Bruce wore a bow tie every day to work, and as a gift, his daughter-in-law wanted to have a quilt made for him using the bulk of his amazing collection of bow ties.  With the help of professional organizer, Paula Berman, she sorted, grouped, and sent me 300 bow ties for a custom-designed quilt.

We decided to incorporate the traditional Bow Tie quilt block pattern as a wink and a nod to all things “bow tie”.

I designed several patterns to choose from, and once one was chosen, I began construction.

As this was my first quilt which incorporated bow ties, I accepted the challenge that once cut up, the fabric pieces would be small and shifty.  Careful pinning and trimming were essential.

I rarely get to work with so many exquisite textiles all at once.  The colors and patterns were stunning.

I used the buttons from the bow ties to tie the quilt layers together, rather than stitch quilting.

Here is the full quilt.

And here is Bruce and his quilt!

Many thanks to the Silver family for their vision and their trust.