kona improv piecing
Lately I've been really intrigued by improv piecing. I came across this fantastic quilt by Valori Wells while looking through We Love Color book.
What I love about it is that it all seems so random and easy to do, yet a lot more thought has to go into this kind of improv piecing than one would think. It's like spending hours doing your hair just to get that "I woke up and walked out the door" look. You know what I mean? My oldest daughter is almost a teenager so I get to experience it a lot these days.
Well, I gave it a go and this pillow cover was what came out of this whole experiment. My plan was to really go beyond my comfort zone - I decided to work with solids only. I don't usually do that, I prefer using prints way more than just solids.
You know what, it actually was not that bad. I tried not to over think the placement of my fabrics and I ended up learning how to achieve a decent curve while joining two fabrics, too.
I then quilted it in the random cross hatch pattern that Alex {teaginny designs} used to quilt her Flashdance quilt. This quilting looks so perfect with improv piecing, I think.
I then used washi fabric from my stash for the back of the pillow. The colors in this fabric were just a perfect match for all my solids. I like to use binding for my pillow covers as this way there are no raw or unfinished edges. And, it frames the whole patchwork pattern really nicely, too.
What I love about it is that it all seems so random and easy to do, yet a lot more thought has to go into this kind of improv piecing than one would think. It's like spending hours doing your hair just to get that "I woke up and walked out the door" look. You know what I mean? My oldest daughter is almost a teenager so I get to experience it a lot these days.
Well, I gave it a go and this pillow cover was what came out of this whole experiment. My plan was to really go beyond my comfort zone - I decided to work with solids only. I don't usually do that, I prefer using prints way more than just solids.
You know what, it actually was not that bad. I tried not to over think the placement of my fabrics and I ended up learning how to achieve a decent curve while joining two fabrics, too.
I then quilted it in the random cross hatch pattern that Alex {teaginny designs} used to quilt her Flashdance quilt. This quilting looks so perfect with improv piecing, I think.
I then used washi fabric from my stash for the back of the pillow. The colors in this fabric were just a perfect match for all my solids. I like to use binding for my pillow covers as this way there are no raw or unfinished edges. And, it frames the whole patchwork pattern really nicely, too.
Do you have a favorite technique for finishing off your pillows. I'd love to know.
Svetlana