The Improv Handbook

I was so lucky to be chosen a test quilter for the upcoming book by Sherri Lynn Wood, The Improv Handbook!

You can pre-order the book HERE.

While I was doing it, I took tons of "process" photos but since then (boohoo) my hard drive crashed on my computer and all were lost!!

No matter.

I can still tell you my experience.

Very simple.

Once I got my fabrics pulled for the first one, according to the directions in the "score"  (super cool concept, to call them that!), I got started in the general direction.

Then, at a certain point...Once I got going...I really had to step aside, mentally...And just do whatever the quilt wanted.

So I finished the first one:

 Some close-up compositions:

 

I really like how it turned out, but I wasn't altogether sure I had followed the directions correctly, so I decided to do another one...

 Damn if the same thing didn't happen again!  It just took off by itself.  Like I really had nothing to do with it. My hands just went here, and there, and moved things around and added and took away and sewed it together and "I" was to the side just watching!  No way to make it do whatever the directions said for it to do, but maybe that's okay since the point, I think, is for the scores to be a jumping off place and not set in stone.

Close-ups:

       

At the end of this test sewing, I must say I like both outcomes pretty well!

Well, as much or as little as I like any natural thing!  A tree is a tree.  We might like it or not, but it is what it is!

And it was a really interesting experience to have created them.

I remember this phenomenon happening when I used to paint.  Like some unseen hand takes over.

All of a sudden, I look and say "What?!  Where did that come from?!"

The awesome power of the creative process never fails to amaze me, and I am thankful for having had this opportunity to dip my toe in to that pool again, for I know it was just a dip.

I am actually quite afraid of doing this on my own and was very happy to have had a theoretical "rope" to hang on to (Sherry Lynn's score).  I seem to need the power of someone, anyone, to make sure I get back. lol  

Now, I'm really looking forward to the March 17 release of Sherri Lynn's book, both to see what others created using the scores and to find out what the other scores are (besides the one I was given to do)!

Can't wait to try them all out!

Love,

Sarah