I hear there are still a couple of vacancies to the introduction to improvisational patchwork class I’ll be teaching in Gramado, next month, but I’m very happy to see the advanced class is already full!

As many already know, improvisational patchwork, improv, or IP, is quite different from how traditional patchworkers make their quilt tops. IP has been widely adopted by Modern Quilters and art quilters and you’ll find some overlap, with some of the same exciting quilts turning up on each of these links. Of course, for other exciting stuff you can go to my own website and articles about me 🙂 My Colour Memories gallery includes several wall quilts that I made within a year or two of learning this technique.

I learned IP not long after learning traditional patchwork in the USA, which I still love, and it remains a huge influence in how I make quilts. I love straight, regular grids of squares or triangles inside of which are improvisational/freehand patterns:

By playing around dividing triangles and squares, the basic shapes of traditional patchwork, with straight, undulating or curved lines, you can easily make up your own unique patterns, including fabulous borders and blocks. Some favourites developed out of experimenting with a traditional block, such as this one based on the basic Drunkard’s Path block

… which I think of as sunrise or sunset, depending on where the rays are pointing …

I just happen to love regular grids, but IP squares and triangles can be as wonky and irregular as hell, you just need to know a couple of simple things about joining irregular shapes: (plus finishing the edges, too) :

So to get everyone’s creativity revved up, I’ve had fun working out a combination of demonstrations+powerpoints, including some ideas I’ve always thought good but never actually tried myself 🙂