Making Improv Bits, and Snakes

My friend Elizabeth @occasionalpiece and I recently swapped emails discussing the merits of value, as it relates to fabric, and how each of us learned about the importance of it. She learned as a teaching assistant while working in a black and white photo lab (remember those the days of film?). I learned as a new quilt maker, but didn't embrace the importance of value until I began teaching beginner quiltmaking in 2002.

In the first lesson to new quilters, I explain that not only should they look for fabrics in pleasing-to-the-eye color combination, but also the roles played by different scales, contrast, and values. You probably already know this, but newer quilters are most often attracted to the color blue, and most quilters are attracted to and buy fabrics in the medium value range. 

All this leads me to a refresher about value, that was reiterated by Maria Shell during my September workshop, and in her book Improv Patchwork where she devotes several pages to color and value.

When I selected colors for my next improv quilt, I trialed values too. At least a half dozen color combinations and values were arranged and photographed before I settled on these. All fabrics are Painter's Palette solids except for the fifth one from the left. That's Kona Wabi Sabi.

I began stacking colors in value order. Once I was happy with them in a black and white picture, I mixed up the values to ensure that each one stands up well against the piece beside it. That's what settled this color combo for me. 

You'll see I have black (far left) there. I never use black in my quilts (except for black and white stripe, usually as binding), so I'm leaving that as an optional fabric in this quilt. 

I'm cutting everything without the use of a ruler. That is, except for the last squaring-up of each block. 

The first "bits" - Maria's term for different methods of piecing improv patterns - I made were "dots." Again, Maria's term. I followed her instructions to the letter to make 16-dot blocks. 

Then, I made more - 25-dot blocks. 

Next I made three sets of "ribbons," following suggested fabric width combinations from workshop hand-outs, and which also appeared in the October/November 2017 issue of Quilting Arts magazine, a copy of which was graciously mailed to me by my friend Deb in Iowa. 

Combining dots and ribbons make these. I think I'll make more of them because I like them so much!

Next came "short row stripes" that I intentionally cut wonky for greater interest.

I like this 16" X 16" Cornered Quilt Block from the latest issue of the MQG's "Modern Monthly."

Maybe it will work into this improv quilt.  

So, these are the improv bits now on my design wall. Those ribbons will need to be cut into a smaller size. I don't yet know how all these bits are going to go together, but I'm not ready to arrange them. Because I want this to be large, useable quilt, I'll make more bits before I start playing. The next piece(s) I'll make will be "plaid" fabric, again, according to the Improv Patchwork book. 

Because I've been using my last Sench needle to bury quilting threads, I have been on the hunt for where to buy more. Happily, I found them in my friend Lora's Etsy shop: Dragonfly Quiltworks. I stocked up! And also bought this wideback "Grunge Hits the Spot" fabric as backing for my postage stamp quilt. 

Our Florida skies have been especially pretty lately. This was taken Thursday afternoon. I could have looked skyward for way too long. 

Dan was startled this morning to step out the front door and find a snake crossing our entry sidewalk! In fact, there were two of them, each about 30" long, racing around our front landscaping! A service person at the neighbor's house saw us looking startled and came over to look and explained that the snakes - he'd never seen two of them together! - are Black Racers, and that though they bite humans, they aren't poisonous. Well, that's a relief. 

After briefly stepping outside to take pictures, the photo below was taken from the safety of my sewing room! Mr. Snake was literally winding its way up the center and through the branches of a Princess bush. I guess these snakes are good to have around because we've noticed a decrease in the gecko population. 

Book Recommendation

When we were gone, in Kansas City, book-listening time was limited so I didn't finish this one until we returned home. But oh boy, it's good!

Virgil Wander by Lief Enger is about Virgil Wander who lives in the once-thriving ore town of Greenstone, Minnesota, on the shore of Lake Superior. The story begins with Virgil's car flying off an icy road and plunging into the lake. He survives, but he isn't quite the same. Virgil lives sort of a plodding-along life as city clerk, while running a fading movie theater. He interacts with people we get to know - the widow and son of a locally famous baseball player; a renown, yet unusual movie producer; an enthusiastic town mayor; a couple with marital problems; the Pea family, two of whom are sturgeon fishermen; and Rune who visits Greenstone to town to learn about his missing son and fly kites.

Midwesterners will appreciate the infusion of a Minnesota accent as narrated by MacLeod Andrew. This would be an excellent book club book to review for understanding human character and life values.

Linda's score: 4.6/5.0

Linda