Ho ho ho…w is it December?! This has been the longest year of my life, but here we are, preparing for the festivities, and praying that 2021 is a heckuva lot better than it’s predecessor.
BUY THE BOOK
If you’re wanting to get your hands on a copy of Mini Masterpieces for yourself, I have signed copies of Mini Masterpieces available in store.
DECEMBER – IMPROV CURVES
Guess what? I still laugh when I think of how I have a section on improv in my book. Me?! Improv?! Laughable only just a couple of years ago! I liked my rulers and my plans, thankyouverymuch. So if the idea of improv sends shivers down your spine, I hear you, my friend. I was once there too. And to be honest, in some respects I still am. The idea of improv quilting where you have a paper bag of pieces and just pull out and sew whatever you just happen to pull out is still giving me those shivers. But improv where I plan my colours – that I can do.
Now that we’ve covered simple curves and complex curves, improv curves is actually even easier than those. You’ve got the sewing method of curves down pat, and this is easy because you’re not trying to achieve a perfect curved block at the right size. The improv curves quilt block and the Brushstrokes mini quilt has been designed to trim down to size once you’ve sewn the curves.
The Improv Curves sampler block is great for practising:
- Cutting freely with a rotary cutter
- Sewing improv curves
Image by Page + Pixel for Lucky Spool
The Brushstrokes mini quilt is also good for trying out:
- Colour placement – try out an ombre!
- Working with larger pieces of fabric with making improv curves
DECEMBER PRIZES
To enter, you can either post a photo of your month’s project in the Blossom Heart Quilts group on Facebook in this album here (not sure how to do that? Click here to find out how), or post it on Instagram using the QAL hashtag #MiniMasterpiecesQAL. Either method is acceptable, just be sure to do it by December 31st, 2020 (in your timezone). Monthly winners will be selected at random, and announced by updating this post + in the Facebook group on January 4th, 2020.
For all the QAL details including prize eligibility, read this post here.
Block Prize
If you’re sewing along making the sampler blocks this year, that’s awesome! Each month, there’ll be a mix of patterns, notions, and other little goodies on offer. This month, the prize is a fat quarter bundle of Sea Botanica by Sarah Gordon for Figo Fabrics.
Quilt Prize
If you’re making mini quilts or some other type of fully finished product with the mini quilt pattern or turning the sampler block into a finished product (pillow, bag, zippered pouch, etc), then you qualify for the quilt prize. Now, because this method lends itself to making the mini as long as you like, then your mini must have at least as many strips as directed in the book to qualify for this prize.
This month’s prize is my set of Mini Masterpieces thread collection! I curated this set of threads to be the perfect starter set – two neutrals for piecing and quilting, and a rainbow of threads to cover all your quilting colour needs.
WINNERS
Congratulations to Kathryn for winning the block prize.
And to Amy for winning the quilt prize.
What you need
- A copy of Mini Masterpieces – you can buy a copy from these various stockists, and signed copies from me here
- A sewing machine (or hand sewing supplies!) and basic quilting supplies
- Your favourite fabrics – all the fabric requirements are listed on pages 71-72 for the block and mini quilt
TIPS FOR IMPROV CURVES
Improv curves are so freeing! You can roll that rotary cutter along your fabric however you like to create the curves – perhaps clearly making space for fussy cutting something in the print, like the flower in the centre of Hilary’s block.
Improv curves sampler quilt block by @byhilaryjordan for @aurifilthread
If you are new to this method, I would highly recommend that you start with gentle curves – create a gentle wave, not a zig zag! This will make it much easier for you to sew the strips together.
Improv curves sampler quilt block by @quiltsfromtheattic
The other great thing about improv curves is that you can make them as wide or as long as you like. I used this method to create a pillow for a dear friend last year by pulling out fabrics in a calm ocean-teal palette, and simply cut the strips wide enough for an 18″ pillow insert and kept going until it was long enough. Just remember – to qualify for the quilt prize, your mini must contain at least as many strips as directed to cut in the book. This pillow wouldn’t qualify, but I just wanted to provide you with an example of what you could do!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments and I’ll respond to you there.
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