This quilt is an original design, inspired by evening light.
Light, water, trees, reflections
My friends commissioned me to make a skinny quilt for the foot of their bed. They wanted it to harmonize with their artwork and home furnishings, and also bring in aspects of their bedroom window view.
A room with a view
My clients live next to Lake Union in Seattle, and have a lovely view of the water. Since their home is high on a hill, they look through trees to the water below. The light coming through their bedroom window is often dappled and sparkling.
Colors inspired by nature
I pulled fabrics from my collection to capture the beautiful marine blues and leafy greens seen from their bedroom. They also had artwork and furnishings using these colors, which was so enjoyable for me since these are some of my favorites to work with. I love the bright green of new leaves paired with dark indigo blue, rich teal, and charcoal grey as a neutral.
Flange binding, completely stitched by machine
I used one of my favorite binding techniques to finish off the quilt: a machine-stitched flange binding. To make the binding, I sewed together two long (and I mean LONG) strips of fabric of unequal widths. I then folded the binding in half to press: this leaves the wider binding fabric showing as a little flash of detail. The binding is first stitched to the back side of the finished quilt, then pressed to the front and stitched in the ditch of the fold using my walking foot with the center guild sole in place. This makes for a beautifully tailored finish, perfect for my friends who are always looking sharp.
Walking foot quilting as a key design element
I love to think of the quilted lines as a key design element, and that is very true of this quilt. I used my signature echo technique, overlapping layers of quilting lines to mimic radiating patterns seen on water. I typically only mark a couple of starter lines, then echo those lines of quilting. I love to have the quilted lines overlap, using different colors of thread for even more richness.
I photographed the finished quilt at Dungeness Wildlife Refuge in Sequim, WA… a very beautiful spit of land that juts out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was a challenge to photograph because it was a very windy April day. I had to work quickly, as the quilt wanted to take flight on a number of occasions!
If you’re interested in my approach to making the quilted lines a key design element, consider booking my lecture “Minimal Design, Maximum Impact” or one of my workshops such as “Modern Abstract Quilts.”