Improv Quilt

The pile of strips above represents the beginnings of an improv quilt.  I was so “juiced” by working with warm colors on my last quilt that I decided to start a new quilt in that same colorway.  To be honest, I have been so upset/frustrated/disenchanted/saddened by the hate and distrust that is bubbling over in our country that I have been “hiding out” in my sewing room, trying to stay upbeat by throwing myself into quilting.  I’m grateful to have this outlet as there seems to be no end in sight for the negative vibes in this country.

This next shot shows my 4 improv blocks just before they were completed.  Each block began as a scrap from a quilt I made more than 20 years ago.  I threw in a few more “skinny strips” of those same scraps into each block as I worked my way outward.   I like the look of them all together on the floor:

I knew I wanted to stick with a warm color for the “background” fabric, so here is my first color audition:

Ooh, la-la!  I found my winner on my very first try!  Next up, I sewed the joining sashings and then added those outer borders, and viola, my quilt top was complete:

I must confess that in my enthusiasm to piece this improvisationally,  I ignored all the rules about taking the averages of measurements to determine the correct length of “the next strip.”  I may pay the price for this when I go to quilt this colorful top…full report to follow!  In the meantime, I have bagged my warm strips together so I’m ready for another project down the line:

I’m trying to stay organized so I can make many of these kinds of quilts down the road…

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