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Sunday, April 16, 2017

Improv + Paper Pieced

I mean, why not?!  We combine peanut butter and jelly, eggs and bacon and rum and coke! Some people might think those combinations are weird and shouldn't be done...I'm just saying, let's have an open mind here!

In all honesty, I'm sure I'm not the first to use paper piecing and improv.  Is there anything new out there?!


Approx. 18" x 27"
It seems to me it's been far too long since I took on some thing wild, crazy and improv. Maybe a set of pot holders or two, but nothing larger.  I've been immersed in cute and normal for so long, I almost forgot how much I enjoy improv.  So, when I was asked if I could make a piece for an end table...you betcha...I jumped!  There's no better way to get back to it than a custom quilt!



While I usually don't plan my improv, this time I had something in mind.  I wanted to have the outside of the quilt to be more of a structured, controlled improv. Not the way I usually think of improv.  I had a paper pieced block I designed for my 'Art With Fabric' Blog Hop quilt and decided it had all the elements I was after.  



My intentions were to cut up the paper templates and with reckless abandon, add pieces of fabric without worrying if they would fit.  You can see that A5 is a bit short...



No problem, add an extra piece!  You might notice that there isn't a stitch line across A5. Well, that's because when I folded the paper back to line my extra piece up I decided I didn't have to stitch through the paper.  I'll adopt the freezer paper method and stitch next to the fold.  



Because I just want the basic shapes included in the template, I was able to play around with the technique of paper piecing.  It was rather fun paper piecing and not worrying about having everything line up!



These are a some of the paper pieced shapes I was going to work with.  Border before center? Kind of a crazy way to do this, but that idea...surly it'll work?!



We'll find out!  But first I needed to clean up my scraps for round two.  It's surprising how much carnage happens when improv and paper piecing comes together.  



That's better and more acceptable!  It doesn't matter what size your work space is, it's never big enough!



And we have a border!  I added a strip here, a triangle there to fill out the border to the predetermined approximate size (18" x 27").  Now on to the center.  



My method of madness when it comes to improv is piece a bunch of pieces, then add more and more until I'm left with a pretty little stack.  After which I'll start combining the first stack of blocks to make bigger blocks.  It's not complicated, but you do have to be able to set aside your perfection tendencies.

Unlike normal piecing where along the way you can see how perfect a block is going to be, or how exact your points line up.  Improv to me, doesn't always give you that 'oh this is going to be perfect' feeling along the way.  Many times I have my hand planted on my forehead wondering what I was thinking!  I've learned through the years not to give up.  You never know how it will turn out until it's finished!



This didn't come out as I had originally planned or how I saw it in my mind.  I was wanting more definition between the center and the border.  I'll get it next time!

I hope to get it quilted in the next few days.  I'm thinking a lot of straight line quilting would be appropriate!  

Improv can drive some people 'InSanE', are you one of them? Or maybe you have to have a little CraZY in you to love improv!
LINKING:

23 comments:

  1. I love all the different blues in this piece, Jayne! Your method of construction was really interesting! I'm looking forward to seeing how you quilt it.

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    1. I honestly don’t know others do their improv! The way I do it has worked well for me!

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  2. Your little quilt looks great! I love improve. Though I don't do it much, unless I'm trying to use up bits and pieces of leftover fabrics.

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    1. It seems like a long time since I did any improv, so this was a very welcome project! It really is a good way to use odd shaped and scraps of fabric!

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  3. I bet you made great use of those little pieces in the paper piecing and any left over were surely great for the improv center. I like the idea of improv interior surrounded by a more grounded frame. It will be great to see you evolve this idea.

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  4. Your process os fascinating and the result is stunning! I have never done anything improv and I it's one of the many thing I want to try one day. Your project here attracted my attention (among other reasons) as I am planning a quilt for my brother in a blue color scheme - maybe that's where I should experiment with improv. Looking forward to seeing how you quilt it!

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  5. Thanks for sharing your process. Those blues are so pretty together. Improv and paper piecing are not my favorite processes but they sometimes are the best way to get the result you want. Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  6. It's stunning! Only occasionally can I let go enough to feel successful at improv piecing, and never for long enough to create anything big enough to use for anything larger than an insert in a zippered pouch. I'm so impressed with your process. Thanks for sharing! -karen

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  7. Gorgeous! I know it's not the "usual" definition of "improv" in quilting--but I think of almost all of your work as improv. You pick up a piece of fabric without a nailed down plan and create a result completely unique to you :)

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  8. I like your combination of pp and improve--to me it has logic and reason and balance without being staid or predictable, which are pretty much my own standards for a satisfying life. I'm so glad I ran across your blog and your work a long time ago!

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  9. Love all your 'blues' together. I guess if you had fun and it worked, well why not!

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  10. I love all your improv craziness!! It just looks so good! Especially that black mixed with those blues - fantastic!

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  11. Oh Jayne, only you would think of working from the outside in, then on top of that you improvised your paper piecing and ended up with another stunning creation! The great thing about following your blog is I never know what I'm going to get, it's a wild and unpredictable ride. What a fantastic journey.

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  12. I love everything you mentioned pairing...including paper piecing and improv :) I ended up using paper piecing last year to create an improv border in the round robin I participated in. I love how this one turned out and I can't wait to see what type of quilting you add to it!

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  13. Looks great so far ! Once again you're sharing an interesting project !

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  14. Beautiful blues! I would have used PP for improv too! :)

    -Soma

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  15. It looks great. I think the best thing is the limited colors and black, which unify it overall. Plus the little bits of white dots, etc here and there make it lively. Nice experiment with paper piecing. My brain would be totally scrambled.

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  16. This is really cool! I've never tried improv paper piecing (such a contradiction in terms) but now I want to!

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  17. This is so cute! The colors work great together, and I can't really tell the dividing line between the improv and the paper piecing. And it's true that the workspace is never big enough, no matter how big it is!

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  18. I really like this, and I can see a hint of demarcation between the center and border, which I think is interesting. If you want more definition, the quilting might emphasize the difference. I can see the appeal of the combo of paper piecing and improv. Improv tends to paralyze me unless I'm making a quilt back. I'm working on an improv top right now, but my work is looking more structured than free form. I'm determined to finish it anyway. We'll just call it my style of improv.

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  19. I am not naturally drawn to improv, but it is a very relaxing method. I'm not a paper piecer either... But you are a master of both! Looking forward to seeing the finish!

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