This quilt was inspired by Setsuko Inagawa’s submission to the 2011 Tokyo International Quilt Festival. Amy Gunson of Badskirt Amy shared a tutorial for the block on her blog and many people including Leila decided to try it out. Though inspired from a quilt that was created in Tokyo, the original block was attributed to Nancy Cabot in 1938 (source: Barbara Brackman’s Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns.)

Setsuko Inagawa

Leila has been sewing since she was a little girl but, she just started quilting 7 years ago, when she was pregnant with her son. After creating a few quilts she stopped because at the time the designs and fabrics that were available weren’t very appealing to her. But, thankfully, she started quilting again 2 years ago when she discovered modern quilting online. It opened up a new world of designs and fabrics and techniques that spoke to her and she hasn’t stopped quilting since.

You can find more of Leila’s work on her blog at wheretheorchidsgrow.blogspot.com or on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/where-the-orchids-grow/.

Heather says: “This quilt was inspired by the work of Josef Albers and his wife Anni, and was made as an entry into for the second challenge of Project Modern. It was my first attempt at making a monochromatic quilt, and as it had been a long, dreary winter, I went with various shades of pink. I was an Art History major in college and grad school, so I was familiar with the work of Albers, who may be best known for his series of works “Homage to the Square.” In these works, Albers experimented with the relationships between different colors arranged in a series of squares. I thought that design would work well in a quilt, although I shifted the layout of the squares in my design. The Anni quilt was chosen as a winner of Project Modern: Challenge 2 by judge Malka Dubrawsky. This quilt is modern in my eyes due to its bold use of color, strong graphic elements, and over-sized blocks, which measure about 24″ square.

Anni Quilt by Heather Jones

Heather says “I find inspiration all around me, and I really love the challenge of translating what I see into quilt designs.”

Anni Quilt Detail by Heather Jones

Heather is the president of the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild and she says that she can honestly say that the guild has changed her life. Although she had made quilts in the past, she didn’t consider herself a quilter before she began the CMQG, and now she can’t imagine quilting not being an integral part of her life.  You can follow her work on her blog oliveandollie.com

In her own words: “We were invited to the wedding of a longtime business friend of my husband. As we pondered about the present we could give, I joked and said, I could make them a wedding quilt. As they are not a young couple who needs to build a household and we don’t know them very good privately, this seemed to be a good idea. I’ve met the bride only once, but thought that something simple and elegant should be good . My husband asked them for hints what they like and don’t like and between other things they mentioned the colour yellow.

Soon I found the basic fabric (it’s the fabric for the backing not seen in this photo ). It was not until we received the official invitation, a beautiful card with the lyrics of the Beatles song ‘ when I’m 64’, when I had the idea of quoting another Beatles song.

I’ve seen the word LOVE in this formation of course many many times, this is surely nothing new.”

Heidi lives in Germany and blogs at http://libellenquilts.blogspot.com/.

As with many other forms of art or craft, there is almost an unlimited number of sources of inspiration for a quilt. It is interesting to hear about quilt inspiration because it often tells the story of the quilt. A quilt can be inspired by another quilt. It can be inspired by a piece of fine art. It can be inspired by a textile design. It can be inspired by color. Inspired by words. Inspired by an event.

This quilt was inspired by a pattern on a rug coupled with a traditional log cabin design.

This quilt was inspired by a baby name, Cici. Can you see the two C’s?

CC Quilt by Latifah Saafir

This quilt was inspired by a classic teddy bear and classic baby boy colors

B-Boy Quilt by Latifah Saafir

We hope you enjoy looking at all the quilts and share with us what you are inspired by.

Finished block: 15.5″ square

Fabric requirements:

Background fabric: Two 5.5″ squares
Center square fabric: Six to ten monochromatic scraps, measuring no less than 1″ x 8″
Outer squares fabrics: For each color, eighteen to thirty monochromatic scraps, measuring no less than 1″ x 8″

1. Trim your scraps down to varying widths between 2″ x 8″ and 1″ x 8″.  Try to do this without a ruler and just eyeball it.  Embrace imperfection and your finished piecing will have more variation and interest.

2. Starting with your center square fabric, arrange your scraps in the order you’d like to piece them together.

3. Piece together your scraps.  When you’re done, make sure that they measure at least 6″ wide.

4. Without a ruler, cut the piecing into three different portions.  Trim the edges as needed.

5. Rotate around the top and bottom portions and piece them all back together.

6. Trim to 5.5″ square and your center square is finished!

7. Repeat this exact process with each your outer square fabrics, creating a 5.5″ square in each color.

8. Now repeat it again for each of the outer square colors, but this time when you’re done with step 3, make sure your piecing measures at least 11″ wide.

