Nina’s grandmother, Suzanne, had a penchant for clean, well-refined lines. She led a well-ordered life, full of love for her granddaughter. She dressed neatly and loved flowers and the color blue. When deciding which quilt pattern to use for her quilt, Nina chose to combine her grandmother’s love of structured, floral design with her own love of slightly more jumbled, energetic look. Suzanne’s clothes lent themselves to combining these contrasting looks.

She had a group of neutral toned stripes and a range of blue solids that contrasted nicely with her colorful florals.

Her black and white prints were the most wild and looked great pieced next to each other, so they eventually became the border.

Because there were so many complex florals to work with, we decided to designate the quilt pattern as the more structured part of the design.

The simplicity of the appliquéd floral petals allowed the fabric interest to come forward.

The black and white print border became a wonderful enclosure for the colorful flowers.

Sometimes the collection of garments I receive from clients have a few items that don’t seem to work as well with the majority. It’s usually about color or pattern or both. As I was working on Nina’s quilt I had set aside one such item hoping I could work it in somehow. It was a blue-green flannel plaid- the epitome of comfort. When the black and white florals had all been pieced to the center blocks, I laid the shirt alongside the quilt and loved the look.

Here is the finished quilt with its details.