Red to Blue Quilt You Too Can Win

By Julian Domain

   In the very important Red to Blue race for the Kentucky Senate Seat it is Jack Conway vs. Rand Paul. Yes, that Rand Paul the one that feels fine in degenerating the impoverished, women, and racial and ethnic minorities. We can not fail, we must elect Jack Conway here, to fail would be a social disaster. To that end the progressive community is donating a genuine piece of Americanna The Red to Blue Quilt is being offered in a drawing to help support the Conway campaign. Follow me below the fold for more information.
   As usual these races need money, lots of it, we have to out fundraise that walking hate machine or we will lose a seat to someone that should be seeking mental health care not public office. Below there are links to how to donate and there are also instructions on how to win this quilt and no, you do not have to donate money to do so in the instructions it explains how you can write your way into winning this lovely historical work.
   Quilts are a perfect example of community spirit, there is a long history of families joining together in qilting bees to make several quilts, not only producing a valuable product but forming social bonds. In the 1980's in response to the AIDS crisis quilts were again thrust into American consciousness as a way of remembering those that have died from that tragic disease. Now we here in the progressive realm of the internet have started a new quilt tradition, one of making quilts for fellow Kossacks that have become ill. These same quilters are taking their worthy cause one step further by making this piece of history available for you to own.
   The following was assembled by Sara R all kudos are to be directed to her, you can blame me for any erratta:

From Red to Blue
   Jack Conway is Kentucky’s Attorney General.  He is running for the Senate now – and his opponent is Rand Paul.  Read about Jack Conway’s campaign here – and if you are moved to support him as we are, please donate at this Act Blue page.  But, hey, the quilt people must have something more going on, right?  Correct!

From Red to Blue
   Back in 2006, at the very first Yearly Kos convention (now known as Netroots Nation), we had a quilt available for signing – something that has since become a tradition and a symbol of progressive blogger community.  That quilt is “From Red to Blue”, a roman stripe patterned quilt designed by Aunt Arctic, pieced by Aunt Arctic, my sister and me, and hand quilted by me.  This quilt really is an artifact of that first convention – and it contains some fabulous signatures.  Here they are, listed by block number:

1-1 Shirley Koegel
1-2 fabooj
1-3 Rain
1-4 Pastor Dan
1-5 Yerritt Blom
1-6 Mary Blom
1-7 Brian and Jane Elliot
1-8 Quicksilver
1-9 Francie Goodrich
1-10 Toni R. Ramiz
2-1 Joe Trippi
2-2 Sobermom
2-3 democracylover
2-4 Malecandra
2-5 Timothy D. Smith
2-6 Danielle Coppola-Smith
2-7 Kate Daniels
2-8 Adam Conner
2-9 Hunter
3-1 Christina Stallard
3-2 Arianna Huffington
3-3 Frisco
3-4 Scott Harrid
3-5 Atrios
3-6 Mariva
3-7 Eddie C.
3-8 Colleen
3-9 Liz Noteware
3-10  Murray Waass
4-1 Lo Owens
4-2 Anne Schu
4-3 Warren Lathe
4-4 Mrs. Pastor
4-5 Chunyang
4-6 Mark in San Fran
4-7 Bridgitt Funk
4-8 Chinton Wheeler
4-9 Ann Reed
5-1 China Parmalee & Elizabeth Compa
5-2 Ambassador Joe Wilson
5-3 Emptywheel
5-4 Twin Planets
5-5 Sharon Mahoney
5-6 Pachacutec
5-7 Gov. Mark Warner
5-8 Jerome a Paris
5-9 Barb Morrill
5-10 Rick Boston
6-1 Fred Koegel
6-2 Robert Greenwald
6-3 Shermanesqe
6-4 Jessica C. Clark
6-5 raginggurrl
6-6 Bonddad
6-7 George Lakoff
6-8 K.J. Lakoff
6-9 Linda Mercer and the Boise Peace Quilt Project
7-1 Howard Carlin
7-2 Ducktape
7-3 Jerome Armstrong
7-4 Ellen Harten
7-5 bendygirl
7-6 Susan S.
7-7 Ilona Meagher
7-8 Sam Seder
7-9 Alinda Lord
7-10 Pucklady
8-1 hono lulu
8-2 Maryscott O'Connor
8-3 Martianchronic
8-4 Eric Wagner
8-5 Ninth Elegy
8-6 Jim Edwards Hewitt
8-7 Nolan Treadway
8-8 Sarah R. Carter
8-9 Aunt Arctic
9-1 Christina S. O'Connell
9-2 Uncle Jack
9-3 Pamela Nelson
9-4 Raines Cohen
9-5 David Perry
9-6 Bonnie Hannifin
9-7 Ke (Kay?) Tibbetts
9-8 Derth Adams
9-9 paxpdx
9-10 Elizabeth Carter
10-1 hyperbolic pants explosion
10-2 Martha Tune
10-3 Andy Ternay
10-4 Chicago Dyke
10-5 Tracy Joan
10-6 Rep. Brad Miller
10-7 David Sirota
10-8 Milo Elliot and Rosemary Elliot
10-9 Jack Carter
11-1 Jeanne Vollmer
11-2 Vigilant Meerkat
11-3 Daniel Senning
11-4 M&M Gal
11-5 Jeffrey Feldman
11-6 Redd Hedd
11-7 Juliette Moore
11-8 Quotefiend
11-9 Brett Spivey
11-10 Glen Greenwald
12-1 Jesterfox
12-2  Momster
12-3 Diane Palmer
12-4 San Diego Dem
12-5 Londonyank
12-6 Rochelle Athey
12-7 mik
12-8 Nicole Sawaya
12-9 Skwimmer
13-1 Barbara B
13-2 CD Moondancer
13-3 Stephen Darksyde
13-4 Maribeth McIntyre
13-5 Baratunde
13-6 World Wide Ellen
13-7 Lisa Schiff
13-8 Brillig
13-9 Mary Ratcliff
13-10 Dante Atkins
14-1 Linda Lee
14-2 YKos volunteers
14-3 Pat Schwieterman
14-4 Frederick Rhine
14-5 Eric Boehlert
14-6 mc joan
14-7 Elizabeth D.
14-8 Evie Zeidman
14-9 virgomusic
15-1 Chris Bowers
15-2 Chris Kenngo
15-3 Greg Felice
15-4 Kos
15-5 Michael Schiavo
15-6 Terry Boggs-Moura
15-7 Mark R. Brown
15-8 Major Danby
15-9 David Keeler
15-10  teacherken
16-1 Kael Alford
16-2 Lucky Ducky
16-3 Diane Purcell
16-4 Maxomai
16-5 James W. Hill
16-6 Lakshmi Chaudry
16-7 Senator Harry Reid
16-8 Dan Abbott
16-9 Alex Vrevick-Ackelsberg
17-1 Kid Oakland
17-2 American River Canyon
17-3 Shockwave
17-4 DiAnne Gieser
17-5 Deborah Brown
17-6 Rick Hegdahl
17-7 Vince Vitale
17-8 "42"
17-9 Zack Brown and Anna Hentzel
17-10 Lil Bird
18-1 Scarecrow
18-2 Gina Cooper
18-3 Laura Fitzpatrick
18-4 David Atkins
18-5 Jamie Vollmer
18-6 Tim Waters
18-7 Ann Rose
18-8 Nancy Skinner
18-9 Outlandish Josh
19-1 Katie Halper
19-2 David T. Harris
19-3 Jamie Ekatomatis
19-4 Claude Hayward
19-5 Robyn D. McMillin
19-6 Jeanne & George Kalogrides
19-7 Mari Higgins
19-8 General Wesley Clark
19-9 John Laesch
19-10 Sari Joseph

