The story of a very purple quilt!
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.
