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Tuesday, November 24

Ad Hoc Improv - Exploring Fabric Possibilities

This week with I'm doing something I've never done before: writing a new post before I've finished reciprocating and replying to the previous one.  That makes me feel a bit guilty, but Tuesday is the monthly Ad Hoc Improv Quilt Group link up at Sew Slowly and Fret Not Yourself and I don't want to miss it.  I will still catch up with everyone who commented last time, I promise. 

If you have been doing any improvisational sewing this month, be sure to head over to Ann & Kaja's blogs and join their Ad Hoc Improv linky party.  Even just for the reading pleasure, it's worth a look. People's posts are always so thought provoking and inspiring.  This is a really fun group!

I haven't made much progress on my Improv quilt, except that I did a preliminary fabric pull and have been exploring the possibilities, by pinning fabrics to the wall.  I'm playing around with the idea of creating two quaking aspens on the left side of the quilt.  I'm pretending that they are lit up because of the glow from a campfire, and standing out against a starry night sky.  I have a few more ideas of where to go after that, but will take one step at a time.  This is what was up on my design wall:




Frankly, I'm a bit stalled here.  I thought maybe I'd do the leaves and bushes in improv triangles.  Or maybe random squares and rectangles.  Some of those gold fabrics seem too bright, so I was thinking about over-dyeing them.  That's Carrie Bloomston's Indigo Stars fabric in the background.  The stars are represented by little bits of paper, like they were torn from the pages of a book.  Less of it will show by the time I do the bushes in the foreground and the leaves.  I'm concerned about making things too chaotic, because I really want this quilt to communicate a sense of peace.  But it will also look a bit like altered art when I'm done... I plan to add an excerpt from an Edmund Spencer poem.  All these elements and still a sense of peace... maybe that's too tall of an order. 

What do you think? Is the starry background too much?  And would randomly shaped triangles look better for the leaves and bushes, or rectangles and squares?  This is a learning process for me and I welcome your thoughts.   

Thanksgiving and all the preparation seems to take a very large chunk of time out of this week.  We also had a baby shower for our daughter Kaitie, which Alina & Gonzo drove in for, and our son Sam is home with us all week. It has been wonderful though.  I'm sure many of you are just as busy, but I would love to know what your plans are for the holiday (or the week, if you are not celebrating the holiday in the U.S.)  Also, I decided to wait to share Ruth's Mug Rug Swap with you next week, when hopefully we'll all have a little more free time.  

Thanks for visiting, because...


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Also linking this post to Cath's Design Board Monday at Bits 'n Bobs - which is open 'til Sunday!



41 comments:

  1. I really love the background fabric. It reminds me of many nights spent camping around a campfire and looking at the stars. I say keep it! And as for which shapes would work... honestly, I think it needs to work for you. Have you considered taking out a piece of paper and sketching your thoughts? I bet one will grab you more than the other and the decision will be made much easier after visualizing it. I think your tree trunk looks awesome, too. :)

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  2. I do love the starry background you are using and infact all the fabrics spoke to me when you shared your vision.....if it was me....i think I would go the triangle direction but this is you and I think Yvonne above has great advise to draw what you are thinking......good luck sweetie....can't wait to see where it all leads. Oh, and good wishes for a wonderful Thanksgiving from here down under!

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    1. oh, I forgot to say....thanks for linking up at Design Board Monday and for mentioning it in your post :)

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  3. Me, too! That background fabric is fabulous. I love seeing your aspen tree trunk again. I was wondering where it would go. I'd start making a few isosceles triangles for some of the aspen leaves and pinning them up against the sky.
    Congratulations on the baby shower and having kids home for Thanksgiving. Mine are scattered all across the country. I can't believe I'm missing the days the house was stuffed with dozens of relatives. Ah. Enjoy.

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    1. And thanks for linking up with AHIQ!

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  4. Definitely keep the background fabric. As for the leaves I think random triangles, try a few and see what you think. I too like the tree.

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  5. Dear Lara, I like your choices in colors and motifs. I personally think that triangles would blend more than squares and imitate more the usual shapes of leaves (your delectable mountains, on the left, look a little like leaves when seen this small...) As for the stary sky, well, it will make the two trees on top of a hill, like two sentinels overlooking the realm beyond. (I may be pushing the image too far. lol)

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  6. Hi Lara! I love what you are doing so far with your improv campfire scene. The background is perfect! I think triangles would be awesome for leaves. I look forward to seeing how you continue on with this.

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  7. I love the background fabric, the color is beautiful and you really can't have too many stars in the sky. For the leaves, I'd play with it a little but you could maybe use different sizes and shapes to add interest. I'd also use the brighter colors to reinforce the illusion of the campfire, placing them lower and closer to where the fire would be. This is going to be beautiful just follow your instincts and have fun :)

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  8. Love love the background, perfect...as for leaves, I believe the brighter would be great in small pops! I am sure whatever direction you go, it will be a beauty :)

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  9. I love the background fabric with your tree trunk. I think it has the sense of peace you want to communicate. Improv makes me insane with self doubt. I think your plans sound good. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  10. Your improv looks great! I would probably go with triangles, but that is just me. I love the colors and the starry background.
    I'm sure once life slows down a bit for you it will all come easier. This has been such a busy time and with the holidays right behind, it will be crazy!

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  11. I really love where you are headed with this piece. It is hard to keep focused on a project with all the busy-ness of this time of year. Once you get some time, I am sure your creativity will flow! Happy Thanksgiving!

