| Save big on our Floral Fabric and Animal Closeout sales! Over 440 products at 45% off! Sunday is the last day of Our Batiks & Blender & Tonal Sales. Don’t miss these savings at 40% off. New Gustav Klimt includes Expectation, The Knight & Coordinates. Why Do I Love Polar Bears So Much? You know that old saying, Time Flies When You Are Having Fun….? Well you add the time-warping effect of the pandemic years and all the other madness going on in the world…and suddenly after so many months of waiting and planning, I am on the cusp of my 6th Polar Bear trip to Churchill. About every other trip I have taken a group of quilters up with me, and this year we are going to have a Polar Rover full of quilters and crafters! Wow I am so excited! I’ve had a quilter friend up in remote Churchill all these years, and usually I bring her things like replacement rotary blades and sewing machine needles. She got married and got a new job and is off at a conference, so I will miss seeing her this time. Why do I keep going back to Churchill? It is hard to explain. Yes I finally realized that I have a thing for bears. (Last Fall I went to photograph the Grizzly/Brown Bears in Katmai National Park) But there is something about being out on the tundra that is so remote and wild, so raw yet so silent, that fills my soul with an energy I can’t describe. When we spot a polar bear in the distance, in the midst of that frozen expanse, and I get out my camera, my love for the wild things on our planet comes bursting out of my chest like a Snowy Owl. Sadly, I have been documenting the decline of the polar bears since 2013, which is why I am going ‘peak season’ this time. I hope that my group will also catch polar bear fever and become part of the growing voices calling for action to save this habitat and its inhabitants. There are no longer direct flights to Winnipeg from Denver, so on Monday I have to fly through Toronto to get to Winnipeg. It will be a long day. I am meeting at least one local quilter there on Tuesday for lunch. On Weds morning our group flies up to Churchill on a charter plane. |
My Polar Bear quilt is still traveling with the Endangered Species exhibit. It was inspired by a photo I took on my first visit to Churchill. It was made with fabrics from the eQuilter Scrap Hamper, which means you guys get first crack at the fabrics and then I make art from the leftovers.
Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana
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October 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
Nov 3-4 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE
Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library – Artist Reception
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta
