Improv Under the Influence - A Workshop

Last weekend I had such a great day with 16 members of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild!  We got together for my Improv Under the Influence workshop.  The 6-hour workshop is based on my free MQG pattern of the month (September) called  "Chess on the Steps", however we make a smaller wall-hanging or table runner version in the class similar to my Temperature Check quilt.

Temperature Check, 2013

The supply list for the workshop calls for 10 FQ's of solids or shot cottons:  five related warm and five related cool colours. For some people, the concept of "warm" and "cool" can be confusing, so I also suggest using a colour wheel to choose colours based on their relationships on the wheel.  It is really fun in a workshop environment to see so many different colour choices, and how they work.  Here is a sampling of student work from the class. In the middle are my little wonky trees I'm making for a holiday table runner with leftover sample chunks of improv-pieced borders (with Essex yarn-dyed linen in black for background).

1. Improv Under the Influence by Stacey Murton, 2. Improv Under the Influence by Sharron, 3. Improv Under the Influence by Kristyn, 4. Improv under the Influence by Matt Wheeler, 5. Improv trees, 6. Improv Under the Influence by Roberta, 7. Improv Under the Influence by Heather Davies, 8. Improv Under the Influence by Anna Jarczewski, 9. Improv Under the Influence by Linda

Here they all are with their work by the end of the day!

I can't tell you how excited I am to teach this technique. It is perfectly suited for experienced improvisational patchworkers, but more importantly, it is a great intro into the world of improvisation for newbies.  Traditional quilters wanting to try improv can do so in a supportive environment with just enough design structure so the process isn't overwhelming. The end result has a defined shape (a checkerboard surrounded by courthouse step borders) but there is also so much room to play and explore the relationship of the colour groups. 

You can see in the mosaic that some students decided to try a log cabin layout. This gives the quilt one diagonal set of "steps" where the two different colour groups interact, or touch each other.  If you look at my Temperature Check quilt, you'll see that the warm and cool colours interact with each other on both diagonals and there is an impression that the cool colours are contained by those last borders of warm.  I'm really enjoying working this technique through a series of my own quilts exploring different ways that the warm and cool colours can relate to each other.

I'm booked to teach this workshop to several other guilds in the new year and I can't wait!  It is also the class I'll be teaching on the Alaskan cruise June 7-14, 2015. By the way, there are still some spots on the cruise and Celebrity released a few more balcony rooms for our group. There are quite a few husbands coming along, too (not for the quilting, but I'm sure they'll find something equally fun to do while we sew on the "at sea" days!).  Perhaps you and quilting friend are looking for an exciting getaway? It's not every day you get glaciers AND fabric.  Join us! For more information, contact Lynn.