Table Of Contentartful
IMPROV
CINDY GRISDELA
EXPLORE
A Color Recipes, Building Blocks
R
T & Free-Motion Quilting
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artful
IMPROV
EXPLORE
Color Recipes, Building Blocks
& Free-Motion Quilting
CINDY GRISDELA
Text and photography copyright © 2016 by Cindy Grisdela
Photography and artwork copyright © 2016 by
C&T Publishing, Inc.
Publisher: Amy Marson
Creative Director: Gailen Runge dedication
Editor: Lynn Koolish
Technical Editor: Julie Waldman With love and thanks to my parents,
Cover Designer: April Mostek
Book Designer: Christina Jarumay Fox Ben and Eleanor Samuels,
Production Coordinator: Tim Manibusan
who gave me roots and wings
Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi
Illustrator: Aliza Shalit and always encouraged me to fly.
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
All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by
the copyright hereon may be used in any form or
reproduced by any means—graphic, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping,
or information storage and retrieval systems—without
written permission from the publisher. The copyrights on
individual artworks are retained by the artists as noted
in Artful Improv. These designs may be used to make
items for personal use only and may not be used for
the purpose of personal profit. Items created to benefit
acknowledgments
nonprofit groups, or that will be publicly displayed, must
be conspicuously labeled with the following credit:
“Designs copyright © 2016 by Cindy Grisdela from the Many thanks to my mom, Eleanor, who taught me to sew
book Artful Improv from C&T Publishing, Inc.” Permission
for all other purposes must be requested in writing from all those years ago and has encouraged me all along the
C&T Publishing, Inc.
way. Much appreciation to my friends and fellow artists in
Attention Teachers: C&T Publishing, Inc., encourages
you to use this book as a text for teaching. Contact Great Falls Studios, who provided a community of support
us at 800-284-1114 or ctpub.com for lesson plans and
as I took baby steps, and then larger ones, to become an
information about the C&T Creative Troupe.
We take great care to ensure that the information artist. When I needed to spread my wings a little more,
included in our products is accurate and presented in
the opportunities provided by Studio Art Quilt Associates
good faith, but no warranty is provided nor are results
guaranteed. Having no control over the choices of have been invaluable.
materials or procedures used, neither the author nor
C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to any person
This book would not be a reality without the vision of my
or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused
directly or indirectly by the information contained in editor, Lynn Koolish, at C&T Publishing—thanks, Lynn.
this book. For your convenience, we post an up-to-date
listing of corrections on our website (ctpub.com). If
I’m grateful to Karla at Cherrywood Fabrics and Heather
a correction is not already noted, please contact our
customer service department at [email protected] or at Superior Threads for providing fabric and thread for
at P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549.
many of the projects in this book.
Trademark (™) and registered trademark (®) names are
used throughout this book. Rather than use the symbols
with every occurrence of a trademark or registered Thank you to my students who contributed work
trademark name, we are using the names only in the
for the student section (page 68)—Pat Attkisson,
editorial fashion and to the benefit of the owner, with
no intention of infringement. Jeanne Coglianese, Donna Marcinkowski DeSoto,
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Libby Samuel, Michelle Stolte, and Gloria Warwick.
Names: Grisdela, Cindy, 1958- author.
Title: Artful improv : explore color recipes, building blocks Finally, to my husband and sons—there aren’t words to
& free-motion quilting / Cindy Grisdela.
express my gratitude for your support, encouragement,
Description: Lafayette, CA : C&T Publishing, [2016] |
Includes bibliographical references. and love. My son Phil read through the book multiple
Identifiers: LCCN 2016000613 | ISBN 9781617452611
times and made it stronger. My son Matt gave me faith
(soft cover)
Subjects: LCSH: Quilting. | Patchwork--Patterns. | that it would all come together. And my husband, Phil,
Patchwork quilts. | Improvisation in art.
has pushed me, believed in me, and loved me for the
Classification: LCC TT835 .G7654 2016 | DDC 746.46--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016000613 last 30 years. You guys are the best!
