The Purple Turnip

Maggie Bonanomi is one of my favorite quilt book authors - and one of my steadiest. Over the past five years, we've worked together on six books - more than a book a year.

Part of our process is an early meeting. Maggie shows me her projects - most in some incomplete stage - and we talk about the book theme.

Her creativity is so exciting. A book a year takes a lot of that and her well does not run dry. She likes to take walks alone and draw inspiration from nature.

She said I could give you a peek at the project shown here.  Having been to Quilt Con, I was struck by how modern this project felt. It was inspired by Amish quilts. The hand dyed wools (and a little velvet) was cut out by hand and stitched by hand.

Maggie also said I could share some exciting news. She will soon open her new studio / workshop / retail space in downtown Lexington, Missouri. A soft opening is planned for April 19. It's an exciting move for her and for the town of Lexington, which has recently been designated an arts community in collaboration with the University of Missouri at Columbia. Look for more details about her new venture soon - we'll shoot photos there for her next book ...