direction - Improv Handbook Score #1

I was tickled to hear that many of you already own or were keen to buy Sherri Lynn Wood's The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters!  Yes, we will have a loose score-along with some link parties, and who knows what else.  Let's just allow this to unfold organically... which, come to think of it, is rather fitting!

Maybe you've received your books about now.  Have you started into that first score?  What about it is hard for you?  Limiting your fabrics?  Cutting without a plan, without rulers?  Do you feel like you're sewing blind?

Here's were I started (and sometimes getting started is the hardest step).  That first yellow and jade segment was so enjoyable that I launched right into a second segment using a toasty brown and white with my feature fabric, Zephyr Puff in Mustard.

On the second segment, I intentionally cut larger squares and tried to need less "filler" fabric.  The resulting piece is more like the look of this score in the book, but not particularly more pleasing to my eye.  In fact, I prefer the yellow segment with its tiny, floatier squares. And did you notice that in the yellow piece I incorporated a few variations of the yellow?  Those were pulled from scraps.  Using a bit of variation for depth is just "me", particularly when the fabrics come from my scrap drawers.  I'm going to give myself that freedom in future segments.

After that second segment I began floundering.  While familiar with the open nature of improv, I like to have a sense of direction.  That direction may be a feeling I'm channeling, a color scheme or a vague sense of line.  Since this work is emerging from a book, rather than from a specific bolt of inspiration, "direction" is harder to pinpoint.  At first I thought I would use a limited, but sunny color scheme, like this:

But I'm finding that hard to maintain.  Perhaps it's because Sherri Lynn's example quilt in the book is so colorful. 

So...  I started pulling other solid colors, just grabbing ones that felt good at the time.

And then Direction came into clear focus when I next found myself hovering over this crib, reaching for babe.

The colors I'd pulled were all there in Anna Maria Horner's Folk Song floral.  I had only to add the coral red to completely replicate her color scheme.  Probably I had been subconsciously following this fabric all along, as I do so enjoy its colors and have been looking at it a lot lately.  Funny!

Now I'm confident to pursue this happy gathering of colors for Score #1 and even considering putting snippets of the floral in my quilt top for fun.  If not there, then at least it'll make an appearance on the back!  Feels good to have a sense of direction.  Onwards we go.

What about you?

p.s.  Kona Cotton colors selected:  White, Curry, Kale, Caramel, Coral, Gumdrop Delt.

p.p.s. I have not been as good as I'd like to be about responding to your kind comments lately.  Although I know you understand my preoccupation during these stressful times, I still yearn to say "thank you" for your well wishes for Eleni and your encouragement for me.  I appreciate each one!  Thanks for your friendship and grace.