Our fourth challenge, Monochrome Dreams, is finished, and we’ve learnt a lot from this experience.
First of all, we’ve been positively surprised by the interest of our participants to play with a purely monochromatic palette, as answered by the majority of respondents to the poll offering the alternative to use a neutral too. If we’ve got to play, let’s play seriously!
Second, we’ve observed that the gallery of participants’ works, visible on @quiltimprovstudio Instagram profile, had a contemporary feel. This was unintentional, but it was a nice discovery. This experience highlighted for us that improv is applicable to any realm of patchwork: not only modern (with its bold and contrasting colors), but also contemporary patchwork (with more delicate color effects, such as in a monochrome), or other types of look.
Finally, we reflected on the amount of intentionality that can be part of an improv process, and still allow us to call it improv. This topic was raised thanks to a question from one of our participants on whether her work was too intentional to look as improv. Thus, we asked ourselves: “How much intentionality is part of our process? Is there a line that divides intentionality from improvisation?”
Our personal opinions are elaborated below.
Giovanna says: “I usually mix the two (intentionality and improvisation). First of all, I select a color palette (which can also vary during the process), then I start cutting and gradually adding other fabrics to make blocks that can vary on shapes and dimensions. This is the quickest moment of improv: to cut and to sew pieces.
Then, the slow work starts, the arrangement on the design wall and the choice of the composition.
This part of the process is all intentional; well, sometimes it happens that two or more pieces go well together at first shot, but, most of the times they are moved, rotated, unstitched, removed or others are sewn and added till the work becomes interesting to my eyes, till I find a way to go and something with a precise meaning is born. Sometimes the result could be challenging, but I can always modify my quilt until I find a satisfactory solution.
The most important thing is to have fun and to relax while doing it!
Nothing is by chance, not even improvising, everything that is created is influenced by the moment I did it. I understood this thing when I made some blocks and a few days later I wanted to continue the work by doing some more of such blocks… but they were different! While using the same technique! This is also for the quilting.
Am I an improv quilter? I think: yes, I don’t use patterns, I make my own quilts, I use a ruler to cut straight (when desired) but I don’t take measures. I could do two similar quilts, but they would never be the same.”
According to Paola, intentionality is not absent during improv. It is distributed all along the process, as a difference with respect to other methods when all the design is fixed at the beginning. Jazz music may be a lovely analogy: if key and rhythm are chosen at the start, and they are intentionally kept stable until the end, freedom remains always available during the play!
Paola loves the “emergence” of patterns: if something beautiful starts to appear, then it is worth repeating or reinforcing that part. The decision to reinforce a pattern is another type of intentional act, appearing in the middle of the path: another section of the design becomes fixed. Still, as long as there is room for changes during the work, the open-end typical of improv is preserved.
Carla says: “When I start a new quilt, usually my first focus is on the selection of the fabric to be used. If solids will prevail, I choose a full palette; if prints are included, I choose my favorite prints first, as a main character, and the the solids follow along as a proper match; then, I try to add some pieces from my bin of scraps… choosing the starting material can take me days! Rarely all my selection will be used, but surely this preparation phase contains some intentionality.
Then I start… and I focus on the rules of the game. How can I apply them? Sometimes I draft a sketch. But I usually don’t follow this sketch at all! My drawings are just a kid’s play, a faint trace. My result is always achieved through a mainly improvisational process full of changes.”
A new game is boiling in our minds… we still need some time to fix details. In the meanwhile, we pose the same question to you.
In your improvisation works, how much intentionality is allowed?
You can send us your thoughts and your feelings after the game by writing a direct message on this, or other improv-related topics, to our Instagram profile @quiltimprovstudio; or you can send an email to infoATquiltimprov.art. We would like to describe the variety of paths towards improv thanks to your opinion and the contribution of many of us.
Hear you soon!
Carla, Giovanna and Paola
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