This is the second of four posts showcasing a series of quilts I’m making for Judith and her family in Cologne, Germany. The series is based on the four seasons, with each season consisting of one wall hanging and one large bed quilt.

As I noted in the Winter post, Judith is the mother of a German exchange student we hosted over twelve years ago. Judith explained that she had gone through all of the clothing and fabrics she had been collecting over the years, which included garments and keepsake fabrics belonging to her, her mother and grandmother, her two daughters and two grandchildren. She wanted everything mixed and matched together in a series of quilts whose colors and designs were inspired by the four seasons.

After dividing the huge collection into seasonal color groupings, I created the four seasonal designs. I started with the Winter wall-hanging, but once it was finished there was so much fabric left over, we decided I would make an additional, larger, double-sided bed quilt that would incorporate as much of the remaining fabrics as possible. For each consecutive season, I kept the same approach, making one slightly smaller wall piece as well as a two-sided bed quilt with as much of the remaining material as possible.

This is Spring. Pinks and greens.

I experimented with a seed pod shape that I could appliqué, toggling between solids and prints. First laying down the blocks,

then layering the seed shapes.

This seed shape was made from Judith’s grandmother’s wool scarf.

Here is the final wall piece, followed by some details.

Next I assembled the large, two-sided bed quilt with the remaining materials. I brought in a few of the same seed shapes in varying sizes.

For the reverse side, I kept some larger pieces intact, surrounded by smaller remnants.

Here is the final front side.

And here is the reverse side.

And some details.

The Summer set is currently in production. Get ready for more yellows, blues, and purples!