It's Improv Week again over at the Ad Hoc Improv Quilters link up. I was so busy quilting
Mod Trips this month, that I had no time for improv. But, I figured, why not start now?
For this week's trick, I'm using Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion techniques to make curvy half square triangles...
...and curvy rail fence units...
...and combine them into curvy churn dash blocks!
A churn dash quilt has been on my to do list for several years. Then when my guild started its crayon challenge, I hoped for a yellow crayon so I could make a yellow and white churn dash quilt. I got purple, but I liked this idea enough to make it anyway.
And, I've been thinking for a while that Sujata's elements could be combined to make interesting traditional blocks.
So, this is Modern Utility Quilt #2, which I'm calling "Sunshine." It's possible that this could turn into a series. And it's also looking likely that these Riley Blake ginghams will keep showing up:
I went to a lot of trouble to get the complete set of those ginghams in all 11 colours and 3 sizes when they were released. I thought I would put them all in the same quilt. But once they arrived, that seemed uninspired, and they sat in a box in the basement. Now I think several quilts will be better!
All the fabric is stash, like
my first Modern Utility Quilt, and it seemed like a good chance to use all those large and small scale florals I used to buy. These are the first two blocks I made:
I have to say, I was feeling some doubt at this point. But I had the fabric cut for the first eight blocks, so I kept going:
It was all darker and browner than I expected. And was that citron Mini Pearl Bracelet really a good idea?
In improv theatre, the formula is to always say "yes, and..." So I squelched my doubts and thought, "ok, where do I go from here?" Most of the really pale yellows I'd pulled went back in the stash. The rest I pinned right up on the wall with the finished blocks:
This seemed like a crazy idea at first, but it turned out to be really helpful to sit back and see how everything was working together. So on Monday, I'll be linking up to
Design Wall Monday as well!
All the fabrics fit into that range between the citron and gold of the first two blocks. I think the pure white fabric makes the dark fabrics look darker, so there will be less of that combination in the remaining blocks.
I've been looking at this pile of yellow fabric on my sewing table for a few days now, and I'm feeling good about where it's going. But, I promised myself I would get some more things quilted before the hot weather returns, so I will have to pack it up soon.
And before I go, look what I found when I logged into Blogger this afternoon:
I always enjoy these little synchronicities, which I know is why I keep finding them. This is a particularly good one. And it's probably why I "accidentally" logged into Blogger before I had my photos edited. And, check out the rest of the page:
LOL!
Don't forget to check out the rest of the improv quilting at the February link up,
right here. Happy quilting!
