This post was written by Nanette LaVerdiere, one of our guild members.
My step granddaughter Irene, now in her last year of college asked me to make her a quilt. I had already voluntarily made one each for her mother and her aunt, but I thought the bold request by the college gal was a BIG ASK! However, how could I refuse? When I asked for her favorite color she immediately said “PURPLE!” - Uh-oh, I thought... I never sew with purple, I don’t like purple, I don’t own any purple fabric! But how could I refuse? I headed to Keaton Quilts (great selection!) and then to Joann’s in Maine while visiting my sister and ended up with quite an assortment of purples. Going through my stash I found complimentary blues and burgundies.
My favorite method of quilt making involves a simple landscape using horizontal strips in a gradation of color. I add hand pieced squares to act as bridges between the strips as well as stacking them up to make house shapes. I take great care in curating the strips to create dimension.
I was so worried this quilt would be a tough challenge because of Irene’s color choice but once I got started it was so exciting! I had the BEST time choosing the fabrics and working monochromatically. I love the way it turned out. She says she loves it too! It matches her hair.
