While I was a new mother attending graduate school, I yearned for some small, creative activity to soften my busy life. Because the winters are so cold in Minnesota (U of MN graduate), quilting is a big hobby. So, I signed up for a hand quilting class, and it was just what I needed—a mental and physical break without being passive. I made a baby sized quilt that was too good to ever put near a spitting-up baby, but it has hung in my home ever since, a constant reminder of my daughter and the joy of becoming a mother.

Patchwork quilts usually have repeating fabrics, colors and designs, and in this quilt, the light orange squares all have the same pattern of a circle of bell flowers. In the darker squares, we learned different techniques, so those designs are all different. But look closely and you will see a stylized (pinched) square shape in the center of the symmetrical flower designs (left). Our instructor asked us to look for places to repeat a pattern in each of the other squares, and I was able to fit that stylized square into all but one of the darker squares through quilting.  On the right you can see two squares where I’ve repeated that element.

While I was looking at that quilt one day, I realized that these repeating elements were similar to writing. You work on your basic story and there are innumerable revisions and improvements once you’ve got that story down. You add details to enhance the readers experience, and—you got it—you repeat some of the details to create more of a cohesive whole to the story. One way I’ve done that in my latest novel is with roses. I didn’t start doing it on purpose, but I had this teapot and it happened organically.

The teapot was inherited from my mother. It had belonged to her mother. It was a natural to add to the story and link the three generations of women who inhabit Imprint and Inheritance. I happen to like roses, so they worked their way into the story in other ways. Once I noticed the pattern, I made it intentional, like the stylized square shapes in my first quilt, to enhance the texture of the story. It’s those little details that enrich our lives and those of our characters. Below are some roses that have bloomed in my garden.

I haven’t done much patchwork and quilting since then, but always enjoy looking at the artwork of others. Here’s a few made or owned by people I know.

My friend BJ Jackson made this quilt for me as an amazing surprise gift. I was blown away by the contrast of the bright colors with the black geometric shapes. Note how she used different fabric patterns, but often with the same colors (ie pinks) to enrich the piece with repeating elements of color. This quilt lives in my writing space for inspiration.

Next time you read a book, see if you can identify some repeating elements that may be adding depth and meaning to the storyline. Let me know what you see.