Working from a Score, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters

One of my favorite quilters, Sherri Lynn Wood has a new book!  A few years ago, at the Stitch Modern 2013 show, Sherri gave a talk about working improvisationally that blew the minds of everyone in the audience.  We all left the lecture that dark and rainy night, completely energized and ready to go out and create new work in a new way.  What was it that she was talking about?  Well, it's all in her new book, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters.

The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters: A Guide to Creating, Quilting, and Living Courageously

Although I was already deep into making improvisational work when I heard the lecture, I didn't really have a language in which to talk about it so that other people could understand how I did what I did.  I could show them how to do it, but talking about it wasn't really my thing.  I really appreciate how Sherri can interpret the way that she works and helps others to see a new way of approaching a project.  You can see clear evidence of this in her "Test Score" gallery.  She put out a call on her blog for participants who would like to create quilts based on the different "scores" that would be featured in her new book.  There were hundreds of applicants, of which, I was one!  The variety of work created is wonderful and some of it is breath-taking.  Of course, not all of them could be included in the book, but you can see them all online.  The diversity and creativity of the work is quite amazing.

I created my quilt, Northwest, based on the Score for Modern Block Improv.  The block I was focused on was "flying geese."  I love triangles, so I was happy!  I played with it for awhile, and I came up with my Northwest quilt. 

Northwest by Stacey Sharman

Northwest, detail

Because I didn't stick with incorporating only flying geese blocks, (part of my improv process is breaking rules!), my quilt was included in the Score for Showing Up, score #9, in the book.

The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters is a beautiful book, and I'm so proud and happy to have been included in it!  (You can also check me out on page 49 with my Improv Round Robin quilt!)  If you would like a chance to win a copy of your very own, and your shipping address is in the US, enter a comment below and tell me what rule you've broken lately!  I'll randomly choose a winner on May 22nd.

Follow along with the Improv Handbook Blog Hop and find out more about how other quilters created work from a score:

May 2: Sew Mama Sew – Score for Floating Squares Gallery
May 4 STC Craft – Score for Rhythmic Grid Gallery
May 4: Plaid Portico – Score for Strings Gallery
May 6: During Quiet Time – Test Quilter Amy Friend
May 8: Wise Craft Handmade – Score for Get Your Curve On Gallery
May 11: Studio Notes – Test Quilter Penny Gold
May 13: Quiltville – Score for Modern Block Improv Gallery
May 15: Peppermint Pinwheels – Test Quilter Stacey Sharman
May 18: Quirky Quilts – Test Quilter Kim McPeake
May 20: PoppyPrintCreates – Score for Patchwork Doodle Gallery
May 22: The Last Piece – Test Quilter Sara Fielke
May 25: Cauchy Complete – Score for Layered Curves Gallery
May 26: Diary of a Quilter – Score for Bias Strip Petals Gallery
May 28: Getting Stitched on the Farm –Score for Improv Round Robin Gallery
May 29: Spoonflower – Score for Showing Up Gallery
May 30: Fresh Modern Quilts – Test Quilter Rossie Hutchinson

Getting Ready for Stitch Modern

I hang out with this great group of people who call themselves the East Bay Modern Quilt Guild.  Last year, we decided to have a little show where we could hang up our quilts and show our friends and family just how cool we are. We called the show, Stitch Modern.

Stitch Modern 2012

Everyone had lots of fun, so, we've decided to do it again!  Of course, even though we have had the past year to prepare, we all function much better under pressure, so we're still putting the finishing touches on the schedule...and on our quilts!  I just pulled mine off the longarm, so it still needs binding, and a proper photo shoot, but I'll give you a sneak peek.

The Stitch Modern opening will be on Saturday, February 2nd from 6 until 9.  If you live anywhere within driving distance, get there!  It's going to be a great time and the quilts are going to be amazing! (Don't believe me?  You can see pictures of some of the early entries on our Flickr page, as well as see all the fun we had last year.)

*Just a little post-script, because I don't want to make anyone jealous or anything, but congratulations to Margaret who won the Craft-A-Day book!  You'll be getting it soon, Margaret!!

