The Quilts Unscripted Bee wrapped up our third year this past summer and are now nearly done with our fourth! I know it’s April, but today I’m finally sharing the blocks I made for each prompt in 2024. (Here are my previous recaps: 2023, 2022, 2021.)
Quick recap — Quilts Unscripted was started by Ellyn Zinsmeister and Sarah Goer in mid-2021. Current bee members are Ellyn, Sarah, E.A. Cox, Chris Davies, Emily Lang, Elizabeth Ray, Isabelle Selak, Charles Cameron, Jenn George Burt, Patty Dudek, and me. One of our members, Carole Lyles Shaw, passed away last August and we miss her greatly. ❤️🩹
We are primarily an improv-focused bee (hence the “unscripted” in our name), and use mainly solid fabrics. Each month, one person chooses a theme or prompt, and provides guidance for the color palette and size/shape of blocks if they have a specific requirement.
To kick us off in January, Elizabeth asked for long striped units in any colors that fit our style or mood at the time of making it. It had been a super gray and rainy week in my part of the world, so I gravitated towards sunnier and warmer colors for my unit.
In February, Carole asked us to make shapes floating in squares and specified several saturated shades of red, yellow, green, and blue. This was a quick and fun prompt and I got to use the 6-minute circle technique for the small inset yellow circle.
In March, Emily wanted us to use hot pink, bright orange, deep yellow, and aqua in whatever style we wanted, as long as it included a wonky pieced star. I always like prompts like this that have a mix of both specificity (the star) and room for interpretation (everything else).
Charles loves to send us things as part of his prompt, and in April he sent each of us some iced dyed fabric! We used that fabric, plus additional coordinating fabrics, to make blocks with a “water” theme. I went with a hurricane inspiration and made two swirly sections that I then joined together.
For May, E.A. introduced us to artist Alma Thomas and asked us to make columns in the style of some of her work. This was only the second “no sew” prompt we’ve ever had! I applied fusible to the back of the fabric, then cut it into small pieces and rearranged as you see above.
In June, Ellyn asked us to make blocks inspired by Memphis design — a graphic style that includes brightly colors shapes and lines plus black and white patterns. I really enjoyed the grid portions of these blocks, and would like to try making a larger quilt with some of these design elements.
In July, Jenn asked us for green blocks featuring triangles — simple and straightforward!
In August, Chris asked for landscape blocks using a color palette inspired by Paul Gaugin. I envisioned rocks and fields and created a fairly abstract result.
I was the “queen” for September and requested longer strips inspired by the planets, and assigned a different planet to each person. More on that quilt once I decide how I’m going to put them together!
In October, Isabelle asked us to make blocks as a way of processing or expressing whatever we were currently feeling, with her only color request being light-medium gray as the background. At this point I had fallen fairly behind on making my blocks, so it was actually January/February of this year by the time I made this one. I chose to make an improv storm at sea block as a reflection of the political storm happening. Whew.
And finally, in November Elizabeth asked for 4-letter words — any word — in bright saturated colors. I really loved making these improv letters, and am considering this general technique as the basis for another alphabet quilt!
We’re already 4 months into 2025 and I have some catching up to do, but so far it’s been another great year of prompts for Quilts Unscripted.
The improv storm at sea block was a great choice, as is the word star. I look forward to seeing how you work with the planet inspired strips you received!
Hii I’m just stuck on that Carole Lyles Shaw passed away — what a loss! (Honestly the worst part of my longcovid is needing to be told multiple times that someone has died, or is dying. So it’s possible I already knew…( But I’m grateful that you mentioned it and I’ve found some statements issued last summer so I can read up on how our community has remembered her and honored her.
These blocks are gorgeous, thank you for sharing them as well.
Yes, Carole’s passing was such a loss for our community. She is certainly missed.
Hopefully it doesn’t take me 10 years, lol.
I enjoy seeing the prompts your bee comes up with (no big surprise I bet!). I didn’t remember you had a couple of ‘no sew’ prompts. Interesting!
One of them was mine in 2023 (and I haven’t turned those blocks into a quilt yet, eek).