Another "Oregon" quilt

I started working on a new quilt for the next Oregon SAQA show. The theme is Oregon:State of Diversity II. Basically the same theme as the last show. I am really getting a little tired of all the Northwest and Oregon themed show themes. I have made quilts depicting Mt. Hood, the state tree of Oregon, the Douglas Fir and the Oregon Coast. Oh yes, then there was the rain quilt—for the "Northwest Vibes" theme. I have been trying to think of a different approach. Instead of scenery, I thought about history. The Oregon Trail. People.

My great grandmother came to Oregon as a child over the Oregon Trail and I have lived, in Idaho, with a view of where the trail came through the mountains. I feel an affinity for the Oregon Trail. I am especially interested in the women and the children. What a hard life that must have been. And, of course there were people who were already here, also affected by the Oregon Trail—the Native Americans. The idea I am working on is about the women of the Oregon Trail—probably five. I started today with the Native American woman.

I started by making a sketch in Illustrator, then printing it out to use as a pattern. I started fusing fabrics to a background piece.

This represents a woman of one of the Columbia River tribes—Umatilla or Grande Ronde perhaps. I love the distinctive woven basket hats they wore traditionally, so I wanted to include one of them. I think it is coming along.

On our way home from the coast the other day my friends and I were talking about the new issue of Quilting Arts magazine which is all about portrait quilts. One of my friends said she doesn't like "people on quilts". I have to agree I have seen a lot of pretty awful people on quilts. So, why do I keep making quilts with people on them? Contrariness, I guess. Or maybe I am just fascinated with faces.  This could be a big old failure.