"Townhouses" unquilted top Cindy Grisdela 2011

Well–it’s March 31 and “Townhouses” is the next to last top in my 30 art quilts for the month of March project! I have one more top to make today and then the project will be finished. I’m quite proud of this accomplishment!

This piece went through several incarnations–I originally thought I would make separate improvisationally pieced units and tie them together with asymmetrical sashing, but when they were done, it seemed better to set them in a vertical row like this. That way there’s more room for the addition of texture with the quilting motifs in the plain areas. I worried a little bit that the purple background would be too dark, but I was so happy with in in “Marble Maze” from a few days ago that I gave it a try. Probably I’ll use a lighter color as the background when I mount it on stretcher bars for exhibiting and the whole piece will have a lighter effect. I really liked how the dark purple made the piecing glow.

Right now I’m trying to decide whether to make the last piece in the Marbles Series or the Urban Improv series like this one. Decisions, decisions.

After the project is finished today, I’ll have to jump right in to finishing a commission and getting ready for the Great Falls Studios Spring Art Festival being held next weekend–April 9-10, 2011. For more information, visit the Great Falls Studios website. While you’re there, check out the artist pages–we have some new members with wonderful new work to share!

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.