A little Bit of Improv

Improv piecing is always fun for me.  I was surprised to learn that improv piecing is one of the elements of modern quilting.  Why? you may be asking.  You see, I have never thought of myself as a modern quilter.
The following comes for the Modern Quilt Guild "What is Modern Quilting" pdf.  There is a lot more information there about modern quilting.

MQ Design Elements 

• Use of negative space 

• No borders 

• Minimal 

• Bright and graphic color palettes       

• Improvisational piecing 

• Grid work 

• Asymmetry 

• Modern traditionalism 

• Exaggerated scale •

 Pixelization 

• Texture 

• Less is more

At least some of these are the usual hallmarks of what I like to do, although I do tend to add borders. I love bright and graphic color palettes AND improv piecing.  Here is what I have been working on.

Two improv "blocks" and an improv strip.
Aren't those bits of "snakeskin" batik a fun addition?

 I hope you are noticing the gray fabric in these pieces.  It is an Island Batik solid made from the same fabric used for the batiks. It is more densely woven which results in less fraying.  It also comes in a black and a white version.  I absolutely love using it.

On this section of the improv strip you can see that some of the pieces are not cut straight.

Here is a close-up showing some of the tiny pieces that I rescued and added to the piecing.

The pennies are there for scale.

And finally, here are the Island Batik Moroccan Bazaar strips that I am using as part of this.

The fabrics used in this were all provided to me as an Island Batik Ambassador to use in projects and challenges.  However, I do buy Island Batik fabrics for other projects because I love working with it.


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