Currents 2011 Cindy Grisdela
While I’m getting ready for the Great Falls Studios 8th Annual Studio Tour this weekend, I’d like to share “Currents” from my “30 quilts in 30 days” project earlier this year.
I think this turned out to be one of my favorites! This is what I wrote about this one when I finished the design on Day 8 of the the project last March; “The stripes flow edge to edge within the confines of the outer border in a fairly orderly fashion, but they also flow up and down in a way that reminds me of running water over rocks in a stream.”
The stitching motif I used really accentuates that feeling of running water that I was looking for–echoing swirls that run all over the stripe portion. I found the inspiration for this motif from Leah Day’s “Free Motion Quilting Project” which is a great resource for design ideas. The outer blue bands just have horizontal lines, which adds a calming influence, I think. Right click on the image to see the lines better.
If you’re new to the “30 Days” project, last March I challenged myself to design 30 quilts in 30 days–they’re all the same size, roughly 16″ x 20,” and they are all pieced, not fused, and they all use solid fabrics so I could focus on design and composition. Of course it took me at least another day for each one to add the stitching and texture because I wanted to give that step the attention it deserves. I’m happy with the results! For more information on the project, click on “March 2011” in the Archives on the right.
“Currents” and the rest of my “30 Days” quilts will be on display for the Studio Tour–the first time they’ve been hung all together. Visit www.greatfallsstudios.com to download a brochure and plan your visit. It’s this Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM – 5 PM both days. I’d love to see you if you have a chance to stop by!
Also, I’m working on putting together a monthly newsletter starting hopefully in November. Click here to sign up at MailChimp.com to receive it!