A Quilt of Wonder

We love Yvonne Fuchs' aptly named "Wonder" quilt, featured in Issue #65 of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine. The soothing turquoises, graphic design and detailed quilting combine to create a true work of art inspired by the ocean. Keep reading to learn more about Yvonne's quilt, made using our Painter's Palette Solids.

"Wonder" designed, pieced and quilted by Yvonne Fuchs;
featured in Issue #65 of Love, Patchwork & Quilting
(photo courtesy of LP&Q)

Q. Can you talk about your inspiration for the quilt? 

YF: Wonder is a design sketch I made while sitting on a beach, listening to the waves lap against the shore, looking out at the turquoise colors deepening as the water depth increased off shore. I don’t think I’m the only one that looks out at the horizon across an ocean and is filled with a sense of wonder…

Q. How did you choose the fabrics you used? 

YF: I like to use color cards when selecting my fabrics, as getting to see the fabric with my own eyes and not on a computer screen can make a very big difference. I have a Painter's Palette Solids color card, and Azure, Aruba, Pale Aqua, and Gulf Stream captured the turquoise colors and tones that I remember from sitting on the beach looking out across the shallow waters on a bright, summer day.

Q. What do you like about the Painter’s Palette Solids? 

YF: I like the weight and tight weave of the Painter's Palette Solids. They press easily and beautifully. They have very little to no fraying, which is something I paid a lot of attention to with the Wonder quilt because I used a lighter color for the predominant background, so I was pleased when I didn't need to spend a lot of time clipping stray threads prior to basting the quilt for quilting.

Q. Tell us about your design.

YF: My goal with the design was to achieve an ebb and flow feeling and combine it with a deepening turquoise color gradient. I specifically really like the push/pull feeling that is created by having different colors in the stripes touching the dark Gulf Stream squares.

Q. Can you talk about how you quilted it and why you made the decisions you did in each color? 

YF: I knew that I wanted the Gulf Stream squares to be focal points for the quilt, but I wanted them to also have a sense of motion that kept your eye moving around the quilt, so I selected the square spiral straight line quilting motif to draw the eye in and add depth and motion. I wanted the focus on the rest of the piecing to be more about a push/pull tension than about the quilting, so I hoped to achieve that by keeping things simple with vertical back and forth lines in the stripes and horizontal lines in the background. I also wanted the quilted straight lines to evoke the sense of the lines of waves stretching out across an ocean.

(photo courtesy of LP&Q)

Q. What do you like best about this quilt? 

YF: My favorite parts of the quilt are the dark Gulf Stream areas and the quilting within them. I love how they are anchors in the design as your eye moves across the quilt.

Q. Any other ideas for this design? 

YF: I personally think that this would would be stunning remade in red, gold, and blue for anyone who is a Wonder Woman fan!

Learn more about Yvonne's quilt here and follow her: @quiltingjetgirl
See all 168 Painter's Palette Solids colors here.
Find Love Patchwork & Quilting here (you can purchase a downloadable issue!).