There's an Elephant in My Garden

I thought you might like to see a photo of my entry in the NJS at Quilt Saskatoon. The piece is entitled "There's an Elephant in My Garden", and is an Art Deco inspired piece. In fact, all the shapes I used in this piece are shapes from other Art Deco inspired designs I've made in the past. The artist's statement that accompanies it reads:

This quilt is about joy. About grace and joy. About what astonishes us, what grabs our heart, what takes our breath away. About things we don't believe will ever come true, but then they do. About things that are right in front of our eyes, but in our unbelief, we nearly miss then. About miracles in our midst and gifts beyond our imagining.

It gave me great pleasure making this quilt, the kind that is enough in itself. My quilt didn't win any prizes, but as nice as that might have been, it didn't diminish my joy in making it. And I know that it was my best effort. And to me that makes it successful, no matter what.

From Saskatoon to Canmore

Today, after four wonderful days at Quilt Saskatchewan, we left the big skies and rolling hills of Saskatchewan for home. We drove through farm land planted with grains, through ranch land full of cows and calves, of steers and even the occasional llama, to the mountains. We saw gophers at the side of the road, and Canada geese coming in to land on one of the many deep blue sloughs, and deer not too far off the road. The vast landscape of our country left a strong impression on both Joan and I, making us feel extaordinarily proud to be part of this great land. We saw lonely and abandoned homesteads that were first settled not that long ago, and the farms of today, sheltered from the wind by stands of trees, with yards full of modern threshing machines and combines. And then, shortly after Calgary, we arrive in Canmore, relishing seeing the mountains from another angle on the way home. As we approcahed, we thought it was haze that we saw in the distance, or rain perhaps. But the undeniable smell of burning indicated otherwise, and as we


got closer, we could see billows of smoke filling the sky behind Mount Rundle. Helicopters with buckets of water were ferrying back and forth, attempting to quench the fire. By this evening the smoke had cleared, and it now looks as though they have been successful in their efforts. We hope so. We won't be home again for another day and a half, but this has been a wonderful journey to be on, and I'd like to say a huge thank you to all of you who stopped by our booth to chat with us, and especially to those of you who purchased the bags and placemats, wall-hangings and cushion covers, made by the ladies of the Bitengye Designers.