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

Feeling like being a free spirit when it comes to quilting? This book is perfect. It gives you permission to just do your thing. I love it! Highly recommend.

This book was like new!! It came quickly and was exactly what I wanted.

I really enjoy Cindy's approach to improvisational quilting. She has a helpful and encouraging tone throughout the book. The book leads you through fundamental principles of design and color as well as addresses practical logistics of organization and a design wall. She discusses color principles and provides guiding questions as you make color choices while not being overly prescriptive and includes a "anything goes" color option. Much freedom to choose how you want to express yourself. With everything she discusses, she provides great examples of her principles by showing her own quilts. The Kindle version is just fine but if I had to do it again, I'd spring for the paperback version. I find myself scrolling to next page to see the quilt and then skipping back to re-read what she wrote. I think having the physical book in my quilting area would help me use it more as a reference particularly the "Questions to Ask" that she recommends when you're evaluating your improv design work. You can get a good sense of the writing style in the "Look Inside" feature. The book isn't full of artistic fluff - I can read it quickly and get the points I need. I love that. Also if you want to get a sense of Cindy's improv style, she's on Instagram as @cindygrisdelaquilts. I find this helps me decide if I find an artist's overall aesthetic to be appealing to me. Cindy's use of color drew me in immediately. Highly recommend!

I’ve been quilting for many many years but I’m tired of the old patterns and wanted to move into improv quilting. I tried on my own and made a mess of it. I just didn’t know how to start. I absolutely love this book. She is extremely detailed and takes you step-by-step through the process, answering every question I had. She teaches you elements of design, how to put colors together, how to use and organize your scraps, and even how to quilt using free motion quilting or handstitching and how hang them. Very happy with it as now I know how to begin and move through this new process.

There's a complete class in this book. Love the "what if" questions and encouragement to try different things. Given freedom to explore your "improv" choices.

I love the samples and how she is so encouraging. She really demystifies improvisational quilting. I found it very well organized, too.

Perfect for intense reading or skimming all the pictures just for fun! Thanks, Cindy, for sharing so generously!! It matters.

Love all the details and instructions and was very helpful to read before taking author's class!

This is a uniquely inspirational book that Cindy has so exquisitely brought forth from her years of sewing creativity. You cannot help but be inspired as you read through her own journey of quilting and the depth that she portrays through her own stunning designs. .She inspires you to experiment with textures, shapes, colors and lines as you find your own creative way. There is a real sense of play and improvisation as you are encouraged to trust your own instincts. She provides the perfect balance of guided instruction and freedom to create. A must have for all quilters!!

Love this book. It has a permanent place in my library. The illustrations and information are inspiring.

Feeling like being a free spirit when it comes to quilting? This book is perfect. It gives you permission to just do your thing. I love it! Highly recommend.

This book was like new!! It came quickly and was exactly what I wanted.

I really enjoy Cindy's approach to improvisational quilting. She has a helpful and encouraging tone throughout the book. The book leads you through fundamental principles of design and color as well as addresses practical logistics of organization and a design wall. She discusses color principles and provides guiding questions as you make color choices while not being overly prescriptive and includes a "anything goes" color option. Much freedom to choose how you want to express yourself. With everything she discusses, she provides great examples of her principles by showing her own quilts. The Kindle version is just fine but if I had to do it again, I'd spring for the paperback version. I find myself scrolling to next page to see the quilt and then skipping back to re-read what she wrote. I think having the physical book in my quilting area would help me use it more as a reference particularly the "Questions to Ask" that she recommends when you're evaluating your improv design work. You can get a good sense of the writing style in the "Look Inside" feature. The book isn't full of artistic fluff - I can read it quickly and get the points I need. I love that. Also if you want to get a sense of Cindy's improv style, she's on Instagram as @cindygrisdelaquilts. I find this helps me decide if I find an artist's overall aesthetic to be appealing to me. Cindy's use of color drew me in immediately. Highly recommend!

I’ve been quilting for many many years but I’m tired of the old patterns and wanted to move into improv quilting. I tried on my own and made a mess of it. I just didn’t know how to start. I absolutely love this book. She is extremely detailed and takes you step-by-step through the process, answering every question I had. She teaches you elements of design, how to put colors together, how to use and organize your scraps, and even how to quilt using free motion quilting or handstitching and how hang them. Very happy with it as now I know how to begin and move through this new process.

There's a complete class in this book. Love the "what if" questions and encouragement to try different things. Given freedom to explore your "improv" choices.

I love the samples and how she is so encouraging. She really demystifies improvisational quilting. I found it very well organized, too.

Perfect for intense reading or skimming all the pictures just for fun! Thanks, Cindy, for sharing so generously!! It matters.

Love all the details and instructions and was very helpful to read before taking author's class!

