Improvising Tradition: 18 Quilted Projects Using Strips, Slices, and Strata

Improvisational piecing methods anchored within traditional quilting designs.

Improvising Tradition pairs improvisationally pieced elements with more structured, and perhaps more familiar, quilt patterns to create projects that share a fresh, clean, and modern aesthetic. Author Alexandra Ledgerwood introduces readers to three basic improv piecing techniques: strip sets, piecing improvised strata, and slice and insert, then marries them with traditional quilting designs such as log cabins, coin and bar quilts, and even Hawaiian quilts.

By using improvised elements within traditional patchwork quilt designs, Alexandra merges new and old quilting styles into projects that will appeal to a wide range of quilters. Eighteen original and modern quilting projects combine the beauty and familiarity of traditional techniques with the fresh, fun spirit of improvised quilting.

Alexandra Ledgerwood is a modern quilter and a member of the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild. Her work has been published in Stitch, Modern Quilting Unlimited, Machine Quilting Unlimited, and Quilting Quarterly. She enjoys working with scraps, baking, and a good cup of tea. She lives in Overland Park, Kansas, with her husband and two sons.