The inspiration for this quilt is a painting by American artist Amalie Rothschild called “Ripening of the Oranges in Sicily,” which I found by chance on the internet. Its modern quilt-like aspects of grid design, repetition, and variation, plus the closeness of its palette to the challenge fabrics, elicited a strong desire to use it as the model for a quilt. Rothschild’s daughter, Amalie R. Rothschild—herself a renowned photographer/filmmaker—graciously gave me her permission to reproduce her mother’s painting. She also revealed that her sister, Adrien Rothschild, had been a quilter of note in the l980s and 90s. All this, plus my own Sicilian heritage, makes this quilt very special to me. I changed the orientation of the design but the result is faithful to its original. Techniques include piecing, FPP, and applique.