9. When you’re done with step 5, trim your piecing down to 10.5″ x 5.5.”

10. Now piece together your block as indicated in the diagram below.

Your block is all finished!

Robyn doesn’t have a blog (yet!) and is a member  of the Auckland Modern Quilt Guild.  She took some time to answer a few questions for us.

1) What’s your favorite thing about improvisational piecing?

I love improvisational piecing because the freedom of constraints makes it fun and the results are always unique to the quilter/artist.

2) What do you think makes this quilt modern?

The simple lines of the design, the simplistic quilting and the freshness of the colours.

3) What inspired this quilt?

The Modern BOM was the inspiration for this quilt. To add my own spin I used some pre-constucted fabric I had on hand instead of printed fabric, varied the grey background to give a more interesting look, and free-cut the pieces.

More of Anna’s work can be found on her flickr stream. We asked her a couple of questions about the quilt.

1. What is your favorite thing about improv piecing?

My favorite thing about improv piecing is how I don’t plan or measure (that much), so it feels very fun and spontaneous!

2. What makes this quilt modern to you?

To me, this quilt is modern in its use of solids, surprising quirky details, and intentionally “imperfect” quilting and piecing.

3. What inspired this quilt?

This quilt, design-wise, is inspired by Gees Bend quilts, and the colors are straight from the home and wardrobe of its recipient.

Victoria from Bumble Beans Inc’s  Waverunner Quilt tutorial.

Improv tree placemats by Malka Dubrawski over on Sew, Mama, Sew’s blog!

Carla from Lollyquiltz’s liberated cross blocks.

Penny from Sew Take a Hike’s improv curved piecing blocks.

The true and true Wonky Log Cabin block tutorial from over at Tallgrass Praire Grass Studio.

You can find Cheryl here, and she blogs at Dining Room Empire. She was nice enough to answer a few questions for us!

1. What is your favorite thing about improv piecing?

I often start a project without a finished product in mind. I grab a pile of fabric, attack it with an idea or concept (or not), then start sewing. Just to see where it goes. Improv is about process for me more than the final product or design. I believe in relishing and sharing the process, not just the final product. So, improv is perfect for a process oriented person like me.
Working your improv skills also means that you can handle the hiccups that come when you are a few blocks short of a planned design, when you run out of background fabric, or another colour begs to be included. If you’ve practiced improv piecing regularly you can handle these hiccups without hesitation.

What do you think makes this quilt modern?

2. This isn’t a traditional block design. When I first made it I hadn’t seen it anywhere before. Is it possible that I made something original? (Barring the inspiration, of course.)
Floating the graphic elements on the white background, with no extra sashing brings a modern element to the design. Bright colours and a spare setting add to that.

What inspired this quilt?

3. The quilt was completely inspired by the nursery decorations my BIL and SIL painted as they prepped for their first baby. I hadn’t found a good concept for this baby quilt, and felt lots of pressure to produce something very cool for them. When they sent photos of the paint job they did in the nursery the proverbial light bulb went off. I didn’t keep it precise like their graphic, but stuck with my favourite improv piecing to get it together.

Jacquie blogs at Tallgrass Prairie Studio and has been a member of two Modern Quilt Guilds! She was a founding member of the Kansas City MQG and is now a member of the Chicago MQG. She spent a few minutes answering some questions for us.

1) What do you like the most about improv piecing?

There is so much about improvisation that appeals to me.  It’s about creativity and taking an idea and making it come to life.  Improvising is not the fastest way to make a quilt, but I enjoy not only the design process, but also the trial and error that I use to execute a design.  It’s rare that a quilt turns out as I originally envision it. Improvisation can be frustrating and exhilarating at the same time.  I like that I have to work hard and sometimes even struggle.  I’m challenged and because of that I can grow and change. Improvisation provides an opportunity for me to express myself in my quilts and make something that is uniquely mine.

2) What makes this quilt modern to you?

During the World War I the Red Cross encouraged quilters to contribute to the cause by making Red Cross quilts and charging to add signatures to the quilt.  This quilt is my take on this traditional quilt. The cross block used in this quilt is a traditional block, but when I asked my bee friends to make them I requested them to improvise.  We all took this block and made it our own.  But beyond the block, the setting is what makes it modern.  The blocks are set to create the impression of larger crosses that float within the negative space of the quilt.

3) What inspired this quilt?

This quilt was made just after the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.  As I watched the humanitarian response to this disaster I was inspired to take these cross blocks and make my tribute to the American Red Cross.  The quilt is called ‘Peace and Comfort’ and words that reflect the work of the Red Cross are quilted into the negative space of the quilt.