The colors selected for this challenge immediately brought to mind a thistle flower: perhaps because they were in bloom when the fabric arrived! I wanted to create an abstraction based on the thin, needle-like petals, and the transition of color from stem to the tiny tips. Another goal for this quilt was to keep plenty of negative space in my composition so the quilting lines can really be a standout feature: this is something I strive for in my own quilt designs, and I encourage my workshop participants to aim for this as well. My "when in doubt, take something out" mantra was repeated many times in the making of Azami, which is the Japanese word for Thistle. Ask a quilt handler to show you my nifty quilt label on the back!
