Denise Ragozzini has been making quilts for years, but she always gives them away. For once, she decided to make one for herself. Inspired by a “Snail’s Trail” quilt that hangs in my studio, Denise designed the one pictured here for her “TV lap quilt,” as she calls it.
The Snail’s Trail quilt block has a couple of other names: Monkey Wrench and Virginia Reel. The design is confusing to sew because it’s easy to turn the pieces the wrong way. Actually, there is one block in Denise’s quilt that is swirling in the wrong direction. Can you find it in the picture? Mistakes like that add to the charm of a quilt, in my opinion. It’s possible that Denise is not even aware of the mistake.
I showed Denise’s quilt to Margaret Kay, who made the one that hangs in my studio, because it reminded me of her. She loved it and exclaimed, “Someone was adventurous with her fabric stash!” The appeal of Denise’s quilt is her unusual color scheme: cool hues, from green to blue to purple, coupled with light and dark browns and blacks.
Also pictured here is another quilt that Denise sewed and gave to her boss. “Now I don’t have to worry about losing my job,” she quipped.
