Time to launch another quilt from The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilters!  Next up is score #4, a "patchwork doodle".  Sherri Lynn invites us to let go of our expectations, freely create and say "yes, and..." to whatever will be.

I'm going to indulge in this delectable box of glowing solids, a treat to myself from the holidays.  It's the

Denyse Schmidt Modern Solids

fat quarter collection from FreeSpirit.  Oooh and aaaaah!

Of course I've spent a suitable number of weeks enjoying the fabrics arranged just so.  It's one of those gifts so pretty you don't want to unwrap!  But, now is the time.  Using only solids for this freeform quilt will bring a natural unity to the work no matter which way I go.

In this score the idea is to explore shapes as desired, creating something like rows or large sections that will eventually be joined together.  I find it hard to begin with so little direction.  Color is a natural starting place, so I pull friendly blues and grays.  Maybe each section will be composed of colors nearby each other on the color wheel.

I'm feeling drawn to curves, but getting something that feels right takes a good amount of trial and error.  Version one, the medium blue with a "wave" in it, is nice but not what I imagine will look good in a series.  Version two, the gray one at top right, took more effort to piece than I would like.

I end up with these fan shapes which are pleasantly curvy, but easy to piece.  Next I'd like to make a similar string in pinks/purples and another in greens/yellows and see how they work with the blue/gray set. 

This start feels rather tentative, like how one walks slowly in the dark, arms outstretched to feel the way.  I hope that now that I've made my first mark on the page, this doodle takes on a life of its own.