Improv and Other Things

What can I say about Anne Sullivan's "Design As You Go" workshop? Well, for me it was great!

You can tell by Anne's presentation style that she's a college professor.

Anne Sullivan - PlayCrafts

Anne's workshop was not a techniques workshop, rather, we learned about different design elements, and how they can be used to make an improv design. I'm like most quilters who probably think that design is all about color, but in fact, shapes, lines, negative space, repetition, balance, asymmetry, and other elements can each play a role.

During the workshop, Anne showed me a picture of this quilt called "35 Sisters." Apparently this represents Pittsburgh's three iconic bridges known as "The Three Sisters." Anyway, it was made as a 2018 QuiltCon Charity Quilt by a group Pittsburg Modern Quilt Guild members. They each made improv blocks cut to the same unfinished dimensions, and then pieced them together. Even though individual blocks are different than one another, as a composition, they work well together.

Just seeing this design technique has given me what I need to make a start on turning grandson Austin's watercolor artwork into an improv quilt. All the fabrics are ruler-free rotary cut and pieced curves. Each block is 5-1/2" X 6-1/2".

Over the past few days I've set aside two quilt tops that need quilting to continue making improv blocks, working toward making this a 60" X 70" quilt. It needs to be completely finished by July 9, the date of our next Central Florida MQG meeting when members are supposed to share their "Inspiration Challenge Quilts."

Improv is a messy business! No one ever talks about that!

So-o... all that said about what I need to do... You also know how good it feels to finish something, right? Well, on Wednesday I had the urge to whip up something, so I did. I made a name badge for myself. It's not because I need one, but because I'd seen these mini hexagon name badges on Instagram. This idea comes from Lorena Uriarte (Lorena_in_Syd) in Sydney, Australia who is selling a Hexie Name Badge Kit for $15 (shipped to the US).

Happily, I know how to print English paper-piecing papers on card stock; trace and color the letters of my name onto fabric; and fussy cut a few prints, so that's what I did. I had to get Florida colors, icons, and palms in there!

Lorena's hexagons are 1/2". I went with 3/8" hexagons, so my finished EPP name tag is 2" high by 4" wide.

I backed it with stiff, fabric-covered fusible interfacing and glue. Now to find just ONE adhesive magnetic strip for wearing it! The office supply store wants me to buy a pack of 25!

As much as I'd like to post a tutorial to share with you about how to make a hexie name badge, I didn't think that would be fair to Lorena whose idea it is, and who is in business selling kits. I didn't like it when an Instagrammer - SpoolsandSpice - took a picture of my Florida quilt on display at the AQS show in Daytona Beach, and then copied my design to make for herself. What made me upset is that she posted this picture of her quilt to her Instagram feed without credit to me - and I'm selling patterns. So, I won't be the person who does that to someone else.

Blogger comments still aren't being emailed to me, nor anyone else who has a blogspot blog. Gosh, it's been 22 days and counting. I'm researching WordPress now! Linda