Storybook Quilts Rocks!

I often am asked where the inspiration comes from for the quilt and story for a particular theme. The answer is that there is no one source and, importantly, the quilt design and the story are interdependent. What still amazes me is how much my own perception of the quilt changes once the story is written. It’s no longer just a collection of pleasing fabrics. The events in the story and the personalities of the characters become part of the quilt itself. The quilt acquires a life of its own, full of friends with whom I have shared the adventure in the story. By all accounts, the children who have Storybook Quilts feel the same connection.

Let’s use Luna the Turtle as an example. I thought it would be fun to do a beach theme. And that was the start.

First, I researched what fabrics are available that relate to a beach or ocean theme — and found fish, whales, other sea creatures, flip-flops, bathing suits, beach balls, beach cottages, sand and sandcastles, shells, pirates, waves, boats, lighthouses and on and on. What is available defines the parameters of the design and the story. Fabrics need to fit well together in color and design — too many prints of the same size don’t thrill the eye, for example, nor do fabrics that are too similar in color.

At the same time, I was thinking about the central character. It had to be some creature that appeals to children and also is fairly easy both to make into a shape that will fit the rectangle in the quilt and to applique. Since the shapes don’t have interior features, the character has to have some sort of texture that can be picked up by using the right fabric. A seahorse would make a good story, for example, but it would be a nightmare to design and applique; a pirate ship had the same problems (all those masts and sails!). Most kids like starfish — an easy shape! — and turtles definitely are favorite beings. So, I started designing shapes for both and looking for fabrics with visual texture.

I found a green batik with blocks that seemed to me to echo the squares in turtle shells and I found a yellow batik that reminded me of a starfish’s markings. I liked the batik idea also because it made me think of beaches. I decided to do both themes, but to start with the turtle. The history of the actual design of the quilt is sketched out on our website here.

As for the story, that is both suggested by and suggests the fabrics in the quilt. Since the story incorporates the fabrics, I must find ones that will allow me to write an adventure tale; but they must also work well together in the quilt itself. A quilt full of beautiful fish fabrics, for example, would be lovely — but the story line would be limited.

Once I have a rough story line in mind, I audition fabrics. I gather them from many sources — favorite online shops and some wonderful Amish fabric stores in Lancaster County, PA, not far from my workshop. It is not unusual to discover that a fabric that seemed great doesn’t work at all when it’s up on the design board. This could be either because the color/texture/pattern size is wrong or it doesn’t add to the story. Occasionally, it’s the story that needs another piece and I go off in search of another fabric for that reason. Sometimes, the process is delayed for many days until I find the missing pieces for the design.

When the fabrics finally are selected and arranged, I sit in front of the design board and write out the first draft of the story on my laptop. That first iteration usually defines the story line, but changes in details happen right up to the day of publication — and then again if the order is for a fully customized package. For those Storybook Quilts, the story line includes aspects of the life of the recipient of the quilt, as well as his or her name as the hero or heroine in the story.

As I actually sew the first quilt, the story evolves further — after all, I am looking at the fabrics constantly and new ideas occur. Once all my own revisions are made, I turn to my secret weapon — a friend who is very good (and merciless) at finding any weakness in the story and very good at brainstorming ideas for fixing it. A story has yet to pass inspection the first time!

The story then goes to the design phase. Illustrations are chosen and it’s laid out with a software package to fit 16 pages, 6×9 inches. The story itself is 8-10 pages (the back and front covers, inside and out, take up 4 pages). This means fiddling with the size of the font and the illustrations and occasionally some rewriting to make it fit well.

The subheadings are added at this stage. If the customer has ordered a personalized book, the memory page is added now. That includes a message from the giver and a photograph from the customer; the memory page faces the first page of the story itself. If this is a totally customized story, the memory page definitely is included and additional personal photos may be included as illustrations in the book.

Once I have the story laid out to my satisfaction, it goes off to the printer who corrects colors as necessary and sends me a proof. After I have reviewed and approved that, which may take more than one round, the story is printed and ready to go to the customer.

Designing and completing the printing of the story can take as long as a month, depending on the schedules of Storybook Quilts and the printer and what problems we encounter. Usually we’re done in two weeks. (Subsequent printings are much faster since the design is done and the printing challenges are minimal.)

With quilt completed and story printed, we’re ready to ship the stuff of lifelong memories to the customer!

Nancy Mattison, Designer and Author