Grisdela - Artful Improv: Explore Color Recipes, Building Blocks & Free-Motion Quilting

Publisher: Amy Marson

Creative Director: Gailen Runge

Editor: Lynn Koolish

Technical Editor: Julie Waldman

Cover Designer: April Mostek

Book Designer: Christina Jarumay Fox

Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan

Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi

Illustrator: Aliza Shalit

Photo Assistant: Carly Jean Marin

Photography by Diane Pedersen, unless otherwise noted

Published by C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549

dedication

With love and thanks to my parents, Ben and Eleanor Samuels, who gave me roots and wings and always encouraged me to fly.

acknowledgments

Many thanks to my mom, Eleanor, who taught me to sew all those years ago and has encouraged me all along the way. Much appreciation to my friends and fellow artists in Great Falls Studios, who provided a community of support as I took baby steps, and then larger ones, to become an artist. When I needed to spread my wings a little more, the opportunities provided by Studio Art Quilt Associates have been invaluable.

This book would not be a reality without the vision of my editor, Lynn Koolish, at C&T Publishingthanks, Lynn.

Im grateful to Karla at Cherrywood Fabrics and Heather at Superior Threads for providing fabric and thread for many of the projects in this book.

Thank you to my students who contributed work for the student section Pat Attkisson, Jeanne Coglianese, Donna Marcinkowski DeSoto, Libby Samuel, Michelle Stolte, and Gloria Warwick.

Finally, to my husband and sonsthere arent words to express my gratitude for your support, encouragement, and love. My son Phil read through the book multiple times and made it stronger. My son Matt gave me faith that it would all come together. And my husband, Phil, has pushed me, believed in me, and loved me for the last 30 years. You guys are the best!

introduction

Red Totem by Cindy Grisdela, 20 42, 2010

Creativity is play. The more you play, the more creative you become.

IM CONVINCED THAT EVERYONE HAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE. SOMETIMES WE FORGET OUR CREATIVITY IN THE HUSTLE OF DAILY LIFE, BUT IT IS THERE WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU ARE READY TO GIVE IT SPACE TO GROW.

One of the secrets to being creative is giving yourself permission to play. Its okay to make mistakes while youre trying something new. In fact, if you arent making mistakes, you probably arent learning as much as you could. Above all, realize that you dont have to be perfectyou dont have to share every piece you make with the world, but youll learn something even from (or especially from) the mistakes. Embrace them!

Most of us have to start at the beginning. I made my first quilt over 30 years ago, inspired by a picture in a magazine. Since my background was sewing clothes, I made a 4 4 template from cardboard for the squares. I carefully cut out all the fabrics with pinking shears, because thats how Id always done it. Needless to say, getting an accurate seam under those circumstances was a challenge! Since I knew how to sew already, I assumed that putting together a queen-size quilt for my first project would be a breeze. As you can imagine, it took me several years to piece the quilt on the machine and then quilt it by hand; but I proudly gave it to my husband as a wedding present, crooked stitches and all.

Fascinated by the colors of the fabrics and the textures of the stitches, I learned from my mistakes and continued making mostly traditional quilts for many years. One day it hit me that all the quilts on my walls and on my beds were someone elses designs. And I realized that it was important to me to create quilts that were uniquely mine. That was the beginning of my transition from traditional to contemporary art quilter.

This transition has been an evolutionary process for me, and it can be for you, too. I started out tweaking traditional designs to give them a more contemporary feel. Butterfly Kisses is based on the traditional Drunkards Path pattern, but I used black-and-white batiks paired with a variety of yellow, peach, and orange fabrics to make it more modern. Wild Geese in Flight takes a Flying Geese pattern and supersizes it in an asymmetrical composition, then adds texture with free-motion stitching.

Butterfly Kisses by Cindy Grisdela, 30 30, 2006

One of my first quilts made without a specific pattern

Wild Geese in Flight by Cindy Grisdela, 24 34, 2009

A variation on the traditional Flying Geese pattern with a contemporary feel

Give yourself time to explore ideas that resonate with you. Log Cabin designs have always fascinated me, and I have made a number of traditional ones over the years. If you look at my newer work, youll see that Im still playing with the Log Cabin idea, except that it has evolved into a contemporary improvisational design, often focused on one large block, as in Red Totem.

I hope youll be able to take some of the ideas in this book and be inspired to create quilts that are your own, reflecting your own tastes, experiences, and personality.

Embrace your own creative spirit and enjoy the improvisational process.

My creative space

how to use this book

Red Hot Chili Pepper by Cindy Grisdela 18 37, 2009

This quilt shows off Improv Blocks set on point, bordered by curved strips and an irregular edge. A bright Anything Goes color recipe is calmed by large areas of red that act as a resting place for the eye.

Use this book as a resource to help you tap into your own well of creativity and move on to the next level in your artistic journeywhatever that may be. With this book as a guide, youll learn how to use simple design principles to create unique art quilts that reflect your own experiences. Youll feel empowered to let go of rigid rules and piece blocks in an intuitive, free-form fashion, using the basic principles of artistic design to create your own original quilts. Not using a pattern or precise measuring and cutting allows you to work spontaneously, painting with fabric as a painter uses paints on canvas, and then adding another layer of texture with free-motion stitching motifs.

This is a hands-on bookplay with the exercises to expand your comfort zone and experiment. Dont expect to create a masterpiece the first time out. Its a little bit like learning the alphabet before you move on to reading. Dont worry about making mistakes; just have fun learning the vocabulary of improvisation.