My Take on the Quilters Adventure Playcation Sew Along: Midyear

In January I started doing the weekly improv blocks offered by Cheryl Arkison every Tuesday at 12 noon EST on Instagram. Each week she designs a new improv block and then demonstrates how to make it. When the project is done, we will have 52 improv quilt blocks.

Above is block 26/52. On the left side are scraps made from the blocks we have already sewn. The plain pink patch on the right side signifies the 26 blocks to come.

A few of the blocks have been representational—the Ukrainian Tryzub, the heart on Valentine’s Day, the 2 for 2/22/2022, a span of the the Golden Gate bridge and a smile. But most of the blocks are just modern improv quilt blocks.

Here are all 26 blocks on my design wall. The lighting isn’t great but if I’d laid them out on the deck they would likely have blown off!

Block 1-26/52, NOT in chronological order.

I really didn’t have much of a plan when I started in January. I thought I would use a stack of 10” Kona® white squares and scraps. But after I saw what other folks were doing and what the blocks were like, I opted for a more colorful quilt and started adding novelty fabrics. So this is going to be a one-of-a-kind modern improv I Spy quilt when all is said and done! The blocks are not a uniform size so I will be adding strips of fabric as needed so that the blocks can been sewn together in strips.

This is a whole lot of fun! I can’t wait to find out find out what the next 26 blocks will be.

It’s not too late to join. Check out @cheryl_arkison on Instagram.

A Year of Improv Quilt Blocks--One a Week on the Quilter's Playcation Adventure Sew Along

Cheryl Arkison is offering a year of free improv quilting block classes—one a week on Instagram. She named the series, “Quilter’s Playcation Adventure Sew Along”, with the hashtag #qpadventuresewalong.

Each week she demonstrates how to make the block of the week, and shows examples in two different colorways. She’s encouraging us to take the block in our own direction and do whatever feels fun. It’s suppose to be play!

I’m trying to use my scraps and a stack of 10 inch Kona® Snow blocks as well as some other pastel background fabrics. Hopefully the only fabric I’ll need to purchase for this project will be a quilt backing…sometime in 2023!

The second block, the one on the upper right, was inspired by trees. And her blocks do look like tiered evergreens. This block is made the same way as the blocks in her “Scandi Village” which I recently made. Having just made a forest of trees, I wanted to do something that wasn’t a tree. So I turned two of my triangles upside down, creating a balancing act.

In the third block (lower left) Cheryl had the curvy strip running vertically.a When I pulled the geese fabric out of my scrap bag, it just made sense to turn my strip horizontally, creating a path.

The blocks aren’t sewn to a specific size and Cheryl has recommended that we wait til a later date to trim them up. So the blocks are ragged looking on purpose.

To learn more, check out Cheryl’s site and blog, Quilter’s Playcation and follow the instagram tags #quiltersplaycation and #qpadventuresewlong to see what folks around the world are making with her!

I’ll post the blocks I made once a month. These four are the January make!