The Book...(a little guide)

first glimpse!

hmm, so on saturday a package arrived from my publisher & at last i got a copy of my book, sew improv, in my hot little hands...and to say i was a *lettle* bit emotional is an understatement (but i held it together better than my mum who sobbed in the kitchen into the roast chicken.) i'm thrilled with every aspect of it, from the how it looks aesthetically to how it works as an actual how-to.

the book's broken down into two parts: 'the building blocks' & 'the quilts'. to begin with i show in the form of 13 mini-quilts how to create each technique - the theory being if you work your way through each method, you can create the quilts in the second section of the book if you so wish. you can also put the mini quilt blocks together in a really improv way to create your own 'improv sampler quilt' if you want! the second part of the book shows 12 quilts with the inspirations behind each one - from photo to sketch to more finished design. piecing maps and general instructions are given, but BIG emphasis is given to let your quilts evolve organically.

each quilt is inspired by random things i've come across in my everyday life - from the view outside my window, to a rope effect edging on a table in my parent's garden & manhole covers in the street. it was important to show inspiration really can strike anywhere - i don't go anywhere without my phone to quickly capture ideas to work on later. i've worked from these photos to create quick sketches which i've then recreated in fabric. many of the quilts are made using up scraps of fabric, so they're economical and (hopefully) fun to make - there are no hard and fast rules to follow with improv and definitely no mistakes to make! it's a looser way of working and i encourage you to work 'on the fly' - making design decisions as you go. many of you will work this way naturally - in which case you'll hopefully enjoy this book as eye-candy and to give you a few ideas and a sneak peak into the way i work. if you've never worked this way before, the mini quilts are a brilliant way to relax and try this way of creating without huge commitment.

if you're local(ish) to me in east anglia, (i in a village near newmarket, about an hour from east london, norwich & ipswich, 30 minutes from cambridge and 20 minutes in either direction from ely & bury st edmunds. i'm right on the border of suffolk, norfolk and cambridgeshire) you might be interested to know i shall be running workshops from 'the turkey shed' on the farm. i will be teaching a variety of workshops alongside other clever people and am hoping to get a workshop list together for autumn classes. at least one of these workshops will definitely be improv, so if you like the look of the book, i'd love to teach you the basics! if you *are* interested, please leave your name and email address in the comments, and i'll be sure to keep you updated on the workshops. don't worry, i won't deluge you with emails!)

i hope you've enjoyed a little explanation on what to expect from the book - & i hope you enjoy working from it as much as i've enjoyed creating it. it was a total joy from start to finish! 

mini quilts from 'the building blocks' section

simple easy-to-follow instructions

at the beginning of each quilt, there's a inspiration pinboard
showing photos, magazine pics & fabric samples

there is also a rough to measurements & a piecing map for
each quilt

i'm so thrilled with all the photographs (this shows a tiny section)