We are excited to share this quick and easy improv technique from our colleague @quiltsfromtheattic. Nicholas is always encouraging people to try improv quilting, yet the idea of making a quilt without a pattern or a specific cutting list can be daunting for the more traditional quilter. Here Nicholas shows his method of making stacked units, which are a more liberated take on traditional 4-patch blocks. This technique has a little more structure than other improvised piecing methods and therefore is great for beginners. We hope you give it a try! Any questions? Ask away in the comments.
1️⃣ Take 4 squares of fabric (these do not have to be perfectly cut) and stack them right sides up on your cutting mat. I like to use 3 solids of a similar colour and 1 contrasting, but you can use whatever you like.
2️⃣ Use a rotary cutter to make a cut through the whole stack, from the lower edge to the upper edge.
3️⃣ Take the top most piece from the right-hand pile and place it on the bottom.
4️⃣ Taking care to keep both stacks in the order they are, sew each pair together using chain piecing. Clip each pair and re-stack them in the order they were sewn.
5️⃣ Press each pair and re-stack them again. My preference is to press to the side, but you can also press the seams open if you wish.
6️⃣ Place the stack back on your cutting mat and rotate it 90°. Make another cut, once again from the lower edge to the upper edge. This time, take the top two pieces from the right most stack and place them on the bottom.
7️⃣ Sew the pairs together, then press the seams. It does not matter if the units get mixed up at this point.
You can now have fun arranging the units, either with the contrast colour all at the centre or rotating a few. You can add additional interest with strips or by cutting off the corners of some or all units and adding a contrasting triangle. Once you are happy, the individual units can be trimmed down and sewn together to complete the improv block.