Gemology and Quiltroversy

I have a BS in geology (*please* don't ask me when I graduated!) and while I was in school I once was a teaching assistant in a class called Gem Stones (aka "Rocks for Jocks"). It was then that I saw all the color varieties of garnet with their bizarre names; they range from olive to bright green (uvarovite and tsavorite), from orange to brown (hessonite and spessartite), from deep red to purple (pyrope and rhodolite). When I saw what my fellow members of HMQG were doing with Bryanna's row for our robin, it was these garnets that came to mind. She requested wonky log cabins in plums, greys and navies with an accent color that would pop. Well, amazing rows have been made! I was afraid that I would not get the chance to add to it, but Bry let me add one more row. (I am probably the last person who will get to work on it--it is HUGE now.)



It is now ready to go home with its owner. Bry, I think you need to make an appointment with Jacquie for some time on her long arm.


Then I just want to say this about some things on the blogs lately:

I really dislike labels. They are often used only to exclude people: I am {fill in the blank}, but you are not. We are all quilters. I don’t care if your stars are wonky by choice or by accident, if your fabrics are bright and contemporary or muted and country, if style is traditional, modern, art, or whatever. I also don’t care if you are working on your first quilt or your one hundredth. We are all quilters! Not everyone’s work is going to appeal to all. But we can be kind when we express our dislike or disagreement. I truly believe that unkind words lead to unkind behavior.

It is hard for me to imagine an activity that seems less likely to attract harsh words and hurt feelings than quilting. But there have been quite a bit of both on the quilting blogs and flickr images lately. There have been several topics going around, thoughtful replies have been made but there have also been some rather stinging comments. I have carefully considered adding my opinions to some of these, but in the end have chosen not to. When someone asks me what I think, then I will tell her or him; until then, I am sure no one cares. It would only be for vanity’s sake that I would add to the long strings of comments, so I am just going to keep quiet. In my early days on internet, I did sometimes comment on some pretty innocent stuff and was often misunderstood. Somehow misunderstandings seem easier with the written word than with the spoken word.

Some may think me weak or naïve or Pollyannaish for not wanting to jump into the debates. But I feel like there is enough arguing and finger pointing in the world today without doing it about a pastime I am passionate about.