Dive head first into the world of improv quilting with Jo Avery, where bravery and creativity can produce some beautiful results!
Improv quilting can be a frightening proposition for many quilters. Improvised quilts are often made without intention or concept, but just grow and develop as the quilter stitches. The process may involve picking your fabric blindly, not using a ruler and making everything wonky. Though some people love this ‘pure improv’ approach and find it a free and spontaneous way to create – other quilters will be breaking out in a cold sweat just reading this! But this is not the only way to use improv techniques, there are gentler, less scary ways to work. In this guide, I’ll be sharing a more subtle approach that can enhance your quilt making experience, offering practical tips and exploring the genre with the help of fellow improv quilters.
Why is improv quilting my favourite way to piece? Though I love the creative freedom and mindful
absorption it offers, the honest answer is my own laziness and impatience! It happens to be the simplest and quickest way to express myself with fabric. I don’t have to waste precious time reading and measuring, I just grab my cutter and go! I’m also not a good planner when it comes to design. I do need an initial idea but, after that, I like to work organically, making decisions along the way.
This is also one of the main reasons that Canadian Modern Quilter, Krista Hennebury, loves improv; “Improv is my preferred approach to quilt making. I rarely draw or sketch detailed plans in advance because I just love to dive in – too much planning causes me to second guess and edit ideas before I even get started. I love that I can work fairly quickly, creating improv elements with free-hand rotary cutting and machine-piecing, throw them up on the design wall and play with orientation and layout.”
Improv Origins
I began improv quilting long before I even knew what it was. Back in the early 1990s, when I began my quilting journey, I had two very small boys and no family nearby. I was desperate for some time to myself to be creative and a solution finally presented itself. A friend had a business making ball gowns from raw silk and gave me a huge box of her scraps. I started to sew these together and make panels that she would later turn into patchwork skirts for some very special ball gowns. These panels measured 80cm x 3m and, somehow, through trial and error, I taught myself how to fit the different sized pieces together. This involved learning how to curve piece and deal
