A Slice of Improv & Fun with Pajaro Valley Quilters

Last weekend, I returned to the Pajaro Valley Quilt Association to teach a 2-day Slice of Improv workshop.  Slice of Improv is one of my favorite workshops to teach, and I especially loved teaching it in a 2-day format.  Over the course of the first day, we explored the basic slice and insert technique, along with 30+ variations.  Here is a snapshot of the fabulous blocks pieced on Day 1. 

Day 1 Progress

The next morning was all about PLAY!  Participants were encouraged to play and experiment through one or more of these exercises:

• Try any of the techniques that they did not get to do on Day 1
• Choose their favorite variation and start a series by asking What If? to explore new design possibilities
• Combine Slice and Insert with their favorite quilt block/design
• Explore using Slice and Insert to improvisationally piece letters, numbers, and symbols

Throughout the workshop space, fabulous collections of improvisationally pieced blocks were growing in both number and interest.  Here is a little tour of their improvisational play...

This quilter brought a wonderful assortment of pink and grey scraps, including several strata sets leftover from a previous quilt project.  Unfortunately she had to leave early on the second day before I realized I had neglected to take a photo of her progress on Day 2.  But trust me, her design wall was spectacular!!

Pretty in Pink

This next quilter was here from Los Angeles, for a week-long visit with her friend, who was also taking the class.  She really embraced the stack, whack & shuffle technique.  I just love her technicolor abstract peace signs and X blocks which remind me of stained glass windows!

Technicolor Blocks

Some quilters had specific projects in mind as they assembled their blocks.  This next quilter was planning to make a set of placemats.  I can already imagine her enjoying a slice of pie set atop her placemats pieced with several dancing Slice of Pi blocks!

Serving up Some Slice of Pi

This next quilter brought an impressive collection of polka dot scraps.  By the end of Day 1, she was mulling over the idea of turning her blocks into a quilted garment.  She has since posted several updated photos online, and I can't wait to see her stylish jacket dance down the runway!!

Polka Dots and High Fashion

After lunch, we played with a variety of quilt layouts utilizing the growing collection of blocks and some fun fabrics.  Well chosen prints can be used for sashing strips and/or alternating blocks.  A few of the blocks below were missing for a short bit.  Luckily they were found safely tucked inside the Tula owl print (bottom right), which plays very well with this collection of blocks.  Maybe it was a clue?  Whoooo knows?!?

Design Wisdom

This next quilter not only pieced a lovely collection of blocks, but had a beautifully curated collection of fabrics.  Everytime I visited her station, I would discover some fabulous new print.  It was lots of fun to combine her blocks with all those fun fabrics into a variety of compositions.

Fabric Play

Some quilters shifted their fabric palettes on the second day.  This quilter brought a large collection of Kaffe prints.  On Day 1, she chose more muted prints, but incorporated more vibrant prints on Day 2.  She too was holding out on me as she had several leftover log cabin blocks, as well as squares of floral prints to sprinkle into the design work.

Playing it Kool with Kaffe

This quilter brought an impressive collection of Grunge prints for her background and a variety of prints for her insert strips (along with a few borrowed from a fellow participant).  She wanted a more modern layout with lots of negative space.  I love her improv pieced pagoda!!

Going Modern

This next quilter shared that she really enjoys making star blocks, especially Sawtooth Stars.  We sketched out a few ideas for incorporating improvisational piecing into a Sawtooth Star block.  By the end of the day, she had assembled her flying geese units and star center for her first of several star blocks that will sparkle against these beautiful blocks.

I'm Seeing Stars

This next duo of quilters made me smile all weekend long.  They are a married couple who are fairly new to quilting, but their enthusiasm and teamwork was most impressive!!  They shared their fabric stash (which included some fun textured gold fabric along with a few other wild prints) and helped each other over the course of the weekend.  They really embraced improvisational piecing!

Wild About Improvisational Piecing

Less than 2 days after the workshop, I received an email that included a picture of Pam's completed quilt top started in the workshop!!  Pam is a pro when it comes to improvisational piecing, and brought a fun collection of recycled fabrics.  Her collection of pieced blocks kept growing and growing, and by the end of Day 2, she had already determined a layout and all her blocks were in order and labeled! 

Completely Upcycled! (Right Photo Taken by Pam Rocco and Shared with Permission)

Many thanks to Ellen for inviting me back and being a wonderful host.  This workshop marked the conclusion of her service as the 2nd VP for Programs & Workshops.  Special thanks to all the PVQA members (and guests) for the warm welcome and enthusiastic response to improvisational play!!