Dancing with the Wall: Quickstep with Irene Roderick (an Improv Quilt Workshop)

Improvisational quilting, often called improv quilting, is an approach to quilt-making that emphasizes experimentation, intuition, and spontaneity over following a predetermined pattern. (I posted a whole gallery of improv quilting inspiration HERE.) Rather than carefully measuring and cutting pieces to fit a specific design, improv quilters make creative decisions as they work, allowing the composition to evolve organically. Shapes, colors, and pieced sections are often arranged in response to one another, creating quilts that feel dynamic, personal, and expressive. While improv quilting embraces freedom and discovery, it still relies on design principles such as balance, contrast, rhythm, and composition to create a cohesive finished piece.

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Improv Quilt Progress

I took a live online quilting class with Irene Roderick last week.  Over the course of a week, we were to create a two-color improv quilt top.  I picked blue and yellow (and rebelled a bit and added a third color).

Take a peek at my progress (click on any image to make it larger):

And here it is all stitched together:

I’m quite pleased with where I ended up, even if I did end up grabbing a third color.  Rules were meant to be broken, after all. 

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Totally Abstract

You can see that I completely dismantled my design between photos 3 and 4. 

It looked too much like houses or silos or something recognizable.  I wanted something truly abstract. It’s actually surprisingly difficult to keep it abstract. We want to see recognizable objects. Or perhaps I’ve spent too long gazing at funny shaped clouds?

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Final Thought

I haven’t determined whether I will actually finish this improv quilt (by quilting it) or if this was simply a really good design exercise.  Either way, I’m very glad that I took the class.  It’s always great to learn something in the company of others!

Thanks for stopping by!