When I made a pieced throw using yukata fabric which my long-time dear friend, Louise, had given me, I played it classic and straightforward with a grid of Nine Patch quilt blocks. The next project, however, was going to be a pair of large quilts for Louise's grown nephews -- to carry the story of her life in Japan into their own. For this I was interested in using more complex quilt blocks – which meant on-the-job learning.
I have strong opinions about the relative beauty of blocks. Some have it, and some don’t. I knew I needed to choose and learn block forms that were interesting, strong, simple, and graceful. What I didn’t know was how demanding some block forms would be when it came to precision sewing.
It was necessary to conserve the limited yukata fabric as much as possible. Some quilt block methods sacrifice a lot of material for the sake of efficient sewing and fewer steps. I could not afford convenience over conservation, and I had no interest in speed.
Louise and I decided that each quilt would have two equally dominant sides. One would be built with deep blues in the blocks and in the sashing between the blocks. The other side would be the summer side with lots of white.
I began the project on the Fourth of July 2021 and finished the two Nephew Quilts on Valentine's Day 2022, working whenever I could find the time, riding the rhythm of the seasons, making decisions, unpicking stitches, measuring, listening to books, loving the blues and the whites, and thinking of my friend.
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