This is a group of 4 Uruguayan quilters who came to my house last saturday for a workshop on the basics of freehand cutting and piecing, otherwise known as improvisational piecing, an amalgam of the work of Marylin Stother of Canada, Nancy Crow of USA and the tool-free methods of fabric piecing by the Afro American quilters which were studied by Nancy herself and others such as Eli Leon who wrote “Who’d A Thought It”.
As the perfect technical framework for the mass of work to be accomplished by students in her colour and design classes, the method for this quick and easy construction has been taught far and wide byNancy, and many others since, with the result that it has become a new tradition in quiltmaking having been taken up by traditional, experimental and art quilters alike. There are countless examples now appearing in catalogues of contemporary quilt shows in countries such as UK, USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, South Africa, New Zealand, and wherever else the teaching goes or exhibitions travel it will emerge shortly after. So, I look forward to seeing how it emerges here, since the students were very keen, and worked very hard.

In the above sample, the heap of 4 pieces of fabric, all right side up, cut through three times to produce these 4 blocks will be recongised by anyone who have ever done this kind of workshop or construction. We moved on to strips and slivers. It is always a pleasure to teach to people who are keen to learn what you have to show them.

I learned that my studio could have accomodated one more student plus machine without being a squeeze, that I like having the extra trestle table up (dangerous precedent, Wendy?) and that I can easily get used to having quilting on one, piecing out on the other table still have my cutting table free…. theoretically.