Greetings from South Dakota

The name of my blog inspired the idea for the art quilt above. When I started my blog I thought it would be fun to treat my blog entries like postcards to friends and family members. This is a continuation of work for our local Art Quilt group. We are working from "Art Quilt Workbook" by Jane Davila and Elin Waterston. One of the first activities in the book is to recreate a photo using fabrics. The buffalo in this quilt was reproduced from a photo taken at Custer State Park. I decided he (or she?) would make a great postcard. I surrounded the buffalo with photo transfers of postcards that I collected from our travels and two vintage postcards from my grandmother. The vintage postcards are actually souvenir folders. Each includes 20 photos of the area. They were published in the 1930's. Postage to send these was 1-1/2 cents.

I have two more quilts completed and a 4th to start and finish before the mail goes out on Saturday. These mini quilts will be on display along with others from the Wisconsin Quilters Inc. Guild at the Madison Quilt Expo. Dates for the show are September 11th - 13th.

This quilt is called "Iron Mountain Road".

Here is "Roots in South Dakota" completed.

Greetings from the Crazy Horse Memorial

I've been meaning to write this entry since we returned from South Dakota earlier this Spring. The highlight of our trip was the Crazy Horse Memorial. This project was started 60 years ago when a group of Native Americans including Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear invited sculptor Korzak Ziolkowski to create a monument in the Black Hills to a Native American Hero.

Here is a view of the Crazy Horse Memorial from the viewing deck and a scale model of the completed sculpture. The monument is one mile away.

In this picture you can see the former outline of the mountain and the work that is in progress on the horses head.

I did not re-size these photos before posting. You can click on each photo to explore them. In the photo above there is man in a hard hat just under Crazy Horse's chin. He is looking below toward a person who is repelling down the rock face. In the lower right hand corner there is a large excavator.

The work on this project is funded by private donations. Ziolkowski was a firm believer of private enterprise, turning down funds from the government. The progress on the project is directly related to funds collected. The foundation has three major goals: the mountain carving, the Indian Museum of North America, and the Indian University (and Medical Training Center) of North America.

The scale of this project is mammoth. Korzak Ziolkowski worked on this project for years, both alone and with the help of his family. I loved the presentation that accompanies the viewing of the work in progress. My favorite part of the presentation was seeing the pictures of his children helping him load dynamite. Ziolkowski Korczak worked for nearly 36 years and refused to take any salary for this memorial. He worked on the project until his death October 20, 1982, at age 74. His wife and children continue his work.

We came to this monument not knowing what to expect. We ended up spending 4 hours more than we had planned. The museum collections are wonderful. I especially enjoyed the beadwork displays. It took a few months to write this post because I left this place feeling so many different emotions. I will not share these thoughts as I think everone should expirience this place from their own point of view. If you ever make it to this part of the world do not miss a chance to see this work in progress. You won't be sorry.

“You are never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however.” - Richard Bach

Art Quilts Continued

Our Art Quilt Journal group met last night. I had a mad dash to get this piece and a couple others ready for show and tell. This journal "page" is a compilation of early family settlers in South Dakota. Our trip out west earlier this year gave me a chance to see where my father's family came from. The women in these photos were quilters and sewed most of their own clothes. Great Grandma Gertie gave me a baby quilt which I still have. Great Aunt Delia worked as a seamstress on her land claim in Reliance, SD. My Grandma Virginia married Leslie in 1927. She was a school teacher, naturalist and artist. She traveled the world extensively after her husband passed away in the 1970's. She has a wonderful sense of humor and great stories to tell. In the 1990's she wrote down memories of her childhood to share with her children and grandchildren. She is 104 now. She started to lose her memory when she reached 100. She lived in her own apartment in a retirement community until then. She is a treasure and I cherish my time with her.

My baby quilt from Great Grandma Gertie:

Many naps were spent awake marveling at the varied fabric in this quilt. My favorite has always been this satellite fabric. I'd love to find some more of this some day...