30 Days of Improv Finish
I have my 30 Days of Improv finish to share with you today. This fun quilt along, hosted by Shannon Fraser Designs and Broadcloth Studio started at the beginning of August, with prompts for a block a day. You can see some of my blocks and their construction here and here. Here’s a photo of the quilt top as I puzzled it together. I had 30 blocks and a few little random slices to add in for fun.
One of the trickiest parts of this color combination is getting the right light to show the colors correctly. The above photo is a bit shadowed and dark, even with some filtering and the bright light in my studio. A better photo of the finished quilt was captured by laying it on my studio floor with more natural light.
There are 25 blocks in the top, along with some random bits that I pieced together in an attempt to use up as much of the improv scraps as I could. The random bits also mix it up a bit so all the block seams are not interlocked, and they help remove some of the hard edges.
I chose five blocks to use for the backing. I pieced them together with some of the larger fabric strips left over.
You can also see that I pieced the binding, which helps it blend into the overall look of the improv piece.
Before binding the quilt, I had some fun with the quilting using a mix of Aurifil 50 wt. thread in Medium Olive (#2910), 40 wt in Dove (#2600) and 12 wt in Medium Teal (#1125). When quilting with the 40 wt thread I use 50 wt in the bobbin. With the 12 wt thread I used 40 wt in the bobbin and a 90/14 needle.
I began quilting with the olive thread, stitching straight lines, then I added in a few wavy lines for fun. I left space between the stitched lines for the other colors randomly. When I do straight line quilting, I start in the middle of the quilt and work my way to the right, then go back to the center and work my way to the left. Once I make my first center stitch line, I make another stitch line at the mid-point mark between the center and right side of the fabric. This helps me keep my lines somewhat straight.
Once the olive thread lines were done, I added in the gray thread (40 wt) in the same manner. Last was the quilting with the 12 wt. Once I had the 12 wt threaded and the bobbin thread in place, I stitched a sample to be sure the stitching looked even. I didn’t add a lot of the 12 wt thread in the quilt top, just enough to add a little pop of fun.
Another closer view.
And one more of the back quilting, which I really like!
Here are the rest of the details:
- Quilt Size: 26″ x 27-1/2″
- Fabrics: Kona Pickle, Cadet and Silver
- Batting: Scraps of Hobbs 80/20
I hope you enjoyed this peek at my 30 Days of Improv Finish. This is a great way to try improv piecing, and both Shannon and Amanda give great tips each week. I’ll be watching for another sew along next year. If you are on Instagram and want to see more of the improv quilts, check out #30daysofimprovqal.
Wendy
Another Little Finish
22 Comments
Stitchin at Home
That turned out great with the wavy quilting, the back looks as the front.
Vicki in MN
It’s so you!!! Great job on the quilting, it looks perfect for this piece.
Diann@LittlePenguinQuilts
That’s a fun finish, Wendy! All along, I’ve loved the colors you put together, and the interesting shapes your improv blocks created. The quilting is perfect for it, too, with the different colors of thread and varying lines of stitching. I’m going to have to check out that Instagram hashtag!
Brenda @ Songbird Designs
What a fun finish, Wendy!! I love it! Your quilting is perfect and I love that you used three different threads!
Barbara J Stanbro
Saw it on Facebook. Great job! I like what you did with the back too.
Kathleen McCormick
You did a fabulous job on this. Love the pieced binding and back. The quilting is fun with the different threads, too. I love using a thicker thread every once in awhile. Your use of them is just so effective on this quilt. Great job and its Sept. 4 and its done!
Tracie
Wendy, I like the back as much as the front! Where do you buy the different weights of thread? I haven’t seen it in a store. Great stitching!
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
What a fantastic double sided finish! I especially love the 12wt thread; it’s a great detail to draw you in to look closer.
Helen
This one is meant to be looked at again and again. So many things to see. Turn it the other way, and it’s a whole new set of things to see.
Laura
Again, I am not an improv piecer, or even a big fan, but I love your work! The 12 wt. thread is a great way to add interest. So well done, Wendy! 🙂
aquilterstable
What a fun one! I really love your palette and how you put your blocks together – both front and back! And nice job on the multi-colored binding.
The Joyful Quilter
Quilt and quilting are both awesome, Wendy!!
Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting
That 12 wt thread is impressive, Wendy!!! Love your new piece! Is it going to hang in your new studio?
Kate
It’s a bright, bold and fun quilt! I really like how you did the binding. that worked really well. Congrats on a very impressive finish.
Mari
Great colors! Bold choices, but they all work together. Great quilting, too. Congratulations on a fun finish!
texasquiltgal
Love it! You can display it forwards or backwards – both look great – and the quilting is wonderful. This is one of those quilts that brings you joy. 🙂
Bernie
Your finish is so cool Wendy. I have never put 12 wt thread in the machine so I am happy to see it worked for you. Also interesting to learn you used a lighter weight thread in the bobbin. I don’t think I would have thought to do that and it makes so much sense. It has been fun to watch your progress all thru August. Very well done.
The Morning Latte
It’s been fun to watch this come together and it’s now a great finish! I’m a little fascinated by how the thread blends so well on the Cadet–is that the olive? and yet it just blends right in?!?
Janine @ Rainbow Hare
This is fantastic! I love the way you have put all all those blocks and extra bits together 🙂
Sandy Panagos
That is incredibly cool.
Frédérique
What a fabulous quilt! I love your layout, front and back, and the pieced binding. Lovely quilting, those threads show very well!
marissthequilter
What a wonderful finish! I too really like the back — so you have a reversible quilt? Thanks for the technical details on the quilting process. Now I wonder what is next. It’s going to be hard to beat this remarkable work.