Traditionally, a quilt that is not pieced and usually all one color is referred to as a “whole cloth” quilt. It showcases the beauty of intricate quilting designs and the texture of the fabric itself.

Certain days back a few years ago (Covid times) had the effect of flipping (for better or worse!) my creative switch to “On”.

Inspired by Jacqueline De Jonge’s paper piecing pattern “Day Dream,” I decided to explore … What really happens when you take a pattern that seduces us with beautiful color and fabrics, and make it monochrome?

Working with just a couple of yards of white cloth (It might just have been an old sheet!), I did see the texture appear.

Without the distraction of color, the play of light on fabric became the focus. Texture became king.

Having no immediate rewards from color was a true test of patience. It required me to trust the process and focus on “just.the.piecing.”

Thoughts along the rhythm of paper piecing were their own weird meander…

“What is the point if this? Does there need to be a point?” 

“I should still be making some Covid masks”.

“Why do I feel like I am making bandages?”

“Are we wounded?”

I learned to appreciate the harmony between the various elements of Jacqueline’s design, taking a trip to a mythical land where flying geese were always white, where white arcs led only to other white spaces, quilted eventually with white thread.

I finished it under the needle of the Tiara.

I might name it “What Was Lost”.

Thoughts?