Tag: Improv

Black Improv Progresses

Black Improv - Sept. 2025
Black Improv – Sept. 2025

I have been working diligently on the Black Improv. Surprisingly it is getting quite large. Not king-sized or anything, but large for one of my donation quilts.

After having this piece languish for a long time, I thought it would be a chose to finish it. Even though I am not finished yet, I am having fun working on it. So many stripes!!

I am using the strips I cut for color strip blocks to make the quilt bigger and to make the piecing a little easier. I know I will make more black scraps at some point, so why not?

At the widest and tallest points in the photo above, the piece is 38w x 35l. It is getting to be the size I like giving to the Community Giving project.

Black Improv Progresses

Black Improv in process
Black Improv in process

I haven’t made much progress on this piece, but I haven’t given on it either. After I posted about the most recent Color Improv finishes, I got some nice feedback and decided to get back to this piece.

I had a couple of the strip blocks and I decided to add them to the piece so as to make it larger sooner. 

It has been a struggle, because I have the half 16 patch blocks for the next Sidewalk quilt as leaders and enders as well as the Four Patch Fun piecing. 

So much quilty goodness!!

 

Improv Pieces Finished

Grey Improv quilted & bound
Grey Improv quilted & bound

I wasn’t able to make the guild meeting on the 17th, but Lee Ann was kind enough to send me some photos of the recently finished quilts.

The grey looks really great. This grey improv quilt is one of my favorites. I am kind of sad to see it go to some random person. I am sure that person will appreciate it.

Since I have been using quite a bit of grey recently, I expect to work on another in the not too distant future. 

 

Green Improv #2 quilted and bound
Green Improv #2 quilted and bound

The recent green one is also finished. It is not a favorite, but I know someone will like it. 

I really appreciate the other guild members’ efforts in finishing these. It allows me to do the parts I enjoy.

 

Blue Improv #2 Finished

Blue Improv Donation top - finished
Blue Improv Donation top – finished

The blue improv top and back are finished and delivered to the community giving team.

I am not sure about the border, but I wanted it bigger and it is too late to go back now.

The border also kind of stabilizes all that improv piecing and bias edges.

Blue Improv #2 back
Blue Improv #2 back

I am doing quite a bit of rummaging in my fabric bins, so there are some interesting fabrics on the back.

I enjoy these improv pieces and may need to get back to the Black Improv piece pretty soon.

Continuing the Blue Improv

Blue Improv #2 - early July 2025
Blue Improv #2 – early July 2025

This piece is at the painfully growing stage since the last time I showed it. The rest of my blue scraps are either very small or weirdly shaped, which makes it hard to use them. I am trying to use as many of them as I can, despite the problems. I am not sure the piece will be big enough for a donation top. It might be close and I’ll have to figure what to do with it if it is.

Blue Improv #2 Grows

Blue Improv #2
Blue Improv #2

While I worked on the Chain Link top, I used blue improv piecing as leaders and enders. I am really enjoying watching the improv piece grow as my blue scrap pile shrinks.

I still have a big pile of pieces that I am working on enlarging. As the scrap pile shrinks it gets harder to match up pieced units and make them bigger. Still, I seem to be doing it and I am having fun. 

More Blue Improv

Blue Improv chunks
Blue Improv chunks

I have slowed down a little on the Blue Strip blocks, mostly because I am running out of strips. I am, however, putting smaller pieces of fabric together to make chunks of improv piecing for another Blue Improv donation top. The chunk on the left is the largest piece so far, but I am making progress on others as well. 

My blue scrap bin is emptier. I can close it now.

Blue Strips

Blue Strip blocks
Blue Strip blocks

I finished enough of the blue strip blocks to make another Sidewalk quilt. This will be the third blue strip donation quilt I have made! Apparently, I use a lot of blue. I am really excited to try the Sidewalk pattern with these strip blocks.

