September 2019 the monarch butterflies flew by us on their annual trip south. It was amazing to see them massing and flitting over the water. As with most of my rugs, I started this one with a color palette in mind, and a general idea, but no set design. I drew in some of the swoops of the butterflies, and then set to work on the water, clouds, and sky. The borders grew. Actually, I’ve learned to leave extra backing on the edges for expansions—this rug was intended to be 3’x7′, but grew to 3.5’x7.5′.