Trying Something New: Improv Quilting

Hi Friends!

How are you all doing during our time of staying safe/staying healthy/staying home? I hope you are able to find time to have some fun with your quilting.

For me, since I work from home everyday, my day to day routine is not drastically different. But it feels different. Before the stay at home order, I could decide to jump in the car and head to a local coffee joint, grab a cup and do some work on my computer there, just for a change of venue.

Before, I would be getting ready to go lecture at a guild, teach a class at the local quilt shop and be prepping for the big quilt trade show in May, Quilt Market. But all those things are cancelled.

Online Improv Quilting Class thru my Guild

Last week, my quilt guild was able to hold its April meeting by doing a Zoom meeting. The guest lecturer worked with the guild board and was able to present her lecture and share slides of her quilts. It worked out great!

And because I was not doing all that prep work to teach my own classes and lectures, I was able to take the time to take her class, presented over Zoom! The class was by Sherri Lynn Wood and she teaches improv quilting. I decided to use small bits of hand dyed fabric that I made a few years ago with a friend. Most pieces were less than a fat eighth, but some I had a bit more.

Now, if you know me, I don’t do a lot of improv quilting. And this class was wedge curves done improv! 

She talked about not planning out the whole quilt, just committing to one step at a time.

What???? I am a quilt designer- I plan! I design! I tweak and adjust! Not know what the end will look like and just go forth and add stuff? 

I was not in my comfort zone.

But I did it. And here is my improv quilting. 

I committed to getting the top done and not letting it sit, partially done in the huge pile of UFOs currently stored in the basement. Yay! Now I just need to quilt it.

I am going call it Seasons of a Pandemic. The 4 different colored wedges look like the 4 different seasons to me. My feelings about this pandemic seem to go thru cycles, just like the seasons- feeling things fading and going out of control, feeling despair, feeling more optimistic, feeling positive ….

I am so glad I decided to step out of comfort zone and try something new. While it may not be a technique I use often, learning a new technique was really gratifying. I did it!

Happy quilting,

Kate

Retreat from Home

Speaking of trying something new, I am going to part of  an online quilt retreat called Sew in Your Jammies 2020– presented by Retreat from Home!

 

Since we can’t attend quilt retreats in person right now, this is a great way to connect with other quilters, sew together while staying safe and learn some new techniques!

And now that I took a quilt class on Zoom, I know it is going to be amazing! Click here to go the Retreat From Home website, sign up for the newsletter so you can get more information once the website goes live! 

The retreat will be June 5th – 7th; there will be classes that you can choose to attend, games, raffles, open sewing rooms and even an optional  stretch break with a professional yoga instructor!

Who will be the instructors? Myself, Joanne Hillestad of Fat Quarter Gypsy and Swirly Girls Design, Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works, Ebony Love of LoveBug Studios (the event coordinator!) and Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis!

I will be teaching my pillow or mini quilt pattern- HeadRest! A fun quick project.

Here is a headRest pillow made by a student in one of my classes, Eileen Maelzer.

She added embroidery to it- isn’t it amazing??????

Click here to go sign up for the retreat newsletter! I hope you can join us in June!

Spring Clean Your Studio Blog Hop

Have you been following along and checking out all the blog posts from designer’s who have been doing a little spring cleaning?

It has been so fun to see everyone’s sewing space and what they have done to make it work a little bit better for them. Click here to see my post and here to get the complete list of blogs!

New Free Pattern

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 I have a new free pattern when you sign up! Click below to grab yours!