Cindy Grisdela ~ art quilter

Journey’s End 2013 Cindy Grisdela

The Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival is this weekend–Saturday May 18 – Sunday May 19–at the Reston Town Center in Reston, VA. Hours are 10 -6 Saturday and 10 – 4 Sunday.

There will be over 200 artists set up along the streets of the Town Center in 16 media categories from painting to photography, sculpture to jewelry, and of course, decorative fiber! It’s a festive, fun atmosphere with something for everyone.

“Journey’s End” at right is one of my newest wall pieces that I’ll have on display at the show. It’s 24″ high x 43″ wide–a great size to hang over a sofa or buffet table. There’s a lot of energy in the improvisational blocks in the center, set off by textural stitching in the wide borders.

I’ll be in Booth 107 at the show, and I’d love to see you if you have a chance to stop by!

Living Room View 2013 Cindy Grisdela

So what do you do with a quilt besides put it on a bed? My April newsletter “Living with Quilts,” talks about putting quilts on the wall, draping them over a sofa or chair, and putting runners on tables or counters to add warmth and texture to your home.

As the picture of my living room to the left shows, you don’t have to hang just one quilt on the wall–how about a quilt composition using several pieces of art with complementary colors and style?

There’s a live link to the newsletter on the right hand toolbar of this blog, right under the “Newsletter Archives” tab. Click on it to read the full article. And if you’d like to get it right in your inbox on a regular basis, click the “Subscribe” button to the right. Get a sneak peak into my creative process and inspirations. Sometimes there are coupons for my Etsy shop too! I send the newsletter out quarterly with lots of pictures and more in-depth text about my work than I’m able to do here on the blog. And I promise I only use your contact information to send you the newsletter–it’s never shared with anyone else.

If there’s something you’d like to know about my work or my process, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll try to address it in the next newsletter.

Current and Upcoming Shows:

“Common Threads – Different Visions,” through April 28 at the Ratner Museum, 10001 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda, MD. Open Sunday – Thursday.

Craftboston Spring, April 19-21, Seaport World Trade Center, Boston, MA, Booth 236

Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival, May 18-19, Reston Town Center, Reston, VA – Booth 107.

Snow Day Sewing 2013 Cindy Grisdela

I wanted to post this yesterday, but the day got away from me, as snow days sometimes do! It was the first serious snowfall in the new studio and I had a great time stitching while watching the big fat flakes fall.

We didn’t get the 4-8 inches that the weather guys were calling for–more like 2-3 inches– but that’s probably for the best. It was great to watch the snow fall for a day and today it’s all gone!

I finished a pillow commission, delivered it today and met with another couple who are interested in pillows to complement a special piece of art in their home. It was a great day.

Here’s an image of one of the pillows that now lives in the home of one of my favorite people. It’s a new design with a central improvisational

Improv Pillow 2013 Cindy Grisdela

block and one large spiral quilted off center. If you right-click on the image, you’ll be able to see the detail better. This is the second one of these I’ve made and they are so much fun, I’m going to create more in different colorways for the Craftboston Spring Show coming up April 19-21 in Boston at the Seaport World Trade Center.

I’m also part of a fiber art exhibit called “Common Threads-Different Visions” with seven other artists at the Ratner Museum in Bethesda, MD April 3-28 and I’ll be at the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival in Reston, VA May 18-19. Mark your calendars!

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"Improvisations in Color" 2012 Cindy Grisdela

I’m pleased to announce my “Improvisations in Color” solo show is up in the main conference room at the Great Falls library.

The show runs through June 30, 2012 and includes 25 recent wall hangings.

Using improvisational techniques, I created abstract designs for this work using only solid colors–no patterns. The solid colors mean that the color and line is the main focus of each composition. They also provide a vibrant ground for me to add rich texture with quilting stitches using a variety of motifs.  All of my work is pieced directly on the machine and the textural lines are added freehand, so no two pieces are ever exactly alike.

'Improvisations in Color" 2012 Cindy Grisdela

It’s always a thrill to see my work all in one place–it really showcases how fiber art looks on the wall and helps create a warm and inviting atmosphere to the space.

I hope you’ll have a chance to stop by and see for yourself!

The Great Falls library is located at 9830 Georgetown Pike, Great Falls, VA. Hours are 10 AM – 6 PM Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 1 PM – 9 PM Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM – 5 PM Saturday, closed Sunday.

Also, I just published a new newsletter that focuses on how I add texture to my work with stitching. You can see the newsletter by clicking on the link on the right side toolbar, and you can sign up to receive it in your inbox each month too.

"Green Totem" 2012 Cindy Grisdela

It’s the first day of spring and only three days until the Craftsboston Spring show! I’m really looking forward to it.

At left is Green Totem, which I created especially for this show. It’s a companion piece to Red Totem and I intend them to hang together as a pair. The green on the new piece is actually the same as the green accent stripes on the red piece, so I think they’ll show together nicely. There’s

"Red Totem" 2012 Cindy Grisdela

lots of interesting texture in the stitching on both pieces.

