Improv Angles charity quilt

I'm back!

Ok, you probably didn't know I was gone, but I was. Remember the cat with the late night fabric-moving obsession? She murdered my laptop on Thursday night. I figured this out on Friday morning when my laptop wouldn't start and there was a puddle on my keyboard. Not a good moment.

Poor fried laptop had to be replaced stat, so I could find my way back here where I belong. Sometimes being a blogger by trade makes decisions really, really simple. New computer? Must. Also, we're going to try having kitty Susan sleep in Aria's room at night. Maybe all she needs is more time with her person.

What's that? You'd rather talk about this quilt, any quilt? Yeah, me too. So, this is my latest finish. It's made entirely of improv blocks created by Angled students for our collaborative charity work(s). Since I didn't receive a whole lot of any one block, I put them all together with stripey sashing. It's bold, maybe a little chaotic, but I really like it!

I didn't have enough stripey sashing to use throughout, so I used a Carolyn Friedlander print to sash the edges. It works sort of like a frame, I think. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I've bought more of a fabric for a particular project. Instead, I like the character that comes from making do!

During this make I got to try out a pack of Clover wonder clips that my friend Pat sent as a surprise, along with her Angled improv blocks. These little suckers really are convenient for binding, instead of using pins. I didn't have enough for the whole quilt, so I also used some simple wooden clothespins. They work the same, but they are chunkier, heavier and thus a bit more in the way. Still, if you have the clothespins and no cash for wonder clips.... Just be sure your pins aren't rusty!

I worked a lot on the quilt back for this one. I wanted to incorporate a sweet batch of improv envelope blocks, which I really, really, really like. But, they wanted to be soft and pretty, not wild and bold like the quilt front. I hope the contrast is not too shocking. Also, this Pretty Potent Aloe in Candy print, showcasing washed out aqua combined with bright pink, has really caught my eye. I think I need to make Eleni a quilt in that color scheme!

Here are our envelopes, combined with a typewriter I've had laying around for ages, apparently destined for just this. I finished with organic straight line quilting. Mmmm texture!