First I want to say thank you to everyone for the well wishes and kind comments on my last post. I read them all… and will slowly work through responding but know I was really touched by the reaction to my news. It was not an easy post to write but now that it is done I can start with the quilt catch up…
And first up is one of my favorite finishes over the last year or so… an improv cool tree quilt…
I started this top in 2019 when I was teaching Improv quilting at Modern Domestic…. I had a pile of light blue fabrics and wanted to use them…
I have definitely made improv trees before usually with green follage of varying shapes and brown trunks… but with this quilt I limited myself to triangle trees in navy blue with dark grey for the trunks.
I used up a bit of my navy/blue scrap pile but really busted through my light blue/light grey stash and scraps. There is a fun “anything goes” with improv and it all seems to work… as long as you define some rules to begin.
For this quilt my parameters were for the background either light blue or light grey or low volume with blue print. I wanted the background to read overall cold. You can see from the pictures the cream based fabrics have a little warmth to them but they are not over powering.
The trees were navy or a dark blue. The touches of different shades of blue, like the royal blue add interest to the tree tops, so that they are not just a solid navy.
For the back of the quilt I used a piece of Tula Pink wide back that I was gifted by a friend. In the last couple of years I have been piecing a lot of my quilt backs….using up bigger cuts of fabric and scraps of wide back. I am not sure the long armers who help with the charity program as thrilled by my backs, but they make the quilts fun.
I have to finish with the obligatory photo of Nick’s pinkies. Mr Wombat has been such a support the last year…. not just holding up quilts but holding me up through some not so fun times.
WOMBAT QUILTS 
This is one of the most gorgeous quilts I have ever seen! I love it! Glad you are feeling better!
Ah, the pinky arises once more! Love these little trees, and the colour story is so fresh and pretty. It’s just so great to see you posting again, you’ve been sorely missed.
I love your blue trees, sometimes you just have to be different. Glad to hear you are better and got to the hospital in time. Must of been a scary time for you. You were meant to stay and make more quilts.
Oh boy!!! Let’s DO catch up with the things you’ve made but haven’t shown us! I can’t wait to see them all. This quilt is beautiful. I just love blue. I’ve never tried the improv type of quilting. It makes a lovely tree quilt though.
This is delightful and whimsical and gets the feel of the magic of snow and the fir trees.
So great to see you back! Thank you for sharing your journey with all of us….I am so glad that you got medical attention right away! That is so important for quickly navigating onto the road to recovery. Looking forward to all the “catching up” posts to come!
Your Improv tree quilt is awesome! As a decades long quilter, I am still amazed by the wonderful quilts that can come from simple shapes. Blue and white quilts are among my favorites, and I love the subtle addition of the low volume fabrics…really makes the quilt sparkle!
Thanks Sandra. I love simple shapes too…they allow you to play with color and texture in a way that is really fun.
Glad to see your lovely quilts and the pinkies back here on the blog universe. xo
So glad you’re sharing your beautiful creations again . You were missed by many. This quilt is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for reminding us that health is the most important gift we have. Wishing you a year of healing and creative joy!
What a great idea for using up my blue fabrics–and I also seem to have more of the blues than any other color! Weird, huh? I’ve been looking for an idea and might just have to give this one a try. And Mr. Wombat is a blessing and a half sounds like–not just for those pinkies and quilt holding! ❤
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