Improv Quilting: The modern scrap quilt

One of my favourite piecing techniques is Improv. I come from a fine arts and design background so I love to go off the beaten path. I enjoy the freedom Improv provides. I believe it's quilting for the soul. There are no real rules for Improv quilting. You are basically piecing scraps together in a free-form way. The results are stunning. The textures and all the combined colours can result in a true work of art.

My piece Summer Aspen below was submitted for a new wing at a local hospital. The theme for the submissions was trees. I chose the Aspen tree because I love how Aspen leaves rustle in the wind. Unfortunately, the piece wasn't chosen but I ended up with a very nice quilt for my home.

SUMMER ASPEN by Monica Curry

The strips I used for the tree trunks in Summer Aspen were cut from fabric that was printed from a linocut I made. I wanted each strip to look like an actual Aspen tree.

I liked how this quilt turned out and it hung in my office for a couple of years. I now enjoy it as a sewing machine cover.

My art quilt Closing Time below was shown at the Manitoba Crafts Council Exhibition 2013. The quilt was named after Leonard Cohen's song Closing Time. While I was making the quilt this line from the song kept coming up in my head, "and the men they dance on the polka-dots" because of the polka dot fabric I was using.

CLOSING TIME by Monica Curry

CLOSING TIME (Detail) Photo by L. Norman

Improv Quilting Books

Several years ago I bought Rayna Gillman's book Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts: A Stress-Free Journey to Original Design. I wanted to try something new and push the envelope a little. I also had a ton of little scraps I couldn't bear to throw out. The result was my improv quilt called Summer Aspen (shown above). I really enjoyed making this quilt. Gillman's book is very comprehensive and well written. She provides very good step-by-step directions for her "free-form" quilting technique.

In 2017, Rayna published her new book Create Your Own Improv Quilt: Modern quilting with no rules and no rulers. I haven't bought it yet but from what I can tell her style has changed from her first book.

See more great examples of Improv quilts at my Pinterest board.

How to Accurately Cut Fabric for Foundation Paper Piecing

I love foundation paper piecing (FPP), but one of the most frustrating problems I had when I was a newbie was coming up short. I would be happily piecing my block, go to flip the next section to press it, and crap! It would be too short or too thin or both. Even worse, I'd be pressing a finished block and find a "hole" at a seam where a piece came up short...ugh! I eventually discovered a method that has worked great for me.

I first saw this technique in Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts by RaNae Merrill. I modified it slightly by using freezer paper. It's a simple and foolproof method for cutting your FPP fabric pieces. This method is especially great for when you have multiples of the same block.

INSTRUCTIONS

YOU WILL NEED

• Foundation piecing template that has been mirrored.
• 8½" x 11" sheet of freezer paper
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter
• Quilting ruler
• Fabrics for your block
• Coloured pencils or markers to match your fabrics.

1. Print your template on the dull side of your freezer paper.

2. Colour each section of the template with the fabric colour you want to use for that section. If a section is a white or cream colour, you can make a symbol to represent that colour or leave it blank.

3. Cut out each freezer paper section into separate pieces and lay them on the corresponding fabric with the right side of the fabric facing up. Leave a generous space all the way around each section. Press lightly with a hot iron to get the freezer paper to stick. If you need multiples of the same section, you can place the freezer paper sections on 4 to 5 layers of fabric.

4. With your quilt ruler, cut ¾ inch allowance around each section.

5. All your cut sections should look like this when you're done. They're now ready to be pieced with no surprises. It's important to NOT remove the freezer paper from the top of the stack. Pick up your fabric pieces from the bottom so you will know which piece it is.

DIY Quilter's Ironing Board

HOW TO MAKE A QUILTERS IRONING BOARD

I've used a regular ironing board for quilting my whole life. So, when I started seeing these wide ironing boards for quilting, I knew I had to have one. I wish I'd made one of these years ago because it truly makes a difference when ironing quilt tops. If you have an ironing board, you can make one of these quilting boards yourself in a day.

SUPPLIES

• Standard metal ironing board
• 20" x 55" - 3/8" or 1/2" plywood (No saw? Most hardware stores will cut this for you.)
• [8] screws
• [8] washers
• [1] 26" x 60" cotton duck fabric.
• [1] 24" x 60" insulated batting. (I used Insul-Brite® by Warm Company)
• [2] 24" x 60" 100% cotton quilt batting TOOLS

TOOLS

• Measuring Tape
• Pencil
• Screwdriver
• Handsaw
• Sandpaper
• Staple gun and staples shorter than the thickness of your board

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Measure and mark 1½ inches from the corners of the board. (Fig.1).

Figure 1

2.  Cut this amount off the corner a hand saw. (Fig. 2)


Figure 2

3.  Staple the fabric and batting layers evenly around the edge of the board in this order.
 (Fig. 3)

Layer 1:  Quilt Batting
Layer 2:  Insul-Brite® batting shiny side up
Layer 3:  Dotton Duck 
Layer 4:  Removable cotton ironing board cover.

