I’m a fan of Cindy Grisdela’s work and have gone through the exercises in her previous book, so I was thrilled when C&T sent me Cindy’s new book for review. Adventures in Improv Quilts covers the basics of design and color, but includes some more complex quilts than her previous book. Some of them remind me of Maria Shell, whose book I also love.
Photo courtesy of C&T
Cindy’s colors are bright and interesting. She often combines colors I wouldn’t have thought to use together, which causes me to look twice at the design. That’s a plus!
Photo courtesy of C&T
The book includes plenty of detail on technique. I was especially amused (and gratified) to learn that part of Cindy’s design process is to outline the size for the quilt with blue tape on her design wall. I’ve done that for years and find it a very effective way to think about filling the space as I design. Validation is always nice!
Photo courtesy of C&T
The book includes a chapter on color choices, which will be welcomed by numerous quilters who worry endlessly about the “right” colors. I choose my palettes intuitively, with better results some times than others, so maybe I should pay more attention? I love the color examples in the book, starting with basic palettes and progressing to the addition of other colors or values to give the project variety.
Photo courtesy of C&T
Cindy then goes on to cover the basic principles of design. These won’t be news to most quilters, but her examples shine. I think I will go back to the “bits” left from working through her previous book and see if I can enhance them by using some of her examples from this book.
Photo courtesy of C&T
My favorite advice in the book: “Don’t fear wasting fabric”! That’s a liberating thought!
My second favorite is one of her tips for free-motion quilting, but I think it could apply to most any part of the process: “If you feel like you’ve made a mistake, keep going. Either ignore it or do it again so it becomes a design element.” I love that! I love this book!
The book is available here, but this is not an affiliate link. C&T sends me books for review, and I tell you about my very favorites among them.
Zippy Quilts 
I lent out my Artful Improv book and need to ask for its return. I like the idea of the blue tape. And the advice about not fearing wasting fabric is just what I needed to hear. Thanks.
I like this new book even better than the last one! And I think I will email you my latest design for your advice, now I think of it 😁
I like her designs, and I especially like how her quilting is so defined, it really pops!
Yes, I’ve admired her work and look forward to using some of the ideas in this book.
Wow when I first opened this post to read it I thought it was about Maria Shell! But I see that was just a couple quilt of CG that reminded me of MS, the rest are totally different. I think you should keep choosing palettes intuitively as you do a really great job of it!
Thank you kindly 🙂
No wonder you love this book. These remind me so much of you!😀
Oh, thank you! I consider that a compliment 😀
You’re having way too much fun, Zippy!
😉
From your review, it certainly looks like a wonderful book.
The third image reminds me of the artist Keith Haring’s work. These are wonderful, so thank you for the review. I had *not* known of the “blue tape” techique, but what a terrific idea! Thanks for THAT tip, too.