My quilt square comes from the idea of crazy quilting, which is based on using leftover bitrs of pretty fabrics that have been used for other purposes first. Another important thing abut crazy quilt piecing is that it is not symmetrical. I like compositions that are not symmetrical. Asymmetry and crazy quilting are more forgiving in the creative of an art piece. Mistakes look more purposeful!

The five pieces I have used in this square came from items that I have made. Four are pieces left over from clothing that I made for Teddy Bears that I made for raffles at our concerts (fund raisers for our local arts group and for StorySave). The fifth piece is left over from the jacket I made to wear to Storytelling Festivals and special story events.

The other tradition from crazy quilting that I like is the custom of including a bead or embroidered spider in each finished item. I thought this was wonderfully appropriate for a storytelling quilt. Anansi, that wonderful sly trickster, with his endless plots is always getting caught and bouncing back to try again. Could there be a better symbol of story and story telling? he never gives up. He is witty and irreverent to established stuffed shirts. He recognizes that he makes mistakes. Sometimes he shows real wisdom. Sometimes he makes us laught. He's not afraid to start again. Anansi sits right there, not quite in the middle of my square (it's that asymmetry thing) on his web. I used gold trhead for the web to honor the web of stories that connects us all, shining like the gold of friendship, respect and continuity. This golden web honors all the storytellers whose work continues to amaze me and feed my heart.