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Storytellers of Canada-Conteurs du Canada
The 2009 Story Save Quilt
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Carol Leigh Wehking - Cambridge, ON

This year I didn't sign up to do a quilt square at the Conference. But when Pearl- Ann asked me in the autumn whether I would do one, since there were a few left, i agreed. -Then came the realization that I had somehow to develop an inspiration of what exactly to do as a design. I had to attend a weekend meeting at a beautiful camp on Georgian Bay, and as usual I planned to take handwork with me -this time, the quilt square. But what to put on it?? On Saturday morning, as I reached for the sewing bag I'd left in the car, I looked down and saw coloured leaves beneath my feet -lots of colours and shapes -and I thought, "Stories are like that" -stories are like leaves of trees -many colours and sizes and textures and shapes, each beautiful in its own way. Stories come from the same roots, but grow their own way. So I just started -using embroidery for the outline and bark of the tree, and then various fabrics, colours, and textures, (with less variety in shapes) to applique the leaves. As I worked, I also thought of the Native peoples' Tree of Peace, where the roots grow in the four directions, so that anyone may find their way to peace. That concept, too, informed my work as I went. And of course the SC-CC logo has a tree with its roots showing, too. For those that care about such things, the tree trunk and branches are embroidered using two similar stitches: stem stitch, and "Quaker stitch", a stitch developed for the Quaker tapestry in the early 1980's, which is a combination of split and stem stitch. I tried to make some of the leaves sort of three-dimensional, but I'm afraid those ones just look as if they aren't done quite right. But in all, I like the idea and I like the effect, and I am eager to see the squares others have contributed -it is always a wonderful moment when each year's quilt is unveiled! Thanks, Pearl-Ann!