   This quilt is quite the autograph album!  It is 62" square, contains all cotton fabric, a fine cotton batting, and was hand quilted by me with tiny stitches.  There is a sleeve on the back to make it easy to hang on a wall.
By the by, on block 6-9 is one group name you might not know because I wrote for it and got it by mail -- but I was quite pleased to have a connection for this quilt with these ladies.  I am talking about the Boise Peace Quilt Project, as written about by Col. Dan Smith on CounterPunch in May 2006.  If you will recall, there was some intense saber rattling in the direction of Iran going on at the time.  The Colonel wrote:

Fast forward 77 years to 1984 in Boise where a red, white, and blue "National Peace Quilt" with 50 panels--one for each state--is unveiled. Each panel contains a child's vision of what peace and security would "look like." The inscription on the quilt reads:
   

"REST beneath the warmth and weight of our hopes
   for the future of our children,
   DREAM a vision of the world at peace,
   ACT to give the vision life."

Each U.S. Senator is challenged by the Boise ladies to take the quilt home and sleep under it for one night. In return, the names of those participating were embroidered on the quilt. Over the course of 1985-86, sixty-seven senators participated, recording in the "National Peace Quilt Log Book" their own personal vision of peace and how to achieve that goal.
This Mother's Day, May 14, marks the 20th anniversary of the collective dreams of peace recorded in a log book in Boise following (one hopes) a restful night. The Idaho Peace Coalition will send Mothers' Day Peace Entreaties to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee--whose chairperson and ranking member took their turn resting an dreaming under the blanket 20 years ago--asking the committee to redouble their efforts to develop diplomatic solutions to will resolve the animosity between the United States and Iran.

Label of From Red to Blue

   This quilt could be yours!  From now until September 15, every day you donate $10 or more to this Act Blue page, you will receive a chance to win the quilt – one donation per day will be counted.  OR, if you prefer not to donate, you can enter by writing an essay of 50 words or less on this subject: "What Jack Conway’s Run For the U.S. Senate Means to Me”  -- and send it to communityquilts (at) yahoo.com.  If we find your essay to be topical, we will give you an entry in the drawing, one essay per person per day.  The drawing will take place the last day in September.

   One last note:  I could use some help posting daily diaries on this quilt drawing.  If you would like to participate, please let me know in a comment below!  It is a chance for some community creativity in a good cause.
Thank you!  DONATE HERE!