I had just finished my artist talk at The Dalles Art Center, where I had my solo exhibition back in September, when a woman approached me to ask about commissioning a memorial quilt. Sherrie had lost her beloved wife Bonnie some years prior, and at the suggestion of a good friend, had attended my talk. Sherrie and I set up a time to discuss her quilt, and when my exhibit came down, she met me to hand off her box of Bonnie’s clothing.

At one point during our initial chat, Sherrie shared with me that she and Bonnie had always believed that their love lived in the stars, so I suggested we go with my Starry Night quilt pattern. Sherrie loved the idea, especially when I added that I could add a full moon to the design. Bonnie loved the outdoors and enjoyed howling at the full moon from time to time.

Bonnie had the perfect combination of dark solid garments (for the night sky) and brightly patterned garments (for the stars).

There were some wonderful Hawaiian prints in the mix, too.

All of the knitwear and stretchy garments had to be backed with stabilizer before the pieces were cut.

Lots of pinning and assembling of small pieces required for the star sections.

It was exciting when the stars began to take shape.

And then the blocks began to take shape.

I left room for the full moon on four blank blocks that had to be sewn together before the appliquéd moon.

There was the perfect light misty-colored blouse that became the moon.

Once I appliquéd the first round, I decided a layered moon would look really nice by building up the density of the thin silk.

Here is the final quilt, followed by two details.

My heartfelt thanks to Sherrie for reaching out and sharing her grief and her memories of Bonnie with me.