Figure 3


Figure 3 (Detail)

4.  Place ironing board upside down onto the board top being sure it is lined up correctly.
Mark where each screw will go. (Fig. 4)

Figure 4

5. Screw the screws with the washers through the holes in the mesh. (Fig 5)


Figure 5

6. Tada!! Your new ironing board is now ready to be enjoyed.

My Easter Egg table runner featured at Connecting Threads

This is my second pattern to be kitted by Connecting Threads. It's my Easter Egg Table Topper. The Easter fabric Eggstraordinary by Connecting Threads was perfect for this project. Buy the kit at Connecting Threads.  Buy the pattern HERE.

Tips for Sorting Your Fabric Scraps

Well, another new year has begun. All the Christmas decorations are put away, the turkey leftovers are eaten, and life has fallen back into a regular routine. This is the time of year that I like to tidy my studio and get it ready for the days ahead. It's also the perfect time to purge some of my scrap fabrics and get them ready for scrap quilts.

When I first started sorting scraps, I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I now follow a few simple rules I learned along the way.

1. Have a scrap basket handy to throw unused cut-offs. I keep mine under my cutting table..

2. I consider anything smaller than a Fat Quarter (18" x 22") a scrap.

3. Cut scraps in various sized squares. I cut an assortment of squares for nine-patch blocks in the following sizes: 5", 2¾",  and 2".  See my post on how to do this How To Cut Scraps for 9-Patch Quilt Blocks 

4. You'll be amazed at how fast your square supply grows. Keep your squares in a storage container.

5. Keep leftover fabric strips to use for string quilts. I this container from the dollar store.

Download the FREE PDF pattern CHECKER BOARD SCRAPPY MINI QUILT PATTERN

HERE ARE SOME EXCELLENT SOURCES THAT HELPED ME GET MY SCRAPS ORGANIZED

How to Make a Scrap Quilt Like a Pro

Sorting, Saving and Using Fabric Scraps
Fabric-Organizing Ideas for Scraps (excerpt from S is for Scraps by Gayle Bong)

Holiday Magic Wall Quilt Pattern

Talk about getting a pattern project finished under the wire. I really wanted to have the pattern launch done for my Holiday Magic wall quilt long before Christmas, but Christmas preparations and our new puppy took up most of my time. I love, love, love this pattern and I think you will too. It's made up of simple foundation piecing and fusible web applique. I think it would be stunning in any Christmas fabric. Anyone with basic applique and foundation piecing skills will have no trouble doing this up quickly.

We had our own special "holiday magic" this Christmas. Here is our little Pomeranian-cross puppy, Teddy. We adopted him a few weeks ago, and he's settling in quite well although Sophie can be a little impatient with him.

Our new puppy Teddy

Teddy in his favourite hiding place under the coffee table.

Make Your Own Fat Quarter Boxes

Like most quilters, my fabric stash often fills up faster than I can store it, ending up with me not knowing what I have or what I don't have. Thankfully, I love organizing and having a place for everything and everything in its place.

I normally buy fat quarters and charm packs for my projects, so I needed a storage solution that would keep them nicely organized and in plain sight. After much experimenting, I came up with a box that's perfect for storing fat quarters and charm packs.

YOU WILL NEED

• Download the Fat Quarter Storage Box template HERE
• Printer
• [1] 24"x 36" cardboard sheet, cut into two 24" x 18" sheets. (Cardboard sheets can be purchased at any art store).
• tape (I used masking tape)
• double-sided tape
• spray glue or large glue stick
• pencil
• utility knife

MAKING THE BOX TEMPLATE

1. Print the [4] four template pieces.

2. Cut along the inner edges of the template pieces.
3. Line up the pieces using the dots then tape together. Do not overlap. (Fig 1)

4. With spray glue or a glue stick, glue the assembled template to the first sheet of cardboard. (Fig 2)



5. With a utility knife, carefully cut out the template along the outer edges.

HOW TO MAKE THE FAT QUARTER BOX

1. Pin the template to the second cardboard sheet; you maybe don't want to use your best pins for this. Trace the template and carefully cut out this piece with a utility knife.

2. Lightly score the cardboard on the dotted lines on the template.

3. Gently bend the box at the scored lines.

4. Using double-sided tape or glue, join the flaps to the outside of the box and add pressure to be sure the glue sticks. 

This isn't the prettiest box I admit, but it does the job. You could spray paint it, cover it with Mactac, or use nicer cardboard.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Candy Carousel Table Runner

My newest pattern, Candy Carousel, was inspired by Christmas peppermint candies. This table runner pattern is simple and modern. It would make an excellent project for the confident beginner. Pattern includes instructions for making quick pinwheel blocks.