A Quilt Fit For a Once-And-Future-King

Here at last is the Bug's new quilt. It's Kathy Doughty's 'Avalon' pattern from Doughty and Sarah Fleike's book Material Obsession.

I like the authors' philosophy of the "One" inspiration (p.11): 'What is it about quilts that invites you to make one?'. For me it is the wish to give it to a particular person, in this case my Bug. They also suggest 'Start with the one fabric that makes you sing'. Here it was Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo fabric, in the Bug's favorite colours of blue and green. I searched for some others with animal themes, and have just learned that the beautiful green duck fabric is "Ugly Duckling" by Lizzy House. I thought for a long time about the pattern, then my quilting guru Taccolina suggested the Avalon, and it was indeed the One. The back is Alexander Henry's Blakely Stripe, so the quilt is reversible for when the Bug is older. My other quilting guru Lynne suggested the argyle design for the hand-quilting and the bias-striped binding in the same Blakely Stripe. I'm lucky to have my gurus!

In Arthurian legend, Avalon is the island where the sword Excalibur was forged, and in some versions Arthur was taken there after he was mortally wounded. It is known as the "Isle of Apples". As my family name is Orchard, and I am writing a Ph.D dissertation on mythological weapons and armour, it was obviously the quilt pattern for me!

If you look closely you may see Michal Miller's apple fabric in the bottom right square. I'm thinking of adding an apple to all of my quilts, a sort of coded signature, either in the fabric, the quilting or in applique.