Making: Free Bee - February

Another month gone, another Free Bee block turned in late.  I think I have a hard time following the rules when it comes to quilting.  The instruction for the block (given by Mari Haak, herself a VERY inspiration quilter herself!) was to base your inspiration on an urban photograph and use neutral, darker tones.  Her suggestion was to study the work of Elizabeth Barton, to see how she interprets landscape in fabric.  I think that's where I went astray...instead of focusing on a photograph, I decided to take my inspiration from another textile artist, Karen Goetzinger and a piece of Marimeko fabric.

Free Bee Block for Mari

Here is what I came up with.  You can see how others interpreted the challenge over on Flickr.  I'm not crazy about mine and wish I had more time to play with it, but even though February gave me an extra day, I've run out of time and must send it off!

String Thing Along

My Collaboration Quilt is on the String Thing Along blog today.  Head over there and check out the wonderful things quilters are doing with their scraps!  My favorite so far is the Spider Web and Stars post.





Thank you, Brenda, for coordinating such an inspiring site!

Making: A Collaboration

A friend and I have been collaborating on a baby quilt.  The baby celebrated her first birthday months ago.  It's really time we finished this thing up!

Collaboration Quilt

All that is left is to do is the quilting and then to pop it in the mail.  But, wouldn't you know...my sewing machine has suddenly decided to be a diva.  So, I get to spend tomorrow searching for replacement parts as opposed to quilting.  BOOOOO!

Making: The Embers Quilt

The Embers Quilt is finished!  It's the latest sample for my Confetti Quilts class, so I rushed it down to the shop and hung it on the wall.  I barely even had time to take a picture of it!  I think it photographs nicely next to the blazing red wall of the New Pieces class room.

If you are interested in learning how to make your own Confetti Quilt and live in the SF Bay area, I'm teaching the next class on March 7 & 14, 2012, 10 AM - 12 PM at New Pieces in Berkeley, CA.  It's fun - I promise!

Making: Free Bee - January

Let the piecing begin!  I've completed my first block for my first online-based quilting bee. 

Free Bee January Block

Luckily for me, the group I'm in is called the "Free Bee," and blocks are meant to be improvisational in nature.  I know I can handle that!  At least, I thought I could...this is the January block, and it's now February.  This should have been on it's way to it's new owner at least a week ago!

Making: The Code Quilt

This was supposed to be the backing of the Embers quilt.  I made it using a bunch of the scraps left behind while making that top, but, I've decided I like it too much for it to go on the back.  It will be its own quilt.  I think I'll call it "Code."

It is very big.  Much bigger than this photo shows, really.  I'll try to get a better picture of it once it's been quilted!

Making: The Embers Quilt

I started working on this quilt in my last Confetti Quilts class.  I fell in love with the Kona Charcoal fabric I used.  It's not black, but a veeerrrry deep grey.  I'm calling it "The Embers Quilt" because the little bits of bright scraps add kind of a bright, burning look.  At least, that's what I think!

Teaching: Improvisational Confetti Class

A couple of weeks ago, I taught my Improvisational Confetti Quilt class for the first time.  Because I often work in an improvisational way, not planning before I cut, or worrying too much about how I sew it together, I forget about how hard it can be to step away from "perfection."  I always have a great time in class telling people to "just cut it!" and yelling across the room, "put down that seam ripper!"  (I promise, my classed ARE fun - not scary...right?!) Sometimes my students listen to me, but sometimes, they struggle with being afraid to go "off pattern" and letting wonderful things happen organically.

Confetti Quilt Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop, October 2011

 

In this class, some may have had a bit of a struggle, but look how beautifully the work came out! 

Ah well, I might be more comfortable with improvisational quilting, but I bet all you perfectionists that think ten steps ahead would kick my butt at chess.

I pulled an all-nighter!

Well, I didn't actually stay up all night, but it was close!  I'm a big fan of sleep, so you know it's important if I'm staying up late and waking up early.  I'll just come out and admit it, I went on vacation, over-committed myself, and fell a bit behind on my obligations. But, although I'm a bit sleepy today, I'm happy to say, I finished!!!

Confetti Quilt

Here's my new Confetti Quilt.  It's totally scrappy and lovely and I'll be teaching a class on how to make it in October!

You can see more pictures on Flickr!

Teaching: Classes, cake, and more classes!

