Cats

Where to start.  Perhaps it was reading and listening to people attempt to delegitimize the marches around the world and especially those within the country.   And I am referencing peaceful ones and not those marked by violence or destruction of property.  As much as others may argue, I would assert that those peaceful marches were patriotic, but the effort to suppress and delegitimize them is not.

     

The weekend that the immigration and refugee ban was signed, I watched a former high school soccer teammate talk in a news conference about the travel ban and its impacts.  And as more and more policies were implemented or reversed, I decided that I really can't keep quiet anymore.   So I chose to make.  I chose to use the basic cat block pattern from Elizabeth Hartman and red and blue fabrics from my scrap bins.  

This ended up being a quilt started and finished in less than 48 hours.  The binding was attached on the second day, but everything else was put together on that Sunday.  I chose to add a bit of pink as a nod to the original color.  The blue is a Carolyn Friedlander print that happened to have lines perfect for using them to guide the words.  I chose to quilt words yet continued to go with my tendency of covert actions by using just gray thread that blends fairly well.   In the blue, the lyrics for "Quiet" by MILCK are quilted.  I almost used red thread to finish the lyrics in the bottom right corner and have the final "I can't keep quiet" stand out.  I chose not to.  

I read a quote that Cheryl Arkison retweeted. I chose to quilt this in the cat section.  

 "I dream of a world where the truth is what shapes people's politics, rather than politics shaping what people think is true." Neil deGrasse Tyson

Oh how much I wish we could get away from the partisanship that shapes our politics.  Just because the legislation was written by a Democrat or a Republican does not make it good or bad.  Go back to deciding policy based upon evidence.  Compromise is a good thing.  Support an argument based on evidence.  

This last picture was actually the first one taken.  It was not my intent to have the shadow, but I love it.  How much I would love to have her grow up in a world in which she can make decisions for herself.    A world where she does not have to wonder if the person approaching her is dangerous.  Where she is not interrupted, silenced, or seen as a nuisance if she has an opinion or an argument based on evidence.  Where her mind, actions and ideas are valued more than her appearance.  Her choices should be her own and not limited or forced upon her by others who are wholly unconnected to her.

I have one other finished quilt to share that also has a bit of a political spin to it.  Or perhaps just that the art reflects the feelings and emotions of the artist.  Those feelings and emotions were heavily influenced by the politics and policies of the time.  It needs a taller quilt holder though so the sharing will have to wait.

I may not agree with what people say, but I am willing to defend their right to say it.