New design: Harlequin gone awry in Carnival

Carnival was a colour palette prompted by several sources: the fairground carousel, the gypsy caravan, Pakistani painted truck art, the emerald balconies of the Fairlawn Hotel in Kolkata, and a trace of Comedia del Arte. I made a Shoeman’s Puzzle, and two quilts for Abask, Tefnut and Curllusion, in this festive colourway combining emerald and ruby with hot pink, cobalt blue, sunshine yellow and eau de nil. Always with a bit of brass.

This new design, Arlecchino, is an interpretation of the whole body, diamond-patterned tight-suit he’s worn for centuries, from his birth in the 16th century right up to Vivienne Westwood’s AW’89 show and beyond.

Meissen porcelain figures of Harlequin and Columbine; Harlequin suit from Vivienne Westwood’s AW’89 collection Voyage to Cythera photographed by Steven Klein.

Now that I’ve worked out to frame all the diamonds without stretching their oblique-cut edges, I’m ready to make it in other colours. A monochrome version with random diamonds of something stronger, perhaps. Meanwhile this flawed sample with small areas of slightly buckled quilting, a tiny patch and a backing that is true pasticcho, is a bargain in the Pemberton shop. It’s roughly the official size of a twin bed quilt (235 × 150cm), but would also hang generously across a double bed or make a lively throw on the back of a chair or sofa.

Arlecchino machine quilt in Carnival; silk and linen patchwork backed with pieced cotton and bound with silk; 150 × 235cm.