Improv Patchwork Blog Hop: a Review and a Chance to Win a Copy!

Maria's New Book -- It's FABULOUS!

I remember walking into a class at the Crow Timber Frame Barn seven years ago.  It was an intermediate class with the famous Nancy Crow, and I was very much a beginning art quilter.  The class was filled with students who were far more advanced than I was, and I was thoroughly intimidated.  Everyone around me was cutting, sewing and pressing at lightening speed. I was literally too scared to move.

Luckily there was Maria Shell, sitting across the room.  She was one of the advanced students, and she took pity on me.  She patted me on the back and encouraged me to leap in and get to work.  She convinced me that I could do it.  And that class turned out to be one of the most exciting classes I’ve ever taken.  I’ve never looked back.

As Maria says in her new book, “A quitter rarely succeeds, and a finisher almost always ends up with something.”  And thanks to her, I did.

Maria does many things well.  She is an innovative quiltmaker, an inventive artist, a creative colorist and a great writer.  But I think one of her greatest strengths is her ability to teach the fundamentals of her art, and to encourage and nurture others to become better quilt makers.

Boulevard by Maria Shell

Her new book, Improv Patchwork: Dynamic Quilts Made With Line and Shape, is quite simply fabulous.  It is full of inspiration, encouragement and some of the clearest instructions I've ever read.  She takes the reader through the whole process of improvisational patchwork, starting with the basics:  selecting equipment, collecting supplies and organizing the workspace, color selection, palette building, rotary cutting (both with and without a ruler!) and pressing.  Then she gets into the really fun part: making prints from solid fabrics.  Stripes, polka dots, plaids, triangles, tracks, chevrons, herringbones  and checks — she shows how to make the pieces that will make quilts dynamic and successful.

Rattlesnake (detail) by Maria Shell, made with short-row stripes and triangles

Confetti (detail) by Maria Shell, made with polka dots

Don't miss the “tips” sections!  They may be my favorite parts of the book.  Read the tips and put them into practice — they will help you become a fearless quiltmaker like Maria!

If you are interested in improvisational piecing, you NEED THIS BOOK!   You can order it on Amazon or at C&T Publishing.

Or you can leave a comment at the end of this post to enter a drawing for a copy of the book!  Leave your comment by midnight Alaska time on October 26 and I will randomly select a winner.  USA residents will receive a hard copy of the book, international residents will receive the digital version.  Winners will be announced on October 27.  Good luck!

Roadrunner by Maria Shell

Be sure to visit the rest of the stops on the tour to learn more about Improv Patchwork!

October 16—C&T Publishing
October 18—Yvonne Fuchs at Quilting JetGirl
October 19—Amy Ellis at Amy’s Creative Side
October 20—Deborah Boschert at Deborah’s Journal
October 21—Kathy Doughty at Material Obsession
October 21— Terri Lucas at Generation Q Magazine 
October 22— Wendy Hill at Wendy Hill’s Blog—Fun Quilts Stuff & More 
October 23—Cindy Grisdela at Cindy Grisdela Art Quilts
October 24—Heather Pregger at Heather’s Blog
October 25—Maria Shell at Tales of a Stitcher 

Maria and I at International Quilt Festival, 2015

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win!
SaveSaveSaveSave