In my quest for more sustainability in quilting, I began to look at how curves can be, in my opinion, quite wasteful. For example, when you cut a 1/4 circle, you need each piece (outer and inner circle) to be 1/4" bigger than the other piece resulting in 2 leftover curves that wont fit each other.

Now I know quilting is the original thrifty hobby and we all hang on to our scraps but wouldn't it be nice if some patterns didn't have many, if any leftovers?  Well the Improv Hearts is one of these. You do end up with scraps but from 2 FQs, you end up with a 17" x 17" block. If I made these traditionally with the measured inset, you'd need a lot more and, have a lot more leftover!

The Improv Hearts Quilt started as an experimental cushion and it worked so well I turned it into a quilt. I also cut into some long-hoarded fabric; Everlasting by Sharon Holland for AGF, and I think the fabric design really fits the pattern! 

The video above is for the cushion but can obviously be applied to the quilt. Each pair of FQs will make 2 hearts therefore, you'll need 9 FQs for a 3 x 3 block quilt which finishes at 50" x 50". You'll need 12 FQs for a 3 x 4 block quilt which finishes at 50" x 66 1/2". You'll need 16 FQs for a 4 x 4 block quilt which will finish at 66 1/2" x 66 1/2". And so on! The great thing about this quilt is that you can use 2 fabrics, or 16 fabrics, whatever takes your fancy. And because it's improv, it doesn't matter if your points don't match - the Quilt Police are banned from this webpage anyway!!

It's a super fast make and totally suitable for beginners as the curves are wide and long.

Make sure you tag me on the socials if you make this quilt so I can see your beautiful work!
@apieceoflovequilting #ImprovHeartsQuilt