Enjoying the Improv.

I know some of you readers are not too impressed with improv. but I still find it very interesting. In fact, when I went back and skimmed through old posts, I worked on somewhere around 10 different quilt projects involving improv. just in 2017! It's very exciting to see the start of a new AHIQ blog too. Come join in if you'd like!

Three rows sewn together

That many improv. project tells me that somehow improv. has become a very integral part of my quilting journey. As my mother pointed out recently, I don't always get it right, but occasionally what does happen is a quilt that surpasses anything that I had previously attempted {in the pre-improv. years}. Uh huh, mom's gotten more blunt in her older years and her compliments often come with a sting. But let's be honest. Learning is awkward, messy and uncomfortable at times, but so worth it when the results prove an unmistakable growth.

Auditioning fabric and pieces for the fourth row

 As many of you know, I picked up this book a few years ago and have very slowly been working my way through the scores. Slowly as in the Hare versus the turtle. I'm not even sure the book is on my radar at times and then suddenly I'm deeply immersed in the next score. This particular project is Score #5 and the fabric has been stacked, waiting to go for eons. Just waiting for that inexplicable 'something' to trigger the start button.

This week, like a good girl, I made myself work on the HST Medallion quilt before diving back in again to pick up where I had left off before. Veggies before dessert and all that. Or maybe it was major procrastination, but whatever. It wasn't until I was sitting on the floor unpicking part of a row, that I suddenly realized the stupid grin on my face was absolute and sheer enjoyment. Oh, you better believe that this quilt makes me very uncomfortable and extremely frustrated working through all the design decisions. But funnily enough, it all feels good compared to making a bazillion 'perfect' hst blocks.*uggh  How brilliant to work on the other quilt first, huh?

Overlapping and trimming for sewing the rows together...

I dithered along, first making one long row and then the other, fussing with my four main fabrics {boring, boring, boring} to try and get a good flow going. I was up and down from the floor, over to my sewing machine and then to the iron and then back to do it all over again. After a couple hours of this, I started calling it reactionary. As in, every design decision in this quilt is simply a reaction to what has gone before.  I'm not sure, but methinks the quilt has decided to name itself.

And the middle of the quilt is completed

And this was a good place to stop. The next step will be adding a vertical row onto each side of the quilt, all in different fabrics. That's when I gave myself permission to jump over to my other improv. quilt. The one you didn't even know was started..... Yep, a couple weeks ago, this quilt spontaneously combusted into being. Basically, I have very little control over new starts these days.

Looking at some potential units for the next improv. quilt...

Especially when they are this intriguing and I'm stalling hard core over several open-ended projects that I Don't Wanna work on. And see? This one has lots of hst's too so it's a bit of a head scratcher. What's the difference?

Improv. hst's are more fun....

Well, for one, these hst's are very freeform and there is absolutely zero stress over what size they turn out to be. They will be gleefully chopped into submission however best that needs to happen. And these fabrics are fun. I feel lighter already. Funny how new starts will do that to you. I obviously have no shame....

Feel free to hop on over to the AHIQ post post to read more about these two quilts and other projects our group is working on!