Book Preview #2

Today's preview from Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration can best be described as one of my oldies, but, hopefully, goodies. I first created this improvisationally pieced quilt titled Nate's Quilt for a dear friend's new baby.
The first incarnation looked like this:

 My friend's baby Nate is no longer a baby, but an incredibly cute 3 1/2 year old and since then I have returned to this design numerous times to make pillows,

mini quilts,

 and even larger quilts.

And now I'm proud to share it in my new book.

 What strikes me about this design and makes it a favorite that I turn to again and again is that, despite it's improvisational underpinnings it is essentially repeatable and adaptable to a variety of scales. And, if I can repeat it and adapt it, so can you.

What's more it's not about following exact measurements, but making one block and a second and then adjusting the size of one or both, so they fit together. It's about trusting your eye as you freehand cut strips. It's about loving the off-kilter nature of this design and being confident that you can contain it so it doesn't go completely haywire by focusing on solids and adhering to a few basic parameters of construction.
I listed my essential "rules" for embracing improvisation in a little sidebar titled " Ten Ways to Love Improvisational Piecing".

You can read all about them in this post from Quilting Art's blog, Quilting Daily.
Improvisation, whether it's based on a simple block like this modified log cabin or a complicated block like Double Wedding Ring (yes, you can improvise a Double Wedding Ring), is such a fun way to approach quilt making. It's definitely one of my favorite techniques and that's why I wanted to preview this quilt for you.