Desert Bus for Hope

Every year there are many amazing crafters that take part in the Craft-Along. Many return year after year but there are also new crafters every single year, and it is always a delight to see them bring their own unique crafts to Desert Bus.

This year, we wanted to highlight a couple of the newer crafters, and to show off the breadth of crafts that people make each year. Our hope is that these posts inspire people who might be on the fence about submitting an idea to take the plunge.

Our first creator that we wanted to highlight is Levi! Levi is a transmasc crafter from Mohkinstis (AKA Calgary, Alberta), and even though he has watched Desert Bus since 2009, DB2022 was his first year participating in the Craft-Along. He originally took up beading in 2021 as a way to connect with his Métis heritage & thought that he could potentially bring that skill to the table for DB.

A close-up photograph of a colourful beaded pendant and earring set sitting in a small jewelry box.

His idea was for a beaded pendant and earrings set inspired by Omega Shift. It incorporates elements of the four shift banners, including the Z of Zeta, Alpha Flight’s wings, the rising sun of Dawnguard and the waning moon of Night Watch. All of this done in incredibly small and delicate bead work.

We were delighted to accept this prize, as this kind of bead work is not something we see very often during the Craft-Along. The pendant and earrings both look amazing and we are incredibly flattered that Levi chose to share his expertise with us and with all of you!

If you want to see more of Levi’s work you can check out his Instagram.

A close-up photograph of a colourful pair of earrings sitting on a wooden shelf, leaning against the wall.

We do accept crafts in a wide variety of mediums, so if you’re thinking of submitting an idea but don’t feel like it fits, go ahead and submit anyways! Your idea might resonate with us, the way Levi’s craft did. Our desire is for the Craft-Along to be a diverse showcase of the amazing skills of our audience. And all of the money raised goes directly to Child’s Play Charity to help children through difficult times.

There are still a few days left to submit your ideas for the 2023 Craft-Along. Head on over here to submit your ideas to us before the end of Sunday, May 28th.

-- Erika