Shed Cost: The Book a little guide

Thursday, October 6, 2016

The Book a little guide

first glimpse!

hmm, so on saturday a package arrived from my publisher & at last i got a copy of my book, sew improv, in my hot little hands...and to say i was a *lettle* bit emotional is an understatement (but i held it together better than my mum who sobbed in the kitchen into the roast chicken.) im thrilled with every aspect of it, from the how it looks aesthetically to how it works as an actual how-to.

the books broken down into two parts: the building blocks & the quilts. to begin with i show in the form of 13 mini-quilts how to create each technique - the theory being if you work your way through each method, you can create the quilts in the second section of the book if you so wish. you can also put the mini quilt blocks together in a really improv way to create your own improv sampler quilt if you want! the second part of the book shows 12 quilts with the inspirations behind each one - from photo to sketch to more finished design. piecing maps and general instructions are given, but BIG emphasis is given to let your quilts evolve organically.

each quilt is inspired by random things ive come across in my everyday life - from the view outside my window, to a rope effect edging on a table in my parents garden & manhole covers in the street. it was important to show inspiration really can strike anywhere - i dont go anywhere without my phone to quickly capture ideas to work on later. ive worked from these photos to create quick sketches which ive then recreated in fabric. many of the quilts are made using up scraps of fabric, so theyre economical and (hopefully) fun to make - there are no hard and fast rules to follow with improv and definitely no mistakes to make! its a looser way of working and i encourage you to work on the fly - making design decisions as you go. many of you will work this way naturally - in which case youll hopefully enjoy this book as eye-candy and to give you a few ideas and a sneak peak into the way i work. if youve never worked this way before, the mini quilts are a brilliant way to relax and try this way of creating without huge commitment.

if youre local(ish) to me in east anglia, (i in a village near newmarket, about an hour from east london, norwich & ipswich, 30 minutes from cambridge and 20 minutes in either direction from ely & bury st edmunds. im right on the border of suffolk, norfolk and cambridgeshire) you might be interested to know i shall be running workshops from the turkey shed on the farm. i will be teaching a variety of workshops alongside other clever people and am hoping to get a workshop list together for autumn classes. at least one of these workshops will definitely be improv, so if you like the look of the book, id love to teach you the basics! if you *are* interested, please leave your name and email address in the comments, and ill be sure to keep you updated on the workshops. dont worry, i wont deluge you with emails!)

i hope youve enjoyed a little explanation on what to expect from the book - & i hope you enjoy working from it as much as ive enjoyed creating it. it was a total joy from start to finish!