I recently had a great opportunity to work with a former neighbor of mine to create a quilt for her newly renovated home. What I loved about working with Jenn was how clear she was about her color and design preferences. In the art commission world, being “clear” can sometimes be a euphemism for being difficult or picky – not so with Jenn. Her clarity made it much easier for me to hone in on the color range and tonality of the fabrics so that I knew from the start that she felt good with the overall palette of the quilt.

It was a wonderful collaboration, especially when she asked if I could incorporate a piece of Thai silk she had bought on her travels some years back.

The range of pinks and corals combined with some grays, a cross-dyed brown, and the gold-threaded Thai silk resulted in a complex, yet subtle palette.

Set against the ivory linen ground fabric, the warmth of the colors really emerged.

Here the quilt structure is beginning to come together.

I work pretty free-form with this quilt pattern as I disperse the colors throughout the design.

In order to keep all the pieces in the correct place, the sewing has to be done in a very sequential manner.

At one point, I had finished piecing the first half of the quilt and had to fold it and set it aside. I thought it was really pretty how the sun shone through and made the fabrics glow.

Of course the reverse side of the piecing is always lovely, too.

This is the finished quilt.

And here it is in its new home!