This is a uniquely inspirational book that Cindy has so exquisitely brought forth from her years of sewing creativity. You cannot help but be inspired as you read through her own journey of quilting and the depth that she portrays through her own stunning designs. .She inspires you to experiment with textures, shapes, colors and lines as you find your own creative way. There is a real sense of play and improvisation as you are encouraged to trust your own instincts. She provides the perfect balance of guided instruction and freedom to create. A must have for all quilters!!

Love this book. It has a permanent place in my library. The illustrations and information are inspiring.

Of the improv quilting books out there, I found this to be the most useful. It does not include specific patterns for you to create the designer's improv designs, but leads you through practical aspects and steps to creating your OWN improv designs, with displays of the author's and others examples, which is to me, the point of improv. I looked at several current improv quilting publications, and decided this was the one to invest in. SO glad I did.

I am a long-time quilter, preferring liberated piecing and art quilts. So while this book contains lot of what I already do, it presents things beautifully and in a new light. It has perspective and challenge for any level quilter. I would recommend this book to any fabric aficionado, it sure inspired me to get my machine a-humming!

If you're wanting to create some fun and interesting art quilts ... this is great book. No patterns, just coaching how to pull together scraps and old leftover parts into unique and one of a kind wall quilts.

Great refresher on principles couples of design as it relates to designing your own quilts and working with color. This is not for beginning artists as more explanation might be needed.

This is a really inspiring book on Improv - quilts - not quite ready to jump into the improv world - but will after I get more skilled at the basics.

Very helpful book. Not only are the description of improv quilting and the guidelines clear and useful, but the general principles regarding composition are applicable to all kinds of quilts. Highly recommended.

I gave this as a gift and the recipient LOVED this book. She's a big fan of Cindy Griselda. It's a great looking book with lots of amazing photos and guidance.

Great book! Great service by seller. Thanks!

Cindy Grisdela's book gave me lots of design and color ideas to improve my fabric art including art quilts and wearable art.

This is a beautiful book. The information is very useful, and the photos are spectacular. This is highly recommended for quilters and non-quilters.

Great gift for quilters and crafters...lots of good ideas and inspirations

Improv Quilting explained and inspired. A terrific resource for someone trying to quilt out of the box.

Wonderful book, well worth owning for anyone interested in Art quilting. You really could make something following her simple directions.

Just what I needed... encouragement via directions and pictures to try new designs and techniques

Wonderful book, lots of info. I've had so much fun with this book

Lots of great ideas for those that want to creat out of the box

Love this book, a whole new perspective on quilting

Awesome book, love the patterns and ideas, thanks!

This is great fun and inspirational.

A beautiful and inspiring book!

Ok

Beautiful book.

Great book.

Love it

Didn't find it instructional or inspiring.

Northern Virginia fiber artist Cindy Grisdela has written a book that will appeal to quilters at all levels who want to break out of traditional quilting into art quilting. The book is rich with photographs of her work to inspire giving her techniques a try. She describes improvisational quilting as a way to play and explore your creativity. There may be mistakes along the way as you pursue a personal journey but the rewards are bound to be many. I found the book to be laid out in logical fashion. There is a section on Elements and Principles of Design which is well thought out. The author points out that since you will now be responsible for the elements of good design it’s a good time to review them. Her explanations are precise and easy to follow. What keeps this section interesting is the way examples of her work are used as examples. Following the review sections, she begins demonstrating the actual processes that make up improvisational quilts. She teaches Angled Shapes, Improv Circles and more. A section on negative space to create balance and add texture is very helpful. A long time teacher she includes samples of work from her students. A final section on quilting, and finishing unusual quilts is also full of good examples. The book is the best type of how-to book. It is a combination of picture book to thumb through for inspiration and at the same time providing quality guidelines and instruction. It is easy to catch Grisdela’s enthusiasm for her work and want to begin experimenting. It should be a go to on the bookshelf for improvisational exploration by quilters at all levels. Reviewed by Trudi Van Dyke. Ms. Van Dyke is an independent Fine Art Curator specializing in fiber art. She consults with artists, develops exhibitions and travels to jury fine art exhibitions.

Great ideas. Good explanations. Beautiful examples. Gorgeous use of color. Glad to be able to read on my tablet as much would be lost in black and white.

I ordered this book in Kindle version. I would not do that again. I can't turn one page at a time, it spins through about 6 pages at a time and it is difficult to stop where I want to look. Kindle is not the format for an art book. However, the content is great.

I really enjoyed this great book. lots of creative juices flowing now. I hope you publish more books. Love this book.

In a day when anything is thrown together and celebrated because it is improvisational, Cindy Grisdela applies elements and principles of design to demonstrate how to make very attractive quilts - artful quilts - using scraps. It has given me many ideas on how to expand a small unit of leftovers into a larger piece that is thrifty, functional, and pretty. Additionally, the modern quilting ideas make some works into really eye-catching abstract textiles. Having a plan or making your bits and pieces into a plan makes sense because it makes good use of your time and materials.