Saturday, May 21, 2022

What did I miss?

Hello quiltmakers,

I am back from my trip to India. Mom's surgery went well and she is on the road to recovery. I appreciate your kind thoughts and warm wishes. 


Although my visit wasn't a vacation and I stayed home (near the A/C) due to the heat, my friends (Ruby and Savita) visited me. I felt spoiled with spicy food and sweet mangoes. 

Happy to see you :-)

Veggie Delight (Don't ask me the English name)


Vanilla icecream with fresh mangoes


The Indian street food that I loved would most certainly kill me now. So Meetu recreated it for me at home. Pizzas in India are tiny but loaded with tandoori flavors. 

Street Food, made at home :-)

Regular Phone, Tiny Pizza

My drive home

As much I enjoyed spending time with mom and being there for her, I am thrilled to return home. When I left on May 1, I was still smarting from the all the anti-LGBTQ legislations attacking already marginalized groups.  As soon as I landed in India, I heard the terrible news about the Supreme Court's stance on reproductive rights. While most of the world progresses, America slides into the dark ages. 

According to the current (conservative leaning) Supreme Court, reproductive rights are not included in the Constitution and therefore should be left up to the individual states.  Although this argument may seem simple and straightforward, it sets a chilling precedent. Do you know what else is NOT included in the Constitution? The right to privacy and therefore by extension the right to contraception, the right to same sex marriage and the right to interracial marriage.  Imagine a scenario where my marriage to Paul is deemed illegal.



"Undoing Roe v. Wade and eliminating the right to abortion access opens up the door to dismantling other rights that have previously been protected under that implied right to privacy. That can include the right to same-sex marriage and interracial marriage..." Jean Bae, visiting associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health.


Of course, these Supreme Court justices would assure us that this (overturning) is limited to Roe v. Wade but then these are the same people who said (in their confirmation hearings) that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and that they respect the laws of the land. Their partisan slips are showing. I do not trust them.

If a Positivity QAL was a good idea in 2021, it is an absolute must in 2022. 

Positivity QAL begins May 29, 2022


Our reproductive rights are on the chopping block. America refuses to acknowledge her racist past and the growing threat of white supremacy threatens our communities, or peace and our sanity, while the Supreme Court has washed its hands of most responsibility. 

So we will do what we have always done - sew and quilt, support and vote, protest and march. With renewed fervor!!!

There is much to do after a long trip - unpacking, laundry, groceries etc.  But I am ignoring all those pesky tasks and working frantically to set up the Positivity 2022 Quilt Along. Bernie is spearheading the effort to get sponsors and prizes, while I write the tutorial and calculate fabric requirements.

To avoid confusion, I will take down the posts from last year's QAL, with one exception.  I will compile the 2021 block tutorials, layout options and fabric requirements into a PDF and make it available separately. 

Coming soon - Positivity QAL 2022 - Sponsors and Prizes and Positivity QAL 2022 - Complete Schedule.

In the mean time, please read this article https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/17/opinions/buffalo-shooting-letter-to-white-male-teens-magee/index.html

Also gathering my green scraps for the RSC color for May is Bright Green. 

May is Green!

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, including Angela's RSC Linky.



21 comments:

  1. Preeti, I'm so glad your mom is doing well, and you were able to go and spend time with her! I'm also glad you're home again, but so sorry about the state of the country you're returning to. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and that great article. Sewing to bring love and comfort to others is what we do - I'm glad to be part of that group!

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  2. I'm glad your mother is recovering and that you could be there with her.

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  3. Welcome home, Preeti. I'm glad you were able to be with your mom, that her surgery went well, and that your friends were able to visit with you. The state of US is very concerning to me right now, but I'm so glad to know people like you willing to talk about it and do what you can to make things better. Thank you for hosting the Positivity quilt along again. It will be a treat to see the quilts made and donated.

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  4. Welcome home! I haven't been quilting much lately - other sewing projects have taken over - but I can't think of a better reason than this to jump back in. I'll have to start thinking about colors while the finger I tried to slice off today with the rotary cutter heals a bit. (Not as bad as it could have been and the first time in 25 years of quilting that happened!) And I truly hope our country gets their s*** together soon. I'm tired of this. (This is Katie at katiemaytoo quilts, but Blogger won't accept anything but anonymous comments from me. Ugh.)

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  5. Welcome home! Glad your mother is doing well. I live in a very red state, and find myself frightened daily by the hate and intolerance around me. You are right that we need some Positivity in 2022.

