Welcome to Improv Mondays, a weekly series exploring improvisation in quilt making.
On the last Improv Monday, over a month ago, the discussion was about Rules vs. Limits. To refresh your memory, I use limits to set parameters for my improv quilts. Often these limits will sound like a recipe or a musical score. For example…
“Floating Squares” performed by my Penland students, Bev Kates, Mackenzie Bullard, and Lori Solymosi.
A Score for Floating Squares:
- 2/3 yard of a solid
- 1/3 yard of either a stripe or a plaid
- String pieced fabric
- One square of wild card fabric, of any size, given to you by a friend
- Cut all of the solid & the plaid fabric into squares
- Wild card square can be cut into smaller squares
- All squares must be used in the quilt
- Use string pieced fabric as filler to piece the squares together
- Avoid inset seams
In music, a score can be used as a record of, a guide to, or a means to perform, a piece of music. The score documents a musical composition. However each performance of a score is unique and will result in variances.
A full score gives exact directions for each instrument, so there will be less variance in subsequent performances of a Beethoven concerto, for example.
In jazz and improv music, the score is usually a lead sheet providing direction only on the melody, or a chord chart which provides directions on rhythm and harmony, so there is a lot more room for variation within each performance.
I invite you to try performing A Score for Floating Squares. To find you own voice within the score, pay attention to the areas where the limits haven’t been defined. For example the SIZE of the squares are open to interpretation. Also where might you deviate from the score, or build on it, to change the composition entirely?
Do you ever think about your quilt process as a performance? Any insights on the concept of viewing a quilt pattern as a score?
Thank you so much for the link back to this post. Improve quilting has always been a bit like driving in a parking lot to me – all that open space, but the end result is still a a lot of nuthin’ special. I’m going to give your suggestions a try and let you know how it turns out. Thank you again.
I like your parking lot metaphor! Where’s the direction? Right. Set up an obstacle course!
Pingback: Improv Monday ~ I Can't Get No Satisfaction!
Hi, this ist just to let you know that I tried your tutorial, wrote about it here: http://suschna.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/improvisieren-i/ (in German). I basicly say that I like your work very much and wanted to try one of your tutorials. In the end I think my floating squares didn’t float too much (I guess my yellow squares were too big and I didn’t take enough time to find a good composition). I am also trying a modmood quilt, so I will refer to you again. Thank you!
Pingback: Improvisieren I « Suschna
I do liken my quilt making to the creation process (ala composition of music, writing of poetry or literature).
I’ve gathered in what you’ve shared today for one of my end of the year projects involving scraps from the year’s earlier efforts. Will have lots of string-pieced segments to incorporate.
Welcome back!
I like the loose parameters, like writing a sonnet or a haiku. I play a lot of guitar/vocals from “fake” music, with just words and chords. When I drum, I use the music only until I find the beat.
You inspired me to sew a quilt today!
love these so much.. and at the top of my bucket list is… a workshop with lovely you! maybe next years penland… if you do it..
Thanks Nancy!
I love thinking about quilts this way – and can imagine two people with the same exact fabrics could come up with completely different quilts. I’m going to try this method to solve my current quilt conundrum. I wondered about the string piecing too… Thanks, Sherri!
Now I’m curious… about your conundrum.
Let me know if it works.
I love this idea so much! I want to try this! A question… what is string pieced fabric? In response to an earlier post you made regarding the differences between rules and limits, I found your thoughts very helpful to my creative process- and started a quilt spurred on by these musings!
To create a string or strip pieced fabric, cut strips from multiple fabrics in multiple widths. Sew the strips together so that you have a striped pattern. Cut into this fabric when you need to attach a shorter square to a larger square, to avoid sewing an inset seam.
When one square or section is shorter than the section you are attaching it to add the string-pieced fabric to the shorter section so that both sections are the same length, BEFORE you sew the two sections or squares together.
Thanks Amanda, send me an image of your result!