My Improv Quilts

The genesis for me for making improv quilts came from three sources: a Jen Kingwell quilt called “Long Time Gone”; encountering the early modern books by Freddie Moran and Gwen Marston where they collaborated and where they introduced the idea of keeping a “Parts Department” of blocks ready to be used; and the joint work of a newly formed “modern” quilt group in Camden, Maine.

I did blog posts on my improv and formative quilts from the above sources for improv work, so I listed the links below.

Here’s my “Long Time Gone” quilt, dated October 9, 2018. I added the piano key border which I would not do today as borders are not often seen in a modern quilt. This quilt could pass as a “sampler,” but also as an improv quilt made with blocks in a “parts department” bin.

If the link doesn’t work, you can search on the title to get to that blog post. ***If you right click on the title and open the link in a new tab, the link worked for me.

Turkey Tracks: My “ `Long Time Gone’ Cotton+Steel” Quilt

Here’s the first improv quilt I tried on my own–using blocks from my own “Parts Department.” This quilt is named “Parts Department Party,” and is dated May 2019.

*open link in a new tab.

Turkey Tracks: “Parts Department Party” Quilt

“Wild Thing” came from a Mt. Battle Modern Quilt Guild challenge based on the long-time “Bee Sewcial” group that posts to Instagram. Each month the designated member of the Bee Sewcial group for that month asks the other group members to make a block to their specifications–which includes design concept, colors, and sizes. The group works with solid fabrics. Many of this group’s quilts have won significant awards.

I chose a palette of bright, clear colors and made the key color the spring green color you see here. I also made extra blocks to fill in the holes that I needed filled in order to make the quilt top come together. Here’s the top:

Here’s he finished quilt top. Note that I used a clam shell groovy board to quilt it, and I do like that traditional quilting on this modern quilt.

The link to the blog post might not work, but it is called “Wild Thing” Quilt.

https://wordpress.com/post/louisaenright.com/13808

Here’s my “Improv Blocks” Quilt that I just finished. I used the blocks I made in a “blocks” class taught by Tara Faughnan. And I kept the same fabric palette during the class, hoping that would provide some consistency for a possible improv quilt.

https://louisaenright.com/?s=%22Improv+Blocks%22+is+done

I also made a quilt inspired by Gwen Marston and Freddie Moran’s work AND by how Debbie Jeske of The Quilter’s Table blog used and altered this idea: “Liberated Wedding Ring, made in the fall of 2021.

“Liberated Wedding Ring” Quilt

I seem to have a “thing” for wedding ring quilts…

My Parts Department is full of interesting blocks these days, so there will be another improv quilt, maybe this winter.

And Tara Faughnan will be teaching the improv block class again, starting in September.

I’m tempted.