Improv Quilts

It seems like ages ago I participated as a test quilter for Sherri Lynn Wood's improv quilt handbook. Sherri has come up with a whole bunch of approaches to constructing a quilt in an improvisational style. She calls these various approaches "scores" - akin to a jazz musical score, one has a basic framework, but can work freely within it. My score was "Strings".

I made three panels of strips, each with a limited palette and each with a different rhythm of widths.

I used mostly Japanese kasuri cloth in indigo, with some vermilion linen and neutral cotton solids thrown in to the mix.

I had enough fabric to do two small (lap-sized) quilts.

Above is my second attempt. I bordered it with Japanese screen-printed cotton, backed it with a coarse indigo and white plaid, also Japanese, and attached some red tassels to the corners.

The first one was a bit larger, and a little more sedate. I edged it with strips from a Japanese weaver's sample book, which can be seen at the very top and bottom of the above picture.

This one was backed with the indigo and white plaid as well. Both quilts were machine-quilted.

These quilts were loads of fun to make. The spontaneous approach was surprisingly quick and very satisfying, as I was able to produce these in a relatively short time. And I was very happy to use up some of my stash of vintage Japanese cloth.

You can see examples of all the different scores in Sherri Lynn's book, to be published next month, just in time for QuiltCon. Mine were not chosen to be included, but fellow Gulf Islander,  House of Bug's Barb Mortell did get chosen, so British Columbia is well represented.

And, very excitingly, I will be taking a workshop with Sherri Lynn and the Fidalgo Island Quilters at the beginning of March, down in Washington state. I'm really looking forward to being able to meet her.