An Afternoon of Improv Peicing - Pre-meeting Preparation

As we get closer to our next meeting date and workshop I thought I would send some helpful tips to prep for the class.

Selecting your fabrics:

Having trouble deciding on what fabrics to choose? Here are some ideas help you select your fabrics & perhaps lead you to a fabric combination that is different than your 'norm'!

• Select a palette of two colors you don't feel 'go together'; the combination may surprise you!What color makes you happy? Work with that color and choose a range of value within a monochromatic scheme
• Create a palette celebrating an upcoming season.... Maybe the warm rich tones of Fall, cool icy tones of Winter ...just think, this could be a perfect gift!
• Challenge yourself to work with a color scheme you have never tried
• Choose your favorite color scheme but shift the intensity (for example, instead of bright orange try coral, from grey blue go to indigo or bright blue, from sage green try chartreuse). From here, choose compliments to create a fresh color grouping
• Challenge yourself to work in all solids or all prints
• Choose colors that are close to each other on a color wheel.... Add a bit of a strong contrast as an accent and use minimally as you piece your strips

Preparing your fabrics:

For those that want to dive into their improv piecing right away, I suggest cutting your fabrics prior to the meeting.  Cut strips 6"-8" long by a range of widths (approx. 1-1/4" - 3" wide); cut strips a random angles (see photo)

Remember, this is a liberating process...there is now exact rule to the technique & you can't do it wrong! It is your aesthetic, your feelings, your intuition, your process! We will all create very differrent, equally vibrant pieces!!

Looking forward to seeing you!

Gina


PS - Don't forget to check out our last post with the supply list for the class!

October Meeting: An Afternoon of Improv Piecing

Join us for a session of improv piecing led by Gina Konopack.  We will work to each assemble a small wall quilt or runner in this workshop.  We will explore the interplay of color, pattern, shape & scale as we create sections of our piece and experiment with arrangement and final layout.

Set those rules aside and come prepared to embrace the unexpected!
 

Supplies:

• Fabric: scraps, strips, FQ's, or a small yardage cuts, enough to equal approx  1- 1-1/2 yds fabric (Completed pieces may range from 18"- 30", overall size will vary with individual layout)
• Thread
• Sewing machine
• Cutting tools- scissors, rotary cutter & mat
• Iron and pressing board
• Pins

Quilt Show Reception Recap

We had a great reception for our first-ever Members' Quilt Show!  Photos taken by Ginger and Kathy are posted to our Flickr page (click here to check them out).  The gallery looks amazing with all those pretty quilts on the walls.  Everyone, especially the kids, had a great time with our interactive exhibits.  We hope to see some #pghmqg hash tags showing up on Instagram soon! 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the show and attended the reception - it was great to see so many familiar (and unfamiliar) faces there!  Special thanks to Jodi who did so much work to pull this all together - we really appreciate it!

For those of you who weren't able to make it to the reception, be sure to stop by the Gallery at Main (Carnegie Library in Oakland) to see the display.  It will be up through the end of October. 

We've got some great workshops planned for the fall and winter including an improvisational piecing workshop with Gina and a two-part free motion quilting workshop with Ginger.  More information will be posted on the blog soon!

Our next meeting will be on Sunday, October 6, 2013, from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at the Pittsburgh Project.  We will be improv piecing with Gina.  Stay tuned for details, hope to see you there!

-Melissa

PS - if you have any photos from the show you'd like me to share on the Flickr page, just let me know!

September Meeting and Quilt Show Reception

It's September and that means that our first-ever Members' Quilt Show is currently on display at the Carnegie Library's Gallery at Main!  This month's meeting will be this Sunday, September 8, at the Gallery at Main where we will host an opening reception for the show.  The meeting will be at the usual time (1:00 pm to 4:00 pm).  Please feel free to bring your family and friends!

We also need some help with goodies for the reception.  See this post from a few weeks ago for details - leave a comment letting us know what you're bringing.  We've got a wide variety of yummy treats listed already!

The Oakland (Main) Carnegie Library is located at 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.  Directions and parking information can be found here.

Hope to see you on Sunday!