This is not all of the strips blocks I need. It is the group I put up on the design wall as I was making them. 

I have made a little dent in my blue scrap drawer. I can probably close it now. I plan to keep making these blocks until I have used most of the strips. I did find that a lot of the scraps are smaller than 4.5 inch strips, so another blue improv donation quilt is in my future, too.

Trash to Treasure

Cyndi has been working on the donation top that she and Tim made when we had our Sew Day at her house.

She brought it to Sew Day last week so we all could see what she had done.

Cyndi's donation quilt
Cyndi’s donation quilt

OMG! She did a fantastic job quilting it. The improv grid is a perfect quilting design. The quilt came out so much better than any of us ever anticipated.

It really is made up of parts that Cyndi was going to toss. This is such a great outcome.

Grey Improv Finished

Grey Improv Donation top finished
Grey Improv Donation top finished

I have finally finished the Grey Improv donation top and back. It has taken awhile, though much of the time was it hanging on the design wall going nowhere.

I did a good job working through my odd sized grey scraps, which is the whole point of the exercise. I am even more convinced that improv works much better in a monochromatic palette. I think that a complementary color scheme would work as well. I haven’t tried that I think the quilt would end up being bed sized.

Grey Improv back
Grey Improv back

This quilt is about 45 in. x 45 in., which is on the large size for a baby quilt, but definitely kid sized. Also, in this color scheme I could imagine it working well for a boy.

I used the leftovers from two quilts for the back: the Hugs and a Kiss quilt and the Half Hexie Star. Good use of some good fabrics.

Grey Improv Returns

Grey Improv continues
Grey Improv continues

After finishing the White Strips #3 donation top, I needed another leaders and enders project.

This grey improv scrap top has hung on my small design wall for almost a year. I am shocked at that! I didn’t realize how much time had flown by.

My grey-black-brown drawer isn’t crammed full, but it isn’t empty either and I decided that I need to work on this project to get it off the design wall and to someone who needs it. Also, it will be a relatively quick win on my fabric used spreadsheet.

At the moment, as leaders and enders, I am sewing together all the scraps that are not strips. I am sewing them into pieces that I can then sew on to the top above. You can see pieces I have placed, but not sewn. They are just temporarily in place until I can add more pieces to them to make a unit large enough to expand the top. It’s a lot of piecing, because the pieces are small.

The main piece I have already sewn together is about 32 inches wide. I need another 10  inches, at least. I’ll probably have to dig into the strips to make the quilt big enough.

White Strips #3 Progress

White Strips #2 in process
White Strips #2 in process

I am making excellent progress on White Strips #3. Since I couldn’t get it done for the meeting, I want to get it done for the Retreat. I only had snatches of time between work and taking care of my mom. Even small bits of time make progress.

After sewing the cornerstones and sashing together then sewing to the blocks, I was able to assemble the top. Chunking really makes the whole process go fast.

Now I plan to put some small borders on. It is already, without the borders 43 in. x 47 in. I like my donation quilts on the larger side. I also need to make the back.

Ends n.20 Top Finished

Ends n.20 top finished
Ends n.20 top finished

I did finish the Ends n.20 top and back in time to take it to the guild sew day to hand in.

I cut the piece in half and rearranged the strips as I described the other day. I think it looks a little better, but it isn’t perfect. I know someone will like it and it is certainly improv!

I used a large piece of a sea green solid with some added white strips to make the back.

I have only one more set of strips to use up, though I should be getting some quilts back soon.

Ends n.19 in Process

Ends n.19 in process
Ends n.19 in process

Cyndi gave me a few yards of white from an estate sale trove of fabric she got, thus I decided to use white on this quilt.

I know white for a donation top is a bad idea as it will get dirty, but a design wants what a design wants.

I have one more section to sew before I decide if it needs to be larger. Without the left hand section sewn, the top is about 40 in. x 40 in. at the moment. I might not want a white strip on the end. We will see.