"Rowhouses" unquilted top Cindy Grisdela 2011

“Rowhouses” is the top for Day 11–and I feel like I’ve built the entire neighborhood today! This one wins the prize for longest construction time so far. I began it at 11 AM this morning and just finished at 5 PM this afternoon. Piecing all those small shapes really takes time.

This was really an exercise in color and shape. I had an idea that I wanted to revisit the “Neighborhood” idea from a couple of days ago, but I thought I wanted to create three separate blocks for the rowhouses. I got a little carried away because I wasn’t really happy with the way the individual blocks stayed, well, individual. I really like the way the triangular shapes suggest houses, but late this afternoon I was despairing that this piece would ever look the way I envisioned. My son was in my studio talking to me about his life at college and I just kept putting pieces together, enjoying his company. Then I had an “aha” moment that changed everything.

The tall house with the split purple triangular roof on the bottom left of the piecing just appeared from the shapes I was playing with, and I realized I could put all of the houses in two “rows” just like they would be facing each other across a street. It all clicked and fell into place!

I was a little concerned when I started this project that I would get tired of it, but exactly the opposite is happening. I’m energized and excited to get into my studio every day to work. And that’s what it’s all about.

Thank you to all for your supportive comments on the project–it really helps!

If you’re new to the project, I challenged myself to create one art quilt a day for the month of March. Each piece is 16″x20,” uses only solid fabrics, and is entirely pieced by machine, not fused. I’ll choose the best of them, quilt them and mount them on stretcher bars, and show them in an exhibit later this year. I’m posting nearly every day on my progress, so check back often! My inspiration was fellow artist Jill Banks deciding in January to paint 100 faces in 100 days. Click on her name to see her progress as well.

 

1 Comment

  1. Eleanor Samuels on March 12, 2011 at 10:21 pm

    This is very good. Reminds me of the row houses we saw in Richmond only better. Have a good week. Love you, MOM