Janice Weaver,
The Quilt of Belonging: Stitching Together the Stories of a Nation
Maple Tree Press, 2006.

Rating: G*

263 quilt pieces patch together the fabric of our nation. Canadians from every country and every major Canadian aboriginal group are represented in this bohemoth quilt stitched and created by volunteers and donations. The quilt pieces are painstakingly designed, some with real objects, others with tiny grains of glass or beads. Esther Bryan, the creator of this concept wished to produce something to celebrate the incredible life Canadians are privy to. She states, "I wanted to create something that would celebrate the whole fabric that is Canada. I wanted to show the path from separateness to belonging."

This project speaks to the heart of Canada. Each patch of the square represents the different cultural backgrounds of people in Canada. The first few pages of the book describe the birth of the 'Invitation Project' concept, and a brief history of who contributed and donated their skill and time, and others who donated fabrics and pieces. This book is fascinating. Packed with images of the different 'patches', The Quilt of Belonging is truly an amazing selection of the 263 patches that make up this quilt. The photos of the selected pieces are visually appealing, and the accompanying text is succinct yet detailed enough to give you the full impression of the presentation. There is reference to the website www.invitationproject.ca where all 263 pieces can be viewed individually on-line.

Teachers that are looking to teach multi-culturalism in their Canadian units will be pleased. The author suggests that readers make their own square - which would be a very cool school-wide project. A significant drawback is that individual readers of this book will have to be quilters or quilt appreciators. The photos, although excellent, do not allow the reader to see the 3-D artifacts, or grasp the texture of the beads or glasswork. Children who are interested in the wide variety of cultural backgrounds in Canada will also enjoy browsing through this book. This book would be a reccomended addition to a teacher reference section. This book is an important piece in a library's Canadian collection.

Thematic Links: Canada; Multiculturalism

John Dryden
Vol. 12, number 1
October 2006

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.