Improv QAL - Block 4!

Can you believe we are halfway through our Improv Quilt-A-Long? We've been using TeresaDownUnder's Improv Quilt Block tutorials, which are wonderfully clear and easy to follow.

This month we have a fun block that starts with the idea of a log cabin and shows you how to make it in a more free form fashion. The piecing and gentle curves incorporate some of the things we've been playing with in the previous blocks. Just remember to relax and enjoy yourself!

Click here for the Improv Quilt Block #4 Tutorial!



Here are a couple of great improv quilty things going on right now that might interest you...

Have you signed up for our guild's Improv Round Robin Workshop led by Tonya Ricucci on Saturday, September 5? Get the details and register here (be quick - just a couple of spaces remain!)

Also, the bloggers Crafty Planner and Ants to Sugar are having A Month of Improv Quilting right now. Besides posting about improv quilting, they are having a fantastic Instagram giveaway (check out #improvquiltchallenge), and Crafty Planner's podcast features Sherri Lynn Wood (episode 24) and Jacquie Gering (episode 23) Any (and all!) of these links are worth checking out!

We're looking forward to seeing your blocks at the September meeting! Don't forget to check off your blocks each month so they count towards our grand prize! Also, we love seeing your blocks posted on Facebook and/or Instagram!

Improv Quilt-A-Long Block 3

It's Quilt-A-Long Thursday!

Hello dear quilty friends! This is Kerrilyn and Patti, bringing you the latest link for Block #3 of the Quilt-A-Long. We have been so impressed with how diligent and dedicated our QAL participants have been so far! (Check out the photo at the end of this post to see a bunch of the blocks at July's SFMQG meeting.)

Here's the link for Month/Block 3 (bring to August's meeting)!

This block has a little more "curvy" curve – but don't stress! Some people will feel comfortable pinning the curved pieces, but some of you daring gals may want to try minimal pinning – it's easy peasy once you get the hang of it. Just remember you need to keep a 1/4 inch seam allowance so you will need to line up both pieces with the 1/4 inch seam allowance on the right side of your presser foot and sew SLOWLY, keeping the seam allowance consistent and gently easing the fabric (don't overstretch). After finishing, clip the curve and press and your curve will be awesome.

We're looking forward to seeing your blocks at the August meeting! Make sure to check off your block so it counts! Also, we love seeing your blocks posted on Facebook and/or Instagram!

We can't wait to see you all at the next meeting! Have a great day!

Improv QAL blocks from July's SFMQG meeting

Improv Patchwork Block 2 (for July Meeting)

Hey Hey Hey Quiltalongers!

 

Congrats for making it through the first month of the Quilt-A-Long! We were so excited to see so many of you participating and bringing your first month blocks to June's SFMQG meeting! It's so fun and interesting to see YOUR different interpretations of the modern improv block.

 

Here's the tutorial for month #2's block!  

 

Please note – there's a bit of a gentle curve in this block! (easing us all gently into the land of curvy piecing). Also, as noted in the directions, Patti had to "add" a section onto the side of her block to make it big enough. So start your project larger than you think. Those seams will add up over the course of the block.

 

Any questions? Problems? Suggestions? Please contact Kerrilyn or Patti! We would LOVE to see your blocks posted on Facebook or Instagram (#SFMQGQAL or just #SFMQG if that is too many letters!) and of course, bring them to July's SFMQG meeting for credit (remember, complete and bring five out of six blocks to our meetings and you get a special prize, along with all the oooohs and aaahhhs!)

Improv Patchwork Check-In

Hello my lovely Quilt-A-Long pals! This is Patti and on behalf of myself and Kerrilyn I'm checking in on how our first month's Quilt-A-Long blocks are doing. I've seen some amazing blocks posted on our Facebook and blog pages (and thank you for posting – we love to see your work!)  So…..any questions? Any concerns?  Anybody need a intervention for quilting outside her personal quilty comfort zone? If so – please don't hesitate to post your questions or concerns or hurrahs here – or message me or Kerrilyn on Facebook! I can't wait to see what all you talented folks come up with at the next SFMQG meeting on 06/202015!

Improv Patchwork Quilt-A-Long

At May's SFMQG meeting, Patti and Kerrilyn introduced our next Quilt-A-Long - Improv Patchwork.

Improv quilting is so popular right now, but this style may take you out of your comfort zone a little (or a lot). Typically, many of us work so hard to get our blocks perfectly pieced and squared. It's a challenge to "wonkify" (or "unwonkify?!") our brains, but this is why we chose this set of blocks! The QAL tutorials will ease you into improv quilting with easy-to-follow instructions, plus you'll get lots of encouragement from our group!

The SFMQG Improv Patchwork QAL will run for 6 months (June - November), featuring a different block each month based on tutorials from TeresaDownUnder's blog Sewn Up. You'll make your own blocks with your own fabric and you can do whatever you want with them when you're finished! Below are some of the blocks we made following the first tutorial (yes, these all follow the same tutorial!). 

Participants should bring their completed blocks to the SFMQG meetings, and we'll have a little prize for anyone who keeps up and brings in at least 5 of the 6 blocks. Here is the tutorial for Block 1, which you should bring to our meeting on June 20, 2015.

If you didn't get a chance to sign up yet and you'd like to participate, you can sign up here.

We'd love it if you shared photos, comments, or questions in the South Florida Modern Quilters Facebook Group (Members Only)!

As a bonus, please read this brief article - Why you Should Sew - Badly. We also highly recommend Sherri Lynn Wood's recent book, The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters! 

Thanks for your participation and we're excited to see your beautiful blocks at the June meeting!