Right-Side-Down and trim alongside the guidelines of the interfacing squares. Theres something about solids for a modern design. Once the units were stitched, I put them on the design wall and THEN worked to concentrate color. Sarah lives in San Jose, California with her husband and two quilters kids. Tools and Supplies for Improv Piecing A quick path to a bold quilt design, wedges are versatile and captivatinga must-have shape in the modern quilter's toolbox. Mark the circles on the wrong side of the fabric. It is up to you to decided if you are going to use a ruler. Make 4 in a block quilt blocks and add it to an Orphan Block Quilt. Quilt Piecing . Take the two curvy scraps, and determine which scrap you want to trim to match the coordinating piece. The improv curves are easy to do and totally take any mystery out of curved piecing. 6 x 8 1/2 was the nice, random, non-square size that made the most sense to trim my first block to, so all the other blocks conformed to its size. Explore. Very inspiring. Aha! The piece finished at 12 x 24 and I mounted it on painted black canvas. It is fabulous. Let's get started! Cut off any excess black. Introduction How to Make an Improv Quilt from Scraps: Tutorial Faith and Fabric 2.85K subscribers Subscribe 22K views 1 year ago Quilting Tips and Tricks After you're done foundation paper. See where it takes you! Do not remove pins until you get close to them. An Easy Quilt To Make. , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iamNMHxtwjY. All Rights Reserved. Dont skip on the ironing. I found some Angled Stripe blocks in my basketyou can see one of them in the middle of the photo above. A dominant circular motif merges with strong vertical and horizontal . Use this square to make a template and mark all circles. In this case, I didnt fully overlap fabrics, just enough to free hand cut a curve. Here are a few of my favorite blocks from the quilt. The palette does a lot of work. All of the fabrics in the quilt top and backing were solids, so I picked out two tone on tone prints to use for the binding. This was the first time I worked with Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids, and I wonder if that contributed. I picked these up from Costco (Im really sorry but I have no idea who theyre made by, etc.) We were to select a motif to work with. Try this technique with a group. This simple block is a breeze to cut and sews together quickly. I always look forward to your blogs. I keep a small square plastic bucket and a small plastic rubbish bin under the table near my cutting mat that I use to put my scraps in as I work on a project. These points should line up when piecing the fabrics together. Take the ruler to measure (or approximate) 1/2 outside the first set of markings. Visit my favorite tools & supplies to shop from all the equipment I use regularly! The Cross block (also known as the X block or Plus block) is an improv patchwork classic. . Join me as we learn from Christina, the owner of Sweet Potato Quilts in Boise, Idaho. Thankfully the sun was bright and warmed up and melted a lot of the snow on Thursday, so part way through this photo shoot I started sinking further and further into the snow. Those are already a stretch. Then quilting proceeds in a spiraling line, about a finger width apart. Now, over 25 years later, Yvonne has developed a style that bridges her technical background and love of bold color, specializing in transparency color play and bold, geometric designs. Once the parameters of the system are set for making these squares, I can sit at my machine with the scrappy bin by my side and have one of those sewing sessions where time flies in the blink of an eye. This is the palette I pulled for Tundra. Yes, I have plans to make another one from the book . Over the years, I have made several quilts using the flying geese unit. Join the International Association of Quilters for 50+ quilt patterns, Video Tutorials and Printable Quilt Planners to learn new quilting techniques, sew often, keep organized and. All comments are moderated and published at the discretion of the moderators. Iron any creases out of your fabric strips. In this post, we will be demonstrating the Large Improv Blocks using templates from the Pasadena Curves Quilt by Sylvia Raschella and Pasadena Quilt Studio.