Improv Sampler - Wonky Log Cabins

It's been said before here - I'm not a huge fan of wonky log cabins.  But they are an excellent first step into improvisational quilting.  It takes one of the oldest patterns/techniques and turns it on its head.  No templates and no precision cutting.

Most of the time when you see a wonky log cabin they are set as individual blocks within a quilt.  This makes for very bold, graphic designs.  In my searching though, I would be curious to see what wonky log cabin blocks look like set in traditional log cabin settings.  Hmm... I might yet tackle the log cabin again.

I won't pass on a tutorial, but I will send you to this one.  I couldn't have said it better.  The important thing to remember with wonky log cabins, really in any improvisational technique, is to still remember basic sewing principles.  Use a consistent seam allowance (preferably 1/4 inch).  Trim your excess fabrics so you aren't left with a mess of extra fabric on the back of the block.  And square up your block at the end. 

One final tip with these wonky log cabins: Try to make your final logs at least 3/4 inch wide (finished).  Any narrower than that and you will have these teeny strips that get lost when you piece the blocks into a quilt.

We can thank Denyse Schmidt for providing the true inspiration for all of us on these wonky log cabins.  But they are some amazing examples of these modern quilts all over the place. Some of my favourites can be found here, here, and here.

Improv Sampler - Free-Piecing

Welcome to free piecing.  This technique is definitely about the process.  And sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.  In other words, don't look too closely at that 'sun' block in the photo.

It does help to plan when you are doing free piecing, or at least have an idea of the general shape you want to finish with - a house, a flower, a star.  Quite often I actually make a sketch if my brain is baby addled and I can't figure out how the pieces should go together.  (I should share my sketches one day - if a quilt block could be a stick figure then I am an expert at drawing that!)

Free piecing in this context is about the process of cutting and piecing.  There are no templates and often no rulers when cutting.  Sewing is just one piece to the next.  You often start from the inside of the block and work out.  You have the be creative and improvise along the way.  For example, in the house block above I didn't cut a piece long enough to encompass the angle of the roof.  That means the roof doesn't overhang the house that much and the roof is smaller than intended.  Oh well.  I compensated by adding another strip of the background fabric to make the block big enough.  Problem solved.

This technique also works well in combination with freely cut applique pieces, like this artist.

Improv Sampler - Chopsticks

There really is more to improvisational quilting that wonky log cabins.  Of course, those are good too.  But this technique, which I call chopsticks, is the first step in some fun designs.

Start with a square that is roughly the size you want your finished block to be.  Or just start with a square in any size and see what happens.  Cut some strips of other fabrics, slightly longer than your square.

Slice your square on any angle - through the middle, close to the side, or even lop off a corner. Don't throw away either piece.  It is best to keep the pieces set-up as if you just cut them so you can remember how it all goes back together.

Pick up the piece on the left side and sew one of your strips to it, right sides together.  Open and press.

Pick up the remaining piece of your square and sew it to the edge of the strip, as if you were sewing the original square back together (but with the strip in between).  Open and press.

You can sew one strip or many.  The process is the same every time.  Start with the square, slice, re-sew, and press.  Your strips can be parallel, on an skewed angle, or even perpendicular, like this quilt.

Important tips for this technique:

- Don't start with a square that is exactly the finished size you want because you will lose bits as you re-sew.  Start larger and trim down.

- Try not to have strips less than 3/4 inch on the edges.

- Strongly contrasting fabrics work best, but you could get a subtle design with fabrics close in value or colour.

This basket has been and will become some more improvised blocks.  In my bid for teaching supremacy - okay, just one teaching job to start - I've been putting together class notes and a class sample.  After all, you can't pitch a class without showing what you'll do.

Generally I don't like samplers, but I did want to be able to demonstrate a few different improvisational  techniques.  By no means are they the only ways to tackle improv quilting, but they are a good way to break free from patterns.  These techniques are also about the process, not necessarily a final design result.  There is design and then there is improv.  One step at a time for breaking the pattern addiction.

Over the next week I'll share with you the finished blocks and ultimately the finished quilt top. That is, if I can find the time to finish all of it.  I've got 12 of the 16 blocks finished, but the last few days haven't been very productive with a sick Hubby and our anniversary.  And now the baby is sick so I'm not sure what naptime will bring.  We do what we can.