Words into Art
My friend asked me to go hear author Pamela Royes talk about her book Temperance Creek: A Memoir at a quilt shop. At a quilt shop? I thought. I didn’t know that QuiltWorks had a “Books to Quilts” program.
Pamela spoke about her book and showed slides of where she lives in the rugged country near Hells Canyon in northeastern Oregon. A chance encounter with Skip Royes led her into living the life of a wandering shepherder. She and Skip spent four years on a life-changing journey in the wilderness. Pamela transforms from a carefree hippie into a responsible woman who learns to appreciate the wildness of her new home. She also learns of the culture of the Nez Perce, who first occupied this land.
Her lyrical prose helps paint pictures in your mind of her adventures and the surrounding country. Quilters made the “words into art” and they displayed their work in this shop. Pamela became emotional as she described her appreciation for the quilts depicting her words. These creative works meant more to her than any trophy.
Sheep and a special dog
These quilts show different interpretations of sheep. Some are realistic while others are whimsical. Their dog, Puss, helped keep the sheep in line.
Come Follow Me – Carol Luther 
Here’s Looking at Ewe- Vicki Roadman 
Watching Sheep – Diane Ottenfeld
Endless Sheep – Jill Monley 
Buttercup – Eileen Heber 
Tom and Peggy – Heidi Thaut
Horsing around
Here are quilts showing horses and mules, an important part of their family.
Flora and Fauna
These quilts show some of the plants and animals that live in northeastern Oregon. Pamela and Skip had many exciting encounters with wildlife in the back country.
No Country for Fools – Kristin Shields 
Into the Wild… First Bloom – Elayne Logan Currie 
Eastern Oregon – Ruth Kinane 
Flora and Fauna of Hells Canyon – Patti Stewart
Pick-Up Sticks – Kim McCray 
The Best Time – Kay Gutierrez
Camping out and remembering
They spent months out in the wilderness living in a tent. They remembered the contributions of Native Americans who called this place home.
Outside the Tent – Joan Fox 
The View Outside the Tent Flaps – Maggie Jaeger 
Memories – Karen Miller
Little Details
These quilts focus on some of the small details of their life. Sometimes Pamela had one foot in one world and the other in another.
Temperance Creek High Heels – Charlotte Sara Oakes 
“How long will we be gone?” “Well, until we get back” – Cathy Smith 
Commitment The Significance of Small Things “Christmas on Pony Bar” – Jean Wilkinson 
Steppin’ Out – Cindy O’Neal
The Land
Many of the quilts focus on the beauty of the land. Some of these are abstract, others are realistic. They vary in appearance and texture, just like the land they represent.
Making the Way – Shirlee J. Johnson 
Imnaha River Valley Gyrification – Suzette Decourcey Shoulders 
Impressions – Judi Martin
Temperance Creek Trail – Gayle Gassner 
Follow Your Heart – Janet MacConnell 
Fragments – Marion Miller
And as the sun sinks into the West
This quilt captures the color and majesty of the country around North Temperance Creek. I hope you liked these beautiful words into art quilts as much as I did.
Lens Artists Photography Challenge – Creativity
I loved the quilts. Thanks for sharing.
They were amazing!
Oh my gosh SB, talk about creativity!!! These are incredible. The idea of creating a quilt that depicts one’s life story from a book – WOW. I loved them all but especially the sheep quilts. For some reason they really stole my heart.
These quilts are absolutely beautiful! What amazing artist and I can’t imagine the time and skill and love that was put into each one! Thank you so much for sharing these!
I’m glad you liked them. They were impressive. 😁
You captured the essence of the quilt show by grouping them together. I love the way the artists captured the feelings and visions of the book. Thank you for saving this in pictures.
Suzy Beal
You captured the essence of the quilt show by the way you grouped these photos. I loved the way the quilters responded to the scenes, feelings, and landscapes of the book. Thank you for saving these quilts in your photography for us.
Suzy
Thanks! Thanks for inviting me too. 😊
Fabulous concept and exhibit! Endless Sheep And Impressions my favorites.
Yes, it was a great show!
Many of these have similarities with Finnish quilts.
Really? That’s very interesting.
There is nothing special in this. Quilting is universal. I have made 15 (fifteen) quilt& patchwork posts which everyone contains about 50 (fifty) photos. Most probably You did not a look at my posts.
I guess also that You did not bother to take a look at my newest post:
Made on courses 2019
Ordinary people in my country are skillful, say what You say. 🙂 This not only my own opinion but also other people who has left comments in my newest post.
Have a good day!
I have been helping my elderly mother so I have fallen behind on WordPress. I did not mean to offend you, I just meant I was impressed that other quilters would put on shows based on a book. This was a new concept to me. 🙂
Wow, wonderful show with lots of inspiration packed into one post!
Yes, the quilts were SO impressive!