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Monday, September 20, 2021

Scrappy Improv Sunflower Quilt - Book Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Scrappy Improv Quilting blog tour!


Kelly Young of My Quilt Infatuation has a new book out - and I'm so excited to share my version of one of the quilt patterns in the book with you today!


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If you're new here, hello! I'm Laura! I design quilt patterns, and I'm a self-proclaimed deal hunter! Be sure to join the popular Quilting & Sewing Deals Facebook group where I post sales, deals, and coupon codes from all around the web!


Kelly's new book is called Scrappy Improv Quilting. If you remember a couple years ago, she wrote another book called Stash Statement, and I made the Detour quilt from that book! (Read about that quilt HERE!)


Both books use a similar technique - piece together small scraps by color to make a larger piece of "fabric." Then cut that into the pieces needed for a quilt!

I chose the "Face the Sun" pattern from her new book - which is a sunflower mini quilt. I was visiting my mom in Kansas last weekend, and it was the perfect time and place to make the quilt!


I have my fabrics organized in my stash by color now, so it was extremely easy to pull fabrics for this mini quilt! (I obviously don't have many browns in my stash! Ha!)


I cut small squares and rectangles from all the fabrics, then pieced them back together randomly just as the book teaches.


The pattern for the sunflower in the book only uses the improv fabric for the green, but I decided to use improv piecing for ALL the colors!


See the view from my mom's sewing room?! It's wonderful to sew there!


Mom helped press as I sewed, and the quilt top went together quickly!


My mom has the same Juki TL-2010Q sewing machine that I have, so it was easy to use her machine!


I used Aurifil 50wt for all the piecing. A peek behind the seams shows all the improv piecing! 


I sandwiched the quilt top with a scrap of Warm & Natural batting, then free-motion quilted it with matching Aurifil 50wt thread. 


It didn't take long to machine sew the binding and finish the quilt!


The next day, my mom and I went on a hunt for some wild sunflowers for a photo shoot!


These probably aren't "sunflowers" at all, but they grow in all the ditches along the road during this time of year, and everyone calls them sunflowers!


The blue skies and barbed wire fence were perfectly "Kansas" too.


I really love how this mini quilt turned out! 


Wouldn't a whole quilt of these be fabulous?!


I had so much fun sewing this with my mom, and highly recommend Kelly's book if you have some scraps without a plan too!


Want to see some other examples of improv quilting from the book?? Then this will be a treat for you!! 


The Scrappy Improv Quilting blog tour is happening now, and there are many other quilters making the quilts from the book too!





Be sure to get your own copy of Scrappy Improv Quilting! It will have you sewing up your scraps in no time!

The book is available directly from Kelly (autographed too!) HERE, or get it on Amazon HERE.

14 comments:

  1. This mini quilt is just beautiful, Laura! I LOVE that you did the whole thing with improv. And the photos with the wild sunflowers are amazing! Thank you so much for participating in the blog tour. I am so glad you enjoyed making your quilt.

    :) Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation

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  2. Wow, I love how you made the entire quilt from improv, Laura!!! Fun photo shoot, too, in the land of sunflowers!!!

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  3. Love the total improve look!!! It's a great sunny mini quilt!

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  4. I love sunflowers and your version of Kelly's design is beautiful! Looks like you found the perfect place to photograph it, too. Great finish!

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  5. Lovely little quilt and a fabulous photo shoot, too!

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  6. I love the totally improv look! And the picture of the fabric held up to the sky is so beautiful, as are the pictures with the quilt and the sunflowers. So good!

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  7. Your improv version of Kelly's design seems even more bright and cheery than hers! I love what you've done with the piecing - such scrappy goodness. Like you, I'd have a hard time coming up with browns for the quilt center. Your photos are beautiful! Love the outdoors, sunshine, and yellow blooms. You did a great job with this pattern. Well done - to you and your mom.

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  8. Absolutely beautiful and so much fun that you got to sew with your mom! The flashes of light in the flower remind me of the way the sun sparkles off the petals. The improv method certainly adds dimension and life to an already beautiful quilt.

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  9. Your sunflower mini turned out fabulous, Laura! That is one of my favorite projects in Kelly's book and your version just makes me want to try it even more.

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  10. I’m not sure what the flowers in your photos, really are, but they look fabulous with your Face The Sun quilt! It was inspired to use improv piecing for the sunflower petals too! Beautiful!

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  11. What a beautiful flower quilt... and it looks like the photo shoot was fun too!

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  12. Nice, big, beautiful Sunflower, Laura!

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  13. Beautiful! How big is this quilt, love that you used the same technique for the yellow.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Deb! The pattern makes an 18" x 18" mini quilt. Perfect for a seasonal door hanger!

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