Welcome!
I’m Cindy Grisdela – an Artist, Teacher, and Author from Reston, VA.
Color and texture are the driving forces behind my contemporary art quilts. Browse my site to see how I combine line and shape, then add stitching lines to create texture and dimension – a process I like to think of as painting with fabric and thread.
See the headings below for information on my books, Artful Improv, Adventures in Improv Quilts, and Freehand Curve Quilts, my lectures and workshops, and my on demand classes.
I am offering Independent Zoom workshops that run for three 3 hour sessions over 3 weeks. Sessions are recorded for later viewing. Visit the shop for my next classes--Improv Scrapmania--starting in June 2026 and Artful Improv Medallion--starting in July 2026.
Latest News From Cindy
Epic Trip to New Zealand!
I’m just back from an epic three week trip to New Zealand, teaching for the first time at the Quilt Symposium in Christchurch, and traveling in a country I had never visited before. I had the privilege of giving the opening lecture at the Symposium on the day before classes began. It was a nearly…
New Solo Show at Reston Art Gallery!
I’m pleased to announce the opening of my new solo show, Shape Shifting, at the Reston Art Gallery & Studios in Reston, VA. The exhibit showcases eight new contemporary wall quilts, plus several smaller works. All the quilts in Shape Shifting grew from a single inspiration design. I was intrigued by the tension between the…
String Scrap Quilt Tutorial
I’ve had such fun making my string scrap blocks. It’s an easy way to use up some of your scraps to make quilts, pillows, table runners, baby quilts, or anything else you can think of–all without foundation papers to pull out at the end. The top above isn’t all sewn together yet–I’m still making blocks.…