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  6. Glad you were able to be with your mom and that the surgery went well. So glad you were able to see your good friends and that you and Paul can be married in this country! It really is a very sad state of affairs here. But, I am glad you are here, spreading love and positivity with your QAL!

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  7. Preeti, I am so glad that your mom is doing well. And if Meetu is cooking for you, I will presume that life is going well for her these days too! How wonderful that you could see your old friends.

    I am livid about the #@%&! Supreme Court (leaked draft) abortion ruling. Republicans are such hypocrites, pretending to be “patriots” while taking away freedoms (control over our own bodies, what we can/can’t teach our kids, restricting voting rights) while the slope gets more slippery with every ruling and state law passed.

    BTW, May’s RSC color is forest, sage and the darker greens. Lights and brights will be another month (unless, like some of us, you combine them, LOL). xo

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  8. Is this a quilting blog or a political blog??

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    1. Well, dear Anonymous, I am so glad you asked. The short answer is - it is a Personal blog.
      But since you asked, dear Anonymous, I am listing a few scenarios. May be you can tell whether those scenarios are political or not.
      A mother trying to find formula for her infant child, between the two work shifts that she absolutely needs to pay for the childcare. Is it political?
      A TV channel glorifying white supremacist ideology that a mass shooter uses to justify the killings of innocent black citizens. Is that political?
      If a rapist can force his victim to give birth to the baby resulting from that heinous act. Is that political?
      If a person is denied healthcare because they were born in a wrong body. Is that political?
      Is banning math textbooks political?
      All automobile drivers must carry valid driving licenses. Is that political?
      Gun owners need not register their deadly weapons. Is that political?

      I do not know you and know nothing about you. So I will speak for myself. I live in this world where I keep my eyes and ears open. I observe, I listen, I feel and I react. I do not live in a bubble. My head is not buried in sand. When something affects my fellow countryfolk, it affects me too. I express my empathy. I express my support for their cause. If it comes across as "political" to you, so be it!

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  9. Welcome home Preeti, and so nice to see your mom smiling! I hope she will recover quickly. The photo with your friends is lovely too, and the food looks good. Tiny pizzas are a great excuse to eat several of them ;)
    I understand how you are feeling about the justice decision (is it a law?) and I'm so tired of the lack of tolerance and kindness of some governments, and some people. Positivity QAL is what we need, and what we can do.
    Thank you for hosting it, sharing your passion, and linking up ;)

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  10. I recognize that meme! Thank you for your stating your stand so well. Welcome home -- how great that you could be with your mother this month. And I look forward to the new Positivity.

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  11. My goodness, from one end of the world to another...may human kindness always be the goal xo

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  12. It is so important that we continue to respect everyone's Personal right to freely express their opinions. I applaud you for your bravery in standing up to be counted.

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  13. Preeti, it's your blog and you can write about whatever topic you want (even quilts and quilting). If someone doesn't like the content, they can choose to not follow you, but they have no right to tell you what you can say. (Haven't we had this same conversation before?) Anyway, I'm glad you had a good visit with your mother and that she is recovering well. Keep expressing yourself. Those who don't agree can go elsewhere.
    Pat

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  14. So happy to hear your mother is recovering well. And I am looking forward to the next Positivity QAL. You know I will be joining in!

    And thank you for your words. I too am very disappointed with the hateful direction this country is heading. I have fought for rights since I was a young woman - and I will continue to. It is sad that they are still for the same rights.

    Thanks for sharing with Oh Scrap!

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  15. I'm glad to read that your mum is doing well. Made me laugh when I read that the Indian street food would likely kill you now.

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  16. You look so beautiful and happy in the photo with your friends! So glad you could be there to help your Mum and visit with friends, and get home safely. I am looking forward to the positivity quiltalong!

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  17. Glad you made it home safely. Sorry the slide of our rights is under attack again. Take care of yourself and remember to rest amidst all the other things you have going on. Cool, a new positivity.

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  18. Welcome back--glad things went well with your mom and that you got to see your good friends.
    The upsetting of rights for human beings is very concerning. I am hoping for the best, but things look grim.

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  19. So glad your mother is doing well. It sounds like you had a wonderful trip! Have fun with the new Positivity QAL. I look forward to seeing all the quilts you make for a good charity. Thanks for sharing on Wednesday Wait Loss.

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