Jane Sassaman quilt artist, fabric designer, author and teacher

We lived in the city of Chicago for 30 years. It was an exciting place which fed our spirits with it's variety and energy. But it was also filled with distractions, so we finally felt the need for a quieter environment and moved to the country.

But even in the city we were very aware of the nature around us. The sky, the trees and gardens, the weather and the WILD LIFE have always affected our daily lives. But the city WILD LIFE includes it’s HUMAN inhabitants! Every street scene contains what I like to call "good bad examples". These are the people and situations we use as life lessons for our children... things not to do and situations to avoid.

But when we settled into our new home, we were overwhelmed with new kinds of WILD LIFE, especially at night. Now the night is actually black, whereas in the city there is a constant glow. The night sounds are different, too. The sounds are not made by a human voice or a machine, but living, mysterious sounds. Sounds made by 4-legged creatures instead of two-legged ones. And there are bugs everywhere, day and night, below ground, above ground and in the air. The night bugs are incredible...lightning bugs, moths and crickets.

We love our new environment, but it has taken some time to break through our city veneer. So I used the night insects as a symbol of our shift in perspective. This quilt is about adjusting to our new life, our new WILD LIFE!