Barb Long is a regular donor to the Wildlife SOS Bid to Be Wild Auction. This year she has delighted us with this handmade quilt. It features an elephant center panel and a full safari on each end.

The quilt measures 79x90 inches, and on a full-sized bed, it hangs about 5 inches on both sides.

From the artist: Neela evokes a feeling of joy, just by looking at her stance and posture. At Wildlife SOS, I imagine Neela marching proudly up to greet a new rescue, excited to show them around their new home. The bright blue used for the body of Neela is set against a glow of orange, pink, red and yellow stitched to echo the sun's rays radiating out from behind her.

Blue is my favorite color, and this is by far, my favorite piece that I have donated. Neela is not an understated blue, as one of my previous pieces, she is a bold and beautiful sapphire blue, as her name indicates. And she is accompanied by several friends who are also fearlessly displaying a blue vibe.

All fabric used to make Neela is from batiks. I love to work with the subtle variances and depth that batiks bring to my projects, however this year fabric selection was a challenge as all fabrics had to be chosen online. It took a little patience and a few long conversations with the fabric supplier, but I love the end result.

The center panel is an abstract quilt, constructed of all new fabric and pieced together using the foundation paper piecing method. Look closely at her trunk. It is constructed with 119 uniquely shaped pieces of fabric sewn together at just the perfect angles. She is bordered top and bottom by ten machine embroidered friends.

Neela measures 79 inches wide by 90 inches tall. I hope you have the perfect spot in your home for exuberant Neela, Queen of the Jungle.