Kakaso’Las Totem Pole Wall Quilt inspired by living traditions

Welcome back! After stepping into calm, meaningful stitching with My Japanese Garden Wall Art by Heather McArthur last week, let us travel from garden tiles to towering tradition with Kakaso’Las Totem Pole Wall Quilt by Annette Janca.

If you love projects with a story and a strong sense of place, this one is unforgettable. Kakaso’Las Totem Pole Wall Quilt was inspired by the Kakaso’Las Totem Pole Annette saw at Stanley Park in Vancouver, and it celebrates the power of cultural traditions and artistic legacy through fiber art.

skill level Advanced
time A creative multi-weekend project, especially if you enjoy refining details
ideal for Fiber art quilters who love story-rich wall quilts, bold graphic shapes, and meaningful inspiration
you will practice fiber art construction, free motion quilting, planning a complex focal design, and building a wall quilt with strong visual impact
finished size 28” x 49” [71 x 125cm]

This pattern by Annette Janca was featured in Issue 63, our issue inspired by traditions, the threads that connect generations, preserve history, and shape the stories we carry forward. Designers in this issue bring tradition into the present with modern color, vintage fabrics, and contemporary interpretations.

Here’s the project description from the pattern page. Annette was inspired by the Kakaso’Las Totem Pole, carved by Ellen Neel and her Uncle Mungo Martin in 1955, and later moved to Stanley Park. The quilt design interprets the totem’s figures, including the thunderbird, sea bear, orca, frog, Bak’was, Dzunukwa, and Raven. The pattern pieces are not included, instead the instructions and photos walk you through the steps and techniques so you can create your own unique totem pole wall quilt.

Get Kakaso’Las Totem Pole Wall Quilt here
https://www.aneedlepullingthread.com/product/kakaso-las-totem-pole-wall-quilt/

Get Issue 63 in print here
https://www.aneedlepullingthread.com/product/issue-63-print-version/

Get Issue 63 in digital here
https://www.aneedlepullingthread.com/product/issue-63-digital-version/

What makes this project especially exciting is that it is both technique-forward and deeply meaningful. You’ll stretch your free-motion quilting skills, build a powerful focal design, and end up with wall art that starts conversations the moment someone walks into the room.

Now tell me, would you keep your version bold and traditional in color, or would you give it a modern twist with unexpected brights or a moody palette?

And if you love intricate wall quilts with a similar feel, you may also love our Sea Change Wall Quilt Ralph Jarvis and Corey Follett was featured in Issue 60, our dreamy nautical issue, inspired by Oceans. It’s equally mesmerizing.

Join me next week to find out which inspiring ANPTmag quilting project I’ll share with you!