I’ll also have a new line of pillows at the show, with lots of wonderful colors and designs.

This is my first time doing a large indoor show like this one, so I’m making lots of lists so I don’t forget something. It’s going to be quite an experience!

If you’re in the Boston area this weekend, the show is taking place at the Seaport World Trade Center at 200 Seaport Blvd. Hours are 10 AM – 6 PM Friday and Saturday and 11 AM – 5 PM on Sunday. I’ll be in booth 255 and I’d love to see you!

Today is the start of a great event organized by fiber artist and photographer Virginia Spiegel to raise money for the fight against cancer.

I just participated and it’s fun! You get to choose one of 90 beautiful photos and a fiber art bonus from some very talented artists in exchange for at least a $100 donation to the American Cancer Society. Click on the link above for all the details.

But you have to hurry–the event is only for two days–today and tomorrow, and tomorrow you’ll only be able to choose the photos, the fiber art piece will be a surprise. [UPDATED]

So click on the link and see what great art you could add to your collection and at the same time help fight cancer, which has touched the lives of so many.

Block Party Cindy Grisdela 2011

I’m excited to announce I’ve been accepted to the McLean Project for the Arts Artfest 2011! The event will be held on October 2 this year, from 10 AM – 5 PM at the McLean Central Park. It’s the fourth year I’ve been included in this show and it’s one of my favorites. You’ll be hearing more about it as we get closer to the fall–how the summer has flown by!

At left is “Block Party” finished, but not framed, for my joint show with fellow artist Jennifer Duncan at Keller Williams Realty in McLean. It’s titled “Homes” and we are going to hang it on Friday–so stay tuned.

This piece is from my March Project–where I challenged myself to create one art quilt top a day for 30 days. Be sure to check the March archives for more details. “Block Party” is one of my favorites from the project. I did make a small change to it before I added the quilting lines to create a better composition, switching out the green and purple triangles in the center for a house shape. Actually two of the triangle units are still there in the roof of the house. It seemed to me that the original center was distracting and this one blends in much better with the overall design–plus it speaks to the “Homes” theme better.

I had fun with the quilting on this one–there are five different motifs, including the arcs in the center, two different kinds of spirals, round and square, cloud formations and a brick-like motif.

I just got back from the West Coast, visiting friends and going to the outdoor quilt show in Sisters, Oregon for the first time. What an experience! I’ll have pictures to post tomorrow.

"String of Marbles" Cindy Grisdela 2011

“String of Marbles” is the second top finished from my March Project–30 quilt tops in one month. Read about the design process and inspiration at Day 17

I had a harder time choosing the background fabric for this one than I thought I would–the deep purple really sets off the bright yellow border, making the piece very cheerful, I think! Maybe it would be a good choice for a kitchen area or family room. The framer attaches the quilt and the background to a piece of mat board with a needle and thread, then stretches the whole thing around stretcher bars like those painters use for their canvases. It gives a very “finished” look and hangs on the wall just like a picture.

The interior quilting motif on “String of Marbles” is spirals linked by short lines, which reminded me of marbles shooting off in different directions. The border motif is a variation on a traditional fan design, with some interesting twists thrown in.  It all makes for a fun, happy piece!

"String of Marbles" Cindy Grisdela 2011

I’ve quilted a couple of the pieces from my 30 art quilts for the month of March project, and I’ll have them on display at the Great Falls Studios Spring Art Festival this weekend, Saturday April 9 and Sunday April 10.

The Festival will be held at the Village Green Day School on Walker Road in the center of Great Falls, from 10 AM – 5 PM both days. There will be 22 artists showing a variety of art, including paintings, photography, jewelry, pottery and more.

At right is “String of Marbles,” one of my favorites from the project. I wanted to try some new quilting motifs for these pieces–if you right-click on the image, you’ll be able to see them more clearly. The interior design is adapted from a design in Leah Day’s Freemotion Quilting Project, which is a fabulous resource if you’re interested in quilting motifs. She calls it Lollipop Chain, but to me it looks just like marbles shooting off in different directions, so it seemed perfect for this piece. The border is an adaptation of a traditional motif known as Baptist Fan. I loved this motif when I did a lot of hand quilting and I was thrilled to master it on the machine in the past few months. The twist here which makes it more interesting is throwing in some swirls and other motifs that make it more playful and less rigid. I have a feeling you’re going to be seeing this one quite a bit from me from now on! It’s great fun to quilt.

Holiday Festival December 2010 Cindy Grisdela

At left is a shot of my booth from the Holiday Festival last year. I’ll set up tonight with some different quilts to show, including the three from my March project, plus new pillows, journal covers and coasters.

I hope you’ll have time to stop by–it’s a fun event and a great opportunity to buy a special gift for someone special–or maybe something for yourself!

I’d love to see you there.