Saturday, July 15, 2023

Rainbowland

Welcome to Treadlestitches!  I hope you're having good weather, we sure are!

I named this little quilt "Rainbowland" after the Dolly Parton/Miley Cyrus song.  The houses were part of this year's Rainbow Scrap Challenge, but I just couldn't wait for the end of the year to put them together.

The only color I needed that we haven't made for the RSC so far is yellow, so it was not too much trouble to add the yellow houses.  I'm making mine from charm squares.  As you can see, the skies are blue, just like in the song.

I put this minion print in the middle of this orange row as a sort of statement.  That little guy is Unique, and so are all of us.  In Rainbowland, everybody is accepted and respected for who they are:  cats, panda bears, elephants, monkeys, singing chickens, and even monsters.  Everybody.

You may have heard of the teacher whose principal refused to allow her first grade students to sing the Rainbowland song at a school concert.  When she objected publicly (and mildly, I thought) on Twitter, she was fired.  (Click HERE for the story.)  Her school is in the next county over.  I am appalled at the recent political idea that inclusion is bad or wrong or harmful in some way.  Sometimes this comes out in my quilting.

There are 3 rainbows in my quilt:  the rows of houses, the border (made from the pieces I call Little Bricks, 2.5 in. x 3.5 in. cut), and the binding.  I might be hitting the theme a bit too hard.

The back is this fabric that looks like splattered paint.  I used the poly batting, which makes the quilt soft and warm.  It will be donated to a child.

In other news, Happy blocks!  It has been fun tracking down light fabrics for the centers.

The kids in this print remind me of my wonderful grandchildren at different stages in their lives.

Four more!  I had lots of light squares with red prints.  Strawberries, plus Dr. Seuss characters, and...

my favorite Read print!  As a retired school librarian, I had to include this one!

Last week I was out of town visiting my mom, who is recovering from a bad fall.  It's been tough for her, but her positive attitude and can-do spirit are carrying her through.  Above is her lovely patio, just after a rain.

When running an errand for my mom, she encouraged me to visit a local quilt shop.  So I did!  The name is The Savage Quilter, in Oklahoma City.  The pattern should be fun to make, and is by Cluck Cluck Sew.

Isn't this a neat way to package a fat quarter?  There were literally hundreds, all ready to go.  A bunch of them wanted to come with me, so I said okay!  It's a well-stocked shop with a friendly and knowledgeable staff, and I definitely recommend a visit if you're in the area.

 

While I was gone, my dear Hubby and the little grandsons made sure the black raspberries got picked every day.  Above is what I picked this morning.  I think raspberry season is the best time of the year.

I hope things are going well for you today.  Have a good week, and keep quilting!

Cheers,

Sylvia@Treadlestitches

Linking up with:

Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday

Angela at So Scrappy

Cynthia at Oh Scrap










20 comments:

  1. I love your gorgeous choices of bright colors!

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    1. Thanks, Kim! Bright colors make me happy. And I hope the quilts do the same for the kids that receive them.

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  2. Sylvia, those rainbow houses are so adorable--love how that turned out.
    [It is ridiculous to ban "Rainbow" and library books, too. Some people have told our library to ban 2 books--they have been on the shelves for TWENTY years and all of a sudden they have to be taken off?!!! Right !!Another politically motivated stunt--don't get me started;))) I try to ignore it all....]
    Your light centered square blocks are so darn cute :)))--just great works you have going on...Hugs, Julierose

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    1. Thanks, Julierose! As a retired librarian, I am absolutely dismayed at the censorship we're seeing. I keep hoping cooler heads will prevail.

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  3. Sylvia, your inclusive Rainbowland is wonderful, and I agree with everything you said in your post about it! I was horrified to read about the teacher who was fired, but glad to know she didn't regret speaking out. I'm so sorry your mom had the bad fall, and hope she's getting better every day. My mom fell and broke her hip in March, so she has had quite a year, too. It's great you could go and spend some time with yours (and find a great quilt shop, too)!

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    1. Thanks, Diann! I'm so sorry about your mom, I hope she's on the mend. My own mom is getting better every day. We had a good visit in spite of her injury.

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  4. Kudos to you Sylvia for bringing this story to light. How sad that little kids who love rainbows at this age can't sing a song because some adults interject a political interpretation into an innocent song.
    Can't we just listen to their song the way we look at your bright and cheerful rainbow quilts as something to make us happy? So sad.

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  5. Beautiful quilt Sylvia and your red blocks are fun. xx

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    1. Thanks, Lin! I love red! It's been fun digging through my stash for the block centers.

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  6. I love your Rainbowland quilt. I want to live there; these folks are quite the characters, haha. The border is fun and interesting too. Excellent job! I got the same issue as this teacher you mentioned. I revendicated my rights and I got sacked too. (you can read it on my post) I believe it is time for new blood in the systems, be it government, school admin, or anywhere else. Let's put these old leaders with their 1920's ideas to pasture and let gets the new ideas in and moving forward. Next time, vote young, IMHO. Anywho! You got yourself a lovely rainbow of new prints. I have a feeling it won't take too long for the scissors to work through them. Enjoy! ;^)

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    1. Oh, Chantal, I am so sorry this happened to you! The world needs more people who speak up for others. And you're right, these old attitudes need to go!

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  7. What a fun quilt and completely agree with your thoughts on the matter. I am dismayed by all the censorship and thinking one set of people are 'better' than another. I tell my kids to read anything people try to ban. Crazy times we are living through. Lets hope common sense returns soon.

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    1. Thanks, Deb! I love that you're telling your kids to read banned books! I always wanted to read them when I was a kid just to see what the fuss was about!

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  8. Love your houses! I am making a Jelly Twist quilt too. I decided to leave my comfort zone of white backgrounds and am using a bright teal. Lo e your ideas. Have an awesome day.

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    1. Thanks, Marie! Wow, a teal background, that will be beautiful! I'm still thinking about what I'll use for background, but I know I don't want plain white.

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  9. No wonder you couldnt wait to get those rows of rainbow houses together, such a fun quilt!

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    1. Thanks, Jenny! I still have LOTS more houses. There will be at least one more quilt.

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Thanks for reading! Post a comment--I want to know what you think!