What I Learned My First Time Improv Quilting
When Marie Kondo’s series came to Netflix, I found myself relating to her “sparking joy” approach to organization and tidying. The practice of keeping a thoughtfully curated collection of belongings was something I had been doing, or at least been trying to do, in my own life since I was little. I’ve always had a particular attachment to ephemera as a way to document special events in my life. As a small child, I kept the ticket stubs to the first musicals and sporting events I attended. I kept boarding passes and maps from family trips, and as the years have gone by, I’ve kept keeping. All of these items are neatly stored in a plastic tote and organized annually into albums or folders. These objects, while no longer useful, help to, along with photos, tell these memorable moments. When I started sewing, I had this same sentimental mindset with my fabric. I found myself holding back small scraps of fabric I used for other projects. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with it, but each piece represented a gift I made, a project I tried for the first time, or purchased on a special trip.
When I googled what I could do with scrap fabric, I came across “crumb quilting” or “improv piecing” or, what I have been calling “improv quilting” or “quilt improvisation”. I wasn’t familiar with this technique but it was learning of this technique and my giant collection of scraps that ultimately pushed me to re-do my first t-shirt quilt. The rest of this post is dedicated to my experience with quilt improvising, namely, how I started, how I made scraps strategically, my favourite blocks, and what I’d do differently next time.
Getting Started
I had three main goals when it came to improvising my quilt patches:
Include every type of pattern from my scrap collection
Create patches that could be used to fill gaps and run along the edges of shirts to separate them
Design wise, I was aiming for seam lines running multiple directions and a chaotic mix of prints. My t-shirt squares were of all kinds of colours, so I committed to a look that was busy and bright. For the most part, however, each improvised block does have a colour scheme or thematic connection.
I supplemented my scrap pile with larger swatches of fabric still in my stash. I cut 12 cm widths (5 inch) from solid fabric or fabric with small patterns. I cut larger patterns in a way that would include all of the unique characters. Several times throughout this process I found myself sewing a very large piece of fabric to my scrap block, which meant I could experiment with different seam lines and strategically direct the shape and size of my block. So while this isn’t exactly using scrap fabric, it’s the same idea, while giving a bit more creative control.
Sewing
The actual process of sewing was simple: grab a piece of fabric, find a coordinating scrap, and sew these together. However, just as improvisers on stage follow general rules, I too approached the addition of each new scrap in a similar way.
Selection: I looked for coordinating pieces of fabric. I wanted to see the pattern of each piece of fabric while avoiding large blocks of the same fabric. I also avoided sewing together two of the same pattern.
Layout: Before sewing, I laid scraps next to the patch’s edges. I experiment with combinations of scraps and edges, thinking about how my addition would affect the shape and direction of the patch. Would my addition make this patch long and skinny or more square?
Design: I used my straight edge to help me visualize the shape of the patches before I sewed. Aligning my ruler against the straight edges I was creating with each trim allowed me to see what gaps I would need to fill next in order to square off the block.
I started working on my quilt patches by finding a piece of fabric, something that has a straight edge that can easily be sewn to another piece. In photo 1 below, I am introducing a diagonal line to this sheep fabric but not sacrificing the overall pattern. And even though I intentionally introduce diagonal lines, I do ultimately want to end up with a rectangular block with square corners. Something that I can sew to a t-shirt with a straight seam. The next step (photo 2) is finding coordinating fabric to sew together. I’m choosing two pieces with different patterns that when sewn together will be a longer length than we need.
Before I connected everything together though, I used my clear ruler to experiment with different lines. If I line the edge of the triangle to the corner of this fish bone fabric (photo 3) and use my ruler to follow the selvage edge of the sheep fabric, you’ll notice a gap (photo 4). If I wanted to create a 90 degree corner along this edge, the fish bone fabric isn’t long enough. I can try to find a scrap to fill this gap (photo 5a) or I can move the triangle along the long edge of this other piece (photo 5b). If I sew it this way, I will be able to cut along the selvage edge of the sheep fabric and create a nice long seam to which I can attach another scrap. Once everything is sewing together I use my rulers to help me square off the block.
It was fun to sift through pieces and make decisions regarding the shape and direction of the patch on the fly. It’s a refreshing change for the precision that traditional quilting demands. In the end, I did use even the tiniest of scraps to create patches. When looking at the quilt, these tiny details are lost for sure, but there’s so much detail to notice when you get a little closer. I love that. Here are some of my favourites:
Pink patches!: I love how pink and bright this patch is. I really love the pink themed fabrics, which pull from different collections. I also love the mix of improvised scraps with the half square triangle block.
Green!: My favourite colour is green and I love green and pink together. The light green fabric used to be curtains in my room, and the green and pink fabrics are from a fabric sale hosted by the Toronto Textile Museum.
Cats!: I love cats and couldn’t resist purchasing this cat-themed fabric from Michael’s. I strategically cut the tw0 larger prints to ensure I captured all of the cat characters. I used some of the paw print and fish bone fabric to practice nesting squares and half square triangles together.
Tropical vibes!: The toucan fabric is from Michael’s, as is the tropical fruit themed fabric (with lemons, watermelons, pineapples, and what I call “abstract papaya”). I love how bright these colours are and how many teeny scraps and diagonal seam lines are used in this block.
Cat blocks!: Again, I love cats. I saw the Pins and Paws Cat quilt on the Missouri Star Quilt Company’s YouTube channel and I had to try it. I made five cat blocks, one to represent each of the cats I’ve had in my life so far.
What I learned and what I’ll do next time
I’ve known since my second t-shirt quilt that the planning and layout stage of the process was something that I put off thinking about. Re-constructing my t-shirt quilt this time around, the biggest quilt I’ve made to date with the blocks of so many sizes, really reinforced to me that a well planned quilt is easier to sew. A quilt that’s easier to sew is a straighter, more perfect looking quilt, and that is always something I’m looking to make.
Typically when I start a t-shirt quilt, I prepare my t-shirts, lay them out, and fill in any gaps as necessary. I proceeded the same way but because I knew planning was hard for me, I started to improvise with t-shirts in mind. The problem with this is, since I didn’t have an overall plan, adding scraps to the edges of t-shirts didn’t feel like progress. At this point, I should have stopped improvising and made a plan. But I kept improvising. I made random blocks of all shapes and sizes and until I dwindled my scrap fabric pile down to the teeniest of pieces and a whole bunch of threads. The unfortunately ironic part about me using quilt improv to avoid planning was that once I was finished improvising and was ready to plan, I was so overwhelmed I set the scrap fabric blocks and laid out the t-shirts first. I guess I just needed to make one more quilt my way, the difficult way, before I finally gave in to my stubbornness and realized that I should always start with a plan.
Ultimately, I think that quilt improvising will help me be a better quilt designer. Before I was reacting to gaps in my quilt. Now, if I plan a quilt I can create a scrap block that is the right size to fill it. Beyond being more precise and accurate, now that I’ve seen how to place and sew scraps together to create blocks of different shapes and directions, I can include strategic gaps in my design and fill those with coordinating fabric. After finishing this project, I was so pleased to be able to incorporate all of my scrap fabric into my new and improved t-shirt quilt. What has been an unexpected reward is the feeling of empowerment I have to tackle something that has always challenged me creatively.
