We all know the traditional grandma quilt—the blanket with plaid squares and polka-dotted edges. The one that maybe doesn’t match your modern living room but reminds us of vanilla candles and freshly baked cookies. A type of warmth that gives us a fair reason to keep them around. Two Portlanders set out to change how we think about the traditional quilt. This spring, Liz Winkler and Anna Weston launched Studio Prismatic—a retro and sustainable, organic-based quilt company handmade right from their home studios in Northeast, Portland. 

Quilting has a long history within the home. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London says, “The word 'quilt' – linked to the Latin word 'culcita', meaning a bolster or cushion – seems to have first been used in England in the 13th century.” The medieval three-layer masterpiece lives on thanks to relatives passing down the art form. In recent years, quilts pushed their way into pop culture with big name brands like Calvin Klein and West Elm modernizing them. Winkler and Weston aim for Studio Prismatic to keep that modern vibe going.

They credit their inspiration for organic aesthetic quilts to the nature of the Pacific Northwest. "Forest Park, baby” says Weston. The two designers met working at famed children’s company Hannah Andersson before leaving to become full-time quilters, eager to layer eco-fabrics like a sandwich. As a company, they focus on using organic cotton, linen, or hemp fabrics trying to keep sustainability at the forefront.

After creating a hand sketch they transform into a layout in Adobe Illustrator, fabrics are cut and sewn with a quilting machine, bringing to life rainbow styled wall hangings to half-moon pillow shams to old-school coral and citron geometric quilts. The two, currently based in their home studios, also accept custom projects and offer complimentary swatches for their customers in the process. Eventually, their long-term vision is to land a retail store in Northeast Portland with a built-in studio for working and holding classes.

“It's a passion,” adds Winkler about the quilting process. “It's like therapy.”