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I purchased the fabrics for this quilt when I went to Juneau 5 years ago to attend the wedding of my niece, Sadie and Charles, who is full Tlingit. The main pattern is called Labyrinth, a pattern I found in Keepsake Quilting. The top and bottom blocks are Delectable Mountain. The side blocks are a French Braid. For the quilting I used Lisa Moore's applique patterns designed by Tlingit Woodcarver Tommy Joseph. I also used images from the Dover Clip Art Book on Northwest Coastal Indian images. Since my nephew is Tlingit, I asked him about authentic Tlingit weaving patterns. He told me about the Ravenstail, which I used in the labyrinth sashing. So the quilting has plenty of totem poles, salmon, orcas, wolves, elk, moose, puffins, ocean waves and ferns.

I presented the quilt to Sadie and Charles this last weekend as a college graduation present. They are the first in both sides of the family to graduate college. Sadie graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, minoring in Anthropology. Charles graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics with a minor in the Tlingit Language. They will both become teachers in Alaska. University of Alaska Southeast has a wonderful Native Cultural Studies program with the most ever native graduates this year. I am so proud of them and they both love the quilt.