Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Liberated Piecing - Free Zone

Do you have Victoria's new book
I can't wait to see it!
Last year I made two blocks for her Santa quilt (you can read more about the project and see my blocks on this post). Victoria has finished the Santa quilt top - click here to see it. It's amazing! 
I know how difficult it actually is to sew together so many different sized blocks, and if you've done it before, you are nodding your head right now! Victoria makes it sound easy, but it's really not!
I used this technique for making my "Words to Live By" quilt and I think it utilizes a different part of a quilter's brain than traditional piecing does. I find I have to be in the "free zone" - a creative space where nothing fits together, no measuring is allowed, lines are not straight, seams don't line up, and it's ALL GOOD! 
Once you know how to get to that zone, and if you like it there, it can be so fun. Making crumbs blocks is one way to access that part of your quilter's brain, and then you can expand and use the same concepts to piece quilts. 
I've been making crumb blocks this past week to use up some pink scraps for the RSC, and somehow this photo of the perfect snack (a cracker, a cucumber slice, and some dill cheese) is on my camera! I don't remember taking this photo... I must have been in the "free zone"!?! I do remember piecing the block, and will post more on Saturday's scrappy post...so stay tuned!

3 comments:

Katie said...

this looks like a great book to add to my list -- man this list is starting to get long. I always enjoy reading about great new projects and recently started my first improv quilt that I posted on my blog yesterday.Keep yup the good work

Janet O. said...

That cracker with a pickle photo cracked me up. : )
I'm not sure my brain has a free zone. Just the thought causes extreme anxiety. *LOL*

Stella Nemeth said...

I have done some improvisational piecing and I want to do more. I know that it makes for good backgrounds for fused art quilts although the one time I did a pieced background for one, it wasn't really improvisational. Everything was straight and the corners matched.

What will you do with your pink block?