Improv(s) and Max Update

On Instagram, a follower asked me to share process pictures on my latest improv quilt - the one made in August with Shannon and Amanda's #30daysofimprovqal. 

Since I'm not the sort of creator who has a gift for whipping out a cohesive improv design, it's taking a couple weeks to pull together the 28 blocks I made in August. The block shapes I'm working with are: stripes, "Ls", triangles, and curves. This is the first photo of them all together. 

After seeing them like this, it was obvious that background fabric was needed to open up the design. Painter's Palette Limelight (solid) is background.

Every iteration is a little different. The unit in the center left - the purple and green check with skinny strips between two checkerboards - is giving me angst. It's been moved and taken out several times because I can't work out where it should go. 

This picture is without that unit.

Here, the unit is at the top. But it's becoming more apparent that it need to be be cut up further. I'm also not happy with the cluster of lavender shapes in the bottom center. Though it's been joined, it may still get cut up to add more limelight background. 

So this is how it is on my design wall as of moments ago. No doubt it will change, as I am also striving to make it larger. 

Being the project-hopper everyone knows I am, I've had my hands on two other quilts in the past few days. 

I'm thrilled to share that I finished quilting and hand-appliquéing 58 circles onto my 67" X 83" maximalist quilt! What a relief to have completed the most challenging part of this quilt. I trimmed-off some of the excess backing and batting, gave the quilt a wash in the machine with Orvus paste, and after a brief tumble in the dryer, laid it out on my freshly-scrubbed floor to gently tug and pat into shape. I'm thrilled with how it looks! Maximalist, I think. 

Considering several options for binding, I decided black and white striped would look best, though I did briefly consider other striped colors. What happened as I auditioned black and white stripes is that inspiration struck! If "more is more" in a maximalist quilt, why did I need to stick with ONE black and white stripe? I have varying widths of stripes, so why not use two of them? 

I did a little math to work out how long to cut each striped piece (2¼" X about 8") to make a nice alternating pattern - narrow, wide, narrow, wide, and so on - around the quilt perimeter.

I followed my favorite binding method - No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine - that can be found as my tutorial here. If you're a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, you can find instructions in the MQG Resources Library. As you can see in this photo, I join strips at the corners of a quilt, with a machine-sewn miter. 

With the binding sewn on, and all four corners miter-stitched, it's ready for trimming. 

I've also had my hands on Alternate Route again - the improv quilt I made during a virtual Dancing With the Wall workshop with Irene Roderick - gosh, back in April! I'm big stitch hand quilting and already used-up a skein of Cosmos six-strand lavender-colored embroidery floss. Now I'm trying to use-up this ball of royal blue-colored size 8 perle cotton. I'm close!

Book Recommendation

Oh my, I have quite a difficult recommendation to write! And I have very mixed feelings about sharing this one. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros is the first book in a series identified as "The Empyrean #1." It's a fantasy about 20-somethings who live in a dystopian world inhabited by dragons, magic, and special powers. Violet is the daughter of a general (female general), and though Violet would prefer to become a Scribe, her general-mother forces her to attend War College where she will be trained to defend and protect their country as a Rider... of a dragon.

Though tiny and frail, Violet is quick with daggers, so her first year of school is about overcoming her fears, enduring, and trying to strengthen and improv herself as dozens around her die trying. In her squad, she makes a new girlfriend, Rhiannon; is glad to see a family friend from her youth, Dain; and can't help but be attracted to their 23 year-old wing leader, Xayden. 

When the day comes for each student to be dragon-selected - each dragon chooses its rider - Violet is as shocked as everyone when the largest dragon ever seen chooses her. So begins Violet's flight training, learning what special shield (power) has been gifted to her, and war maneuvers. 

Okay... I really enjoyed the story though admittedly it took me a few chapters to get into it. Initially I thought it was too fantastical, but then I found hints of Beatrice (Divergent) and Katniss (Hunger Games), so I got into it a little more. However, my recommendation comes with two warnings:

1. The "f" word is used conversationally. I don't understand why authors seem to be making that word-use commonplace when it doesn't enhance the story, but I'm old-fashioned like that.
2. They aren't kidding when the book itself states: "contains mature themes." I haven't read a book with this much lusty detail since the late 1970s when us young mothers thought it was provocative to read books by Kathleen Woodiwiss! Anyone else remember her books? The Flame and the Flower; The Wolf and the Dove; Shanna; Ashes in the Wind. Steamy! Passionate! Romantic! I still remember one Iowa friend (also with small children) who threatened to commit a petty crime so she could be jailed  - and thereby have time alone to read, away from her kids! Ha, ha. 

Anyway, I'm recommending Fourth Wing with a strong caution for sexual content. 

Linda's score: 4.1/5.0

Linda