Improv Quilts at John C. Campbell on Off the Wall Friday

Fall 1

With 2024 starting, I thought it was a good idea to look into our next creative vacation.  Paul and I both wanted to get back to John C. Campbells Folk School in North Carolina so I started there.  Luckily, 

 I found the class, Intro to Improvisational Quilts taught by Veronica Hofman-Ortega.  The class description reads....

Explore improvisational cutting and piecing methods to create one-of-a-kind contemporary quilts. Dispense with templates, exact measurements, and block-based patchwork, and embrace the unexpected and exciting outcomes you can get with improvisational patchwork. Arrive with a sense of adventure and spontaneity and prepare to break out of the traditional quilt-making box. 

I thought, "Hey, that sounds like it would be fun!", so I talked Paul into taking another class that week.  There happen to be a few great ones to choose front (hint hint - Open Hearth cooking  - I mean who doesn't want their husband to learn how to cook over an open hearth right?) But he settled on, "Hand Building for the Garden" which contrary to what it sounds like is a pottery class that teaches beginner non-wheel clay techniques.  When we go on vacations like this, I, the quilter, want to sew all week while Paul, the woodworker wants to do anything but touch wood!  

Once emailing Veronica and getting the supply list, I could tell it was my type of class.  We're to bring all sorts of light to dark fabrics including a good gradation in gray.  Go figure I have it all here.  I haven't done improv piecing in forever though.  In fact, I really have never worked innately.  I mean I know that people do just sew and put it up on the wall and sew some more, but I still need to have a plan on where I'm going.

Take for instance my Fall Series.  I started out with 8...yes 8...just improved line drawings.  I picked a palette inspired by - gasp - fall colors and then.....just kinda sewed up what my line drawing was like.  I didn't use patterns but at least I had an idea of where it was heading!  I did do 2 out of the 8 and I really can see myself going back and finishing more.

Then there was my Crosses series.  With those, I  started with improv little crosses and came up with the layout using value studies. I think I did 3 or 4 of them.   hmmmm I really liked that series; I should do some more!

So needless to say, as the class date of March 24th approaches, I'm getting excited.  The fun thing about this kind of class is that you never quite know where it's going to take you and where you're going to end up!

So What  Have You Been Up to Creatively?

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