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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INTRODUCTION 4
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 8
t
WHAT IS IMPROVISATION? 10
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GETTING ORGANIZED 13
Sorting by Size and Color • What to Do with Scraps
• Saving Leftovers
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CREATING A COLOR RECIPE 16
The Color Wheel • Using a Color Recipe
t
• Increasing Your Color Confidence
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ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN 24
Elements of Design • Principles of Design
• Using the Elements and Principles of Design as You Work
o
WORKING IMPROVISATIONALLY 36
Creating a Design Wall • Auditioning Designs • Give It Time
cBUILDING BLOCKS OF IMPROV DESIGN 42
Angled Stripes 43
Improv Circles 47
Improv Blocks 51
Curved Strips 56
Inset Strips 59
LEARNING TO LOVE NEGATIVE SPACE 63
Creating Balance • Adding Texture
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER 68
Student Gallery
QUILT AS DESIRED 76
Hand Stitching • Machine Stitching • A Word about Thread
FINISHING TOUCHES 89
To Bind or Not to Bind? • Facings • Dealing with Irregular
Edges • Alternatives to Sleeve and Slat Hanging
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 95
RESOURCES 95
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Creativity is play.
The more you play,
the more creative
you become.
Red Totem
by Cindy Grisdela,
20˝ × 42˝, 2010
4 ARTFUL IMPROV
I’M CONVINCED THAT EVERYONE Fascinated by the colors of This transition has been an
HAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE. the fabrics and the textures of evolutionary process for me, and
SOMETIMES WE FORGET OUR the stitches, I learned from my it can be for you, too. I started out
CREATIVITY IN THE HUSTLE
mistakes and continued making tweaking traditional designs to
OF DAILY LIFE, BUT IT IS THERE
mostly traditional quilts for many give them a more contemporary
WAITING FOR YOU WHEN YOU
years. One day it hit me that all feel. Butterfly Kisses is based on the
ARE READY TO GIVE IT SPACE
the quilts on my walls and on traditional Drunkard’s Path pattern,
TO GROW.
my beds were someone else’s but I used black-and-white batiks
One of the secrets to being creative designs. And I realized that it was paired with a variety of yellow,
is giving yourself permission to play. important to me to create quilts peach, and orange fabrics to
It’s okay to make mistakes while that were uniquely mine. That was make it more modern. Wild Geese
you’re trying something new. In the beginning of my transition in Flight (page 6) takes a Flying
fact, if you aren’t making mistakes, from traditional to contemporary Geese pattern and supersizes it
you probably aren’t learning as art quilter. in an asymmetrical composition,
much as you could. Above all, then adds texture with free-motion
realize that you don’t have to be stitching.
perfect—you don’t have to share
every piece you make with the
world, but you’ll 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 41/2˝ × 41/2˝ template
from cardboard for the squares.
I carefully cut out all the fabrics
with pinking shears, because that’s
how I’d always done it. Needless to
say, getting an accurate 1/4˝ 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
Butterfly Kisses by Cindy Grisdela, 30˝ × 30˝, 2006
by hand; but I proudly gave it to
my husband as a wedding present, One of my first quilts made without a specific pattern
crooked stitches and all.
InTROdUCTIOn 5
Wild Geese in Flight by Cindy Grisdela, 24˝ × 34˝, 2009
A variation on the traditional Flying Geese pattern with a contemporary feel
6 ARTFUL IMPROV
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, you’ll see that I’m 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 (page 4).
I hope you’ll 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 Photo by Dean Souleles
InTROdUCTIOn 7
how
to use
this
book
Red Hot Chili Pepper
by Cindy Grisdela
18˝ × 37˝, 2009
This quilt shows off Improv Blocks
(page 51) set on point, bordered
by curved strips and an irregular
edge. A bright Anything Goes
color recipe (page 22) is calmed
by large areas of red that act
as a resting place for the eye.
8 ARTFUL IMPROV
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
journey—whatever that may be. With
this book as a guide, you’ll learn how to
use simple design principles to create
unique art quilts that reflect your own
experiences. You’ll 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 book—play with the
exercises to expand your comfort zone
and experiment. Don’t expect to create
a masterpiece the first time out. It’s a
little bit like learning the alphabet before
you move on to reading. Don’t worry
about making mistakes; just have fun
learning the vocabulary of improvisation.
Creating original quilts is fun and
rewarding. Although this process may
be most comfortable for intermediate
and advanced quilters who are ready
to move on from using someone
else’s patterns to creating their own
designs, it is accessible to anyone who
is comfortable using his or her sewing
machine and rotary cutting tools.
hOw TO Use ThIs BOOk 9