This first official week of summer has been so busy! My son's out of school, so summer camp has begun, I have had great friends visiting from out of town, it was my birthday (I love yummy birthday treats!), I took a class, and I taught a class. Whew! Just typing that makes me tired. So, with all that going on, I haven't had much of a chance get any real sewing done...but the ladies in my latest Improvisational Basketweave class did!

Improvisational Basketweave Class at New Pieces Quilt Shop

I never get tired of watching people create.  It's wonderful to see the different color and fabric combinations that people bring to class.  This was a great group, and we had such a great time!  If you'd like to see the pictures in detail, click on over to my Flickr set!

Completed: A Couple of Different Basketweave Quilts

I'm teaching a new class in June and made a few quilts to demonstrate the pattern. 

A bright and springy green and white quilt

A moodier green and white quilt

Same blocks, mostly the same fabric, really different quilts!

Yeah Bloggers' Quilt Festival Time!

Teaching: Student Success!

One of my quilting students brought in her completed Split Log Cabin quilt.  Isn't it great?  Can you guess where she might have gotten some inspiration?

Gail with her split log cabin quilt.

I love her quilting. She did this on her home machine!

Interested in making one of your own?  See my list of classes to see when I'm teaching next!

Teaching: A wonky good time!

I'll get back to the quilt-making rampage I referred to in my previous post tomorrow (or perhaps the next day!) as I have 2 new quilts to show off, but first I want to share some pictures from my last improvisational quilt class!

Lots of sewing!

And designing!

These ladies were so much fun.  I'm always amazed at how each person interprets the class in a different way and each quilt is so unique to the quilt-maker.  One of my students, Elena, started a quilt in the first class and had it finished (mostly!) AND selected for a show by the next class!   

Elena's selected quilt is in the center, the one to the left of it is the one she started on between class sesssions!

A Visit to the American Folk Art Museum

After giving my 7 year old son the camera at the Met, I realized that was the key to keeping him interested and occupied at the museum while I'm looking at the exhibits. So, I let him take more pictures at the Folk Art Museum. He took these shots specifically for me to use as quilting designs.  Great idea!

Ball Point Pen Drawings by Eugene Von Bruenchenhein

These are pen drawings by the outsider artist, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein.  Actually, a guard came over and explained that we weren't supposed to be photographing them.  But the pictures were already taken, and I think they're neat, so I'm sharing.

A few other highlights of the museum:

Improvisational Quilts

Cute strawberry applique

Even cuter dog applique - Pugs, perhaps?

I've also been a huge fan of Paula Nadelstern's work and I was excited to finally get to see one of her Kaleidoscope quilts in person.  I've tried making one of these myself, and got as far as one block.  Her process is so exact and intense.  I like a challenge, but it's hard for me to see the big picture when working with such tiny bits.

Paula Nadelstern's Kaleidoscope quilt

Inspiration: Wonky Pineapples from Japan

I love pineapple quilts. I've made a few (silk & star), I love them so much.

But I it never occurred to me to use the pattern in an improvisational way.  Once again, the Japanese quilters leave me speechless!

Picture by Moving Hands from Tokyo International

Detail

I can't wait to try to make my own "wonky pineapple" quilt.

In Progress: Improvisational Split Log Cabin in Red and White

While teaching my class on improvisational quilting, I made a class sample!

My class sample

The top is finished, now I just need to make the backing and put it together.

Teaching: Improvisational Quilting Class, Part II

We wrapped up the second session of my Split Log Cabin class on Saturday (you can see pictures from the first class here).  Since everyone had finished their homework, we were able to move into the process of finalizing our designs and finishing our quilt tops.  It was so exciting to see how everyone's quilts came together!

For more detail, see these on Flickr.

Most of the students were able to finish putting on the interior sashes of the quilt before the end of class, and some had even started on outer borders.

I hope everyone sends me pictures of their finished quilts!

Inspiration: Sujata Shah

A couple days ago, Sujata from the Root Connection did a feature on her blog about my quilts.  What an honor!  I've been admiring her quilts through flickr as well and decided to return the love.  A girl who loves color, does strippy circles and stripey stripe quilts from reclaimed materials is a girl after my own heart!  She also designs patterns!  My favorite design that she has a pattern for is Wagon Wheels.

1. Wagon Wheel, 2. String Quilt, 3. Shirts from the Goodwill Store, 4. Inspiration from Gee's Bend