Improv Fun
I’ve been having some improv fun in my quilt room once again. It all started innocently enough. I decided that the small scrap bin of my solid fabric needed reducing. Plus, I thought it would be fun to try working on a series of little improv pieces. The first pieces I grabbed was a small stack of blue scraps. I just stitched them together into this little quilt. It measures about 8″ x 10″.
The top of the quilt is not as crooked as it looks in the photo. I’m not sure how I took that photo! Anyway, for a little fun, I decided to try my Aurifil 50 wt thread in neon green, just to see how it would look with the blue. I followed the curve of that blue piece in the center as I began quilting. I’m not sure I really like the quilting, but it was fun to experiment. You never know until you try, right?
Next in my series, were some greens, oranges and yellows. This one, however, didn’t stay small. I’m not sure if it’s done yet, so I’ll let it hang on my wall until it tells me what to do.
At this point, it is somewhere in the neighborhood of 18-20″. This one is angled at the bottom, for now.
Meanwhile, I did get my February fish made, following along with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors each month. I’m getting the hang of making the fish finally, using the method by Nicholas Ball in his book, Inspiring Improv.
The color for March is purple, so I’ll be making a school of purple fish soon. I won’t square the blocks until I’m done with all the blocks and begin piecing the quilt top.
Did I make a dent in my little scrap bin? Nope! It’s just as piled high as it was before. I need to continue with more improv fun, I guess!
Wendy
PQ 15.5 Wearables
19 Comments
Barbara J Stanbro
Looks like you were having fun. Cute pieces.
texasquiltgal
I love seeing your improv, it’s always so happy and fun. Love the fishies, and I look forward to seeing what your wall quilt tells you!
Kate
Looks like you had a lot of fun at the sewing machine. Playing with color is always a lot of fun. Love you school of red fish. Happy stitching this week.
Tracie
I’m glad you’re enjoying your playtime! It’s good for your creative soul.
Helen
THERE SHE IS!!! I love it when your improv pieces show up!
karenfae
it seems like no matter how big or small the stash is it stays the same size!
Brenda @ Songbird Designs
What a fun day of improv, Wendy!! I love the quilting with the lime green Aurifil. Have fun with your play time!
Vicki in MN
You know I always love seeing your improv pieces. Maybe you need to make one and set it aside for next year’s SAHRR. My stash has grown a bit, bringing home more than I usually do for sure, found a good sale at the shop here last week. Did I need it, nope!
Kathleen McCormick
Fabulous pieces-love the blue with green curvy quilting. I lijd the motion it gives the piece and the echoing of the curve in the fabric. The next piece is fun, too. Will it get bigger? And the fish are fabulous. I pressed some purple scraps – we will see if anything happens!
Diann@ Little Penguin Quilts
It looks like you’ve been having a lot of fun with the improv sewing! It’s so interesting to see the different designs you got with the different color combinations. The blue is cool and calming, the orange – green – yellow one is bright and energetic! And the fish are just fun – they’re going to make a wonderful quilt design!
laura bruno lilly
Those fish are adorable – who knew?! And to think March is the month for purple fish…being purple-passionate, I’m looking forward to seeing those critters in all their purple-y splendor!
🙂
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl
Scrap bins can hold a lot of fabric, can’t they?! Looks like you have been having good fun. I look forward to seeing what the green, orange, and yellow top tells you it needs (if anything).
tierneycreates: a fusion of textiles and smiles
I see a Quiltcon Entry for 2024!!! Wow that second one with greens is amazing and should end up in a show 🙂
TextileRanger
I enjoy seeing the variety of all your on-going projects!
J Mur
BIG fun happening at your house, Wendy!!
The Morning Latte
Isn’t it amazing that we can make entire quilts from scraps and yet the pile doesn’t seem to go down!? I so love those little fishies, and watching you have fun with all of your improv work! Must be so….so….freeing!?
(Btw, getting the camera completely straight for my quilt pics is always an issue for me!! Oi!)
Eva
What a lovely little blue experiment. To enter Mt. Scrap is always a challenge but how empty would our live be without scrap bins on the other hand? Yes – I echo another writer – next SAHRR test?
And why not entering the Quiltcon. But this is a big paper work in advance I think.
We have the month of “fish” .. it will be a nice quilt.
marissthequilter
You certainly have had fun and it shows! The green orange and yellow improv piece is outstanding. It jumps off the screen. You must be delighted.
Look forward to seeing your rainbow of fish quilt.
aquilterstable
Love your little scrap sketches!