The quilts of Gee's Bend are among the most important cultural contributions of women in the United States and are represented in more than 30 museums in the States. The women who created and continue to create them today are direct descendants of the enslaved people who worked on the cotton plantation established by Joseph Gee in Alabama in 1816. In the 1960s, members of the community became involved in the civil rights movement and founded the Freedom Quilting Bee.

Rosie Lee Tompkins (1936-2006) is considered one of the most virtuoso and imaginative quilters of her time. She made her patchworks from a wide variety of fabrics, from velvet and silk to polyester and nylon, which she had on hand and reused. In addition to the variety of different fabric qualities, the fabric areas she invented also consist of a multitude of seemingly improvised blocks, which often have their origins in classic block patterns such as the half-square triangular block, the medallion quilt or the log cabin. Added to this are appliqués, yoyos and embroideries, all of which are freely and seemingly effortlessly linked together.
I will help you to find your own way to create an Improv Block. In a small group, we have enough time to experiment with cutting and putting together of fabric pieces in a unique way.

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In this three-hour workshop, we take our favourite pieces of clothing and fabric remnants and let our intuition run free. In a small group, we have enough time to experiment with cutting and joining pieces of fabric in unconventional ways. We use the sewing machine.

By the end of the workshop you will have a vivid idea of the possibilities improv quilting offers you to apply what you have learnt to future projects.

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The workshop provides a solid foundation for further participation in the Quilting Bee.