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  12. I think the colors look good together. But sometimes a littl break is helpful to come back looking at it wish fresh eyes.

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  13. All of that fabric is just perfect for a campfire scene. I can see it already. The background blue is perfect, the bright yellows would be great for the fire, and the darker ones for the shadows, and farther away things. Love the tree already. I don't think you have to limit yourself to a particular shape. Try different ones for different places. Whatever you decide, this quilt is going to be awesome.

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  14. I like your story and I like the colors you've chosen, I think it'll look great.

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  15. I love this composition. I really like bright colours and contrast and I think you have these just right in this piece. I also love the trunk. The background is gorgeous.

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  16. I really don't do improv... But certainly admire the works of those who do. I can't wait to where this is going! Those are certainly some lovely fabric choices and I think they look fabulous together.

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  17. I think the colours that you are worried would be too bright would actually make great fire colours. If the fire is in the picture, then it would make perfect sense that the trees are lit up that bright. Or perhaps they are lit by a full moon?

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  18. I like the idea of a story you are trying to tell and your fabric pull looks good. In terms of how you represent the different elements, I would cut a couple of bits and see that they look like ; I think you'll know pretty fast if it's what you are after. Triangles would come closest to looking like flames/leaves etc, long thin rectangles would echo the shape of the aspen. Have a play! I wonder if one way to keep it peaceful is to incorporate a few bits of the star fabric amongst your brights, so that all the elements flow together rather than being distinct.

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  19. Leaves --- I make them using darts. Need pictures to explain this, so have written up a post and linked it to AHIQ#3. Have a look!

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  20. Amazing post dear! You have a wonderful blog:)
    What about followingeach other on Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter?.. :)

    www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

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  21. Love your funky tree and the beautiful colors you're auditioning!

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  22. I love your tree and the colours you are "auditioning" for the leaves! The starry fabric is great and restful. As suggested by several people above, cut some shapes and see which you like best for the leaves and the camp fire. I think a mixture of colours would be lovely, and having the odd one a bit brighter makes for a lively effect. Often if colours are too alike the effect is "flat". I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving with all the family around!

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  23. You are well on your way to portraying your story. I think the background fabric is perfect as is the tree. You've done well with those elements of the story so trust your intuition.

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  24. Have you seen David Taylor's Aspen quilts? You will find them on his website, probably. He appliqued squares for the leaves. I think quite a few things would work there. I love the fabrics, as they are! I like the starry sky and the bushes too. You're off to a great start!

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  25. "I'm pretending that they are lit up because of the glow from a campfire, and standing out against a starry night sky." - One of my favourite settings on Earth! All I have to say is that I like where you are going with this. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family, Lara!!

    -Soma xx

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  26. Lara, I like the starry background and the yellows for campfire glow. It will be a wonderful improv!!!

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  27. I love the background fabric. Okay, that seems to be unanimous! For the leaves and the bushes, what if you tried piecing them something like your aspen trunk, but with the pieces running in another direction? Just an idea. I agree that some of your golds and other vegetation colors are rather bright for a night-time scene regardless of the campfire light...I am not sure about how you would over-dye them but if there is some way you can treat to mute those colors a bit, perhaps they would fit in better with your night scene. Imagine the fire lighting up the trunk of the tree, the undersides of the leaves, and the closest bushes. I really like how you are working on this slowly and considering the possibilities. Thanks for sharing.

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  28. I also love the fabrics, Lara. Hope you had a wonderful holiday.
    Amalia
    xo

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  29. Great start, I really like the background fabric and the colors you are using. As for any advice, I would just suggest playing around and trying some different options until you are happy with one.

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  30. Hmm, I like the fabrics you've pulled. I can see some of the brights along the edges of the trees and bushes--those closest to the fire--and the other leaves in the darker colors, where the firelight can't quite reach but the viewer can still make them out. I guess the trick is to remember that there are shadows in the light, and the deeper you go into the shadow the darker things are. (So the very edges of the quilt would be quite dark.) I love the concept and agree that the background fabric will work beautifully.

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  31. Your birch trunk on the starry background reminds me of a children's book. I think your fabrics are going to carry whatever you decide to do, but I would like to see a mix of colors in the leaves. A few golden sparkley leaves, but not all. Some of the bushes might like the moonshine, too. I think it's really a beautiful scene just hearing your plans.

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  32. I remember that birch trunk that Sam couldn't "see"!! I love that stars fabric, wow it's awesome. As for technique for bushes, your barking up the wrong tree (lol) with this gal...not having done much improv. However, having done a TON of camping over the years, I think the bushes should be a bit darker, more shadow-play somehow, as that's how I remember things kind of coming and going out visually with campfire flickering light. I think maybe sew a few small shapes, all kinds of shapes together, and then hack 'em up and sew 'em back together to maybe get the look? Whatever you do, it will be fabulous (and so thoughtful) as your work always is. :-)

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  33. It looks neat Lara, love the birch tree trunk and the star background. Can't wait to see what else you do!

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  34. Something that I've never ever done or thought about doing! I think it looks peaceful already... I'll be watching to see what you do :-)

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  35. That background is perfect! I can't wait to see where this goes. I love improv but have yet to try it. I have one of Jacquie Gering's classes I need to watch still :)

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  36. What a fun linky! And like everyone else, I too like the starry background. I was going ti suggest triangular leaves too. Maybe stitch a quote through the sky???

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  37. I have never done any improve quilting but it sounds like an interesting concept. I'm going follow along and look forward to seeing how you finish yours.

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  38. These fabrics are wonderful, love where you are going with this!

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