I am devastated by the election results. I am frightened by the election results. The last time the narcissistic sociopath was in office, every hate group in the country came out of the closet. Suddenly, hate became a national value to be celebrated. This culminated in an armed attempt to overthrow the government on January 6, 2021.
The Anti-Defamation League received more than 10,000 reports of antisemitic acts since October 7, 2023. Jewish students are not safe on college campuses. It’s going to get worse.
After the election, I saw a quilted piece in my head. My painting teacher said our final assignment was to make a painting only we could create.
Deb: Does it have to have paint?
Teacher: It has to have pigment and a binder. That’s paint.
Deb: That’s also fabric dye.
My teacher has agreed to accept a quilted piece.
I had picked out fabric when I picked up my sewing machine. It needed to be serviced and lots of lint was removed from deep in the guts of the machine. I’m good for another year.
These are the fabrics I picked out. The purple is going to be the background. The yellow will be for the images and the binding.
I laid out the pieces.
I’m letting it sit for a while. I want to make sure I’ve got the pieces the right size. The appliqué in the middle is something I bought on sale from 1-800-dreidle. When I ordered it, I had no idea what I would do with it. I’m thinking it would go with with this design. I’m thinking I will need to make the star and the hammer smaller. They seem out of proportion with the appliqué.
It’s not really a Hanukkah quilt even though I’m using Hanukkah imagery. In 164 BCE, Judah the Maccabee gathered a handful of warriors and led the fight against a mighty army, Judah won. The temple was cleaned out, the eternal light was lit, and someone was sent to buy olive oil. It took eight days for the person to find, buy and return with the olive oil. Meanwhile, there was just enough oil in the temple to keep the light lit for one day. That little bit of oil lasted for eight days.
Maccabee means hammer, which is why there’s a hammer in the design. I saw the quilt as a symbol of how people have been trying to wipe us out for nearly 6000 years. We are still here. We’ve always been a tiny minority. We are still here. The quilt expresses my hope that we will again prevail. We will triumph over antisemitism again. Jewish students will no longer be attacked on college campuses. I won’t have to be on the receiving end of hate crimes any more.
I’m linking with Nina Marie here: https://ninamariesayre.blogspot.com
My Spoonflower shop is here: https://www.spoonflower.com/profiles/deb_thuman
My store Deb Thuman Art is here: http://www.DebThumanArt.com
Deb's Art 