By guest blogger Sherri Lynn Wood, quilt artist and author
OAKLAND CA One day I saw the paper collage above on flickr, by artist Virginia Echeverria Whipple (I love her work!) and wondered how I could create the effect of concentric rings in patchwork. Perhaps with bias cut strips? I had never seen anyone strip piece on the curve before. Could it be done?
Without any tutorials to refer to and with only my skills at hand, I jumped in and figured out a way to do it. There were lots of pitfalls requiring innovative solutions, but eventually I invented and mastered a new patchwork technique – Bias Strip Piecing on the Curve.
Pushing your sewing skills beyond your limits of mastery is one way to see with the eyes of a beginner again, and this is the best frame of mind to be in as an improviser. Innovation is something that happens when there is no solution, or instruction manual, readily available.
That being said, if you want to jump in and learn how to strip piece on the curve with ruler-free bias cut strips then definitely pick up a copy of The Improv Handbook for Modern Quilting. Not only is each step of the technique beautifully photographed (below), there are lots of tips on how to flow with your “mistakes” and make something wonderful out of them!
Now how will you push your repertoire of patchwork skills beyond your limits? What tricky piecing situations do you have a hanker to explore? Hexies? Y-seams? Ruler-free curves? Go for it!
A technique from the Improv Handbook For Modern Quilters, photographed by Sara Remington.
Learn more about Sherri Lynn Wood +click here
