{"id":259,"date":"2021-01-30T23:40:07","date_gmt":"2021-01-30T23:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rivervalleyquilter.com\/?p=259"},"modified":"2021-01-30T23:40:07","modified_gmt":"2021-01-30T23:40:07","slug":"lookin-for-that-rainbow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivervalleyquilter.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/30\/lookin-for-that-rainbow\/","title":{"rendered":"Lookin\u2019 For That Rainbow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Well, yesterday I was looking for that rainbow.\u00a0\u00a0You know, the one that comes out after a bit of a storm and brings sunshine and happiness with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not to sound all down and out, but yesterday\u2026I could have used a rainbow.\u00a0\u00a0Yesterday was the beginning of the Phase 2 Certified Instructor training in Montana.\u00a0\u00a0I would have left two days ago to get there ahead of the start time, affording myself a good night\u2019s rest and to make sure all my luggage would be on hand since there frequently is a \u201cdelay\u201d in arriving there with everything in tow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a bit sad that I\u2019m not there.\u00a0\u00a0Mmmmm\u2026maybe a bit more than that.\u00a0\u00a0But deciding to delay my training time was, and is the right decision regarding the last bit of recuperating that\u2019s still happening due to my December issue.\u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t have to like it, but have to admit when the right decision is made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rainbows have always been special to me.\u00a0\u00a0Not just because of the wonder of them and how they come into being.\u00a0\u00a0But some of my favorite things in life have been influenced by rainbows.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This pic is from ’82, but when I competed with Sky Ryders in ’79 they were much the same. I was part of the color guard and would have been waving one of those flags towards the rear of the field. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Years ago, when I was a young and carefree college student, I traveled with a Drum and Bugle Corp out of Hutchinson, KS, called the Hutchinson Sky Ryders.\u00a0\u00a0They have long since disbanded, but my time in the corps was full of excitement and hard work.\u00a0\u00a0They have a Wikipedia page which you can find here: https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sky_Ryders_Drum_and_Bugle_Corps<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0, and also a website that gives a more personal history, found here:\u00a0http:\/\/www.skyryders.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0And yes, you guessed it, rainbows were a big part of their theme\u2026a \u201dSomewhere Over the Rainbow\u201d and \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d kind of thing.\u00a0\u00a0Totally apropos since they were originally based in Kansas.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It goes without saying that \u201cWizard of Oz\u201d is one of my favorite movies from my childhood.\u00a0\u00a0So much so that when I returned home from my time in Moscow, USSR in the mid 80\u2019s (as a nanny for an American diplomat), I will forever more equate the change from there to the free western world with the same kind of difference Dorothy had in walking from the world of black and white into the living technicolor world of OZ.\u00a0\u00a0Some things simply leave lifetime impressions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the door to the Emerald City, Dorothy and company really had no idea what lay beyond the threshold for the rest of their quest. If only real life had such bold markers for life changing events!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Living on the farm, rainbows brought good things with them, generally.\u00a0\u00a0The best of the good things was life giving rains to our crops.\u00a0\u00a0The not so good things were the hail storms finished by the rain.\u00a0\u00a0And the horrible things came with straight-line winds or tornados which also finished with rainbows.\u00a0\u00a0Through all of them, rainbows were the beauty and sunshine in the moment bringing hope and peace to my heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my quilting world, I am always drawn to quilts with rainbows.  I\u2019m continually amazed when I meet people who don\u2019t like them, or think they are overdone. But for me, they always bring sunshine and hope into my day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, I\u2019ve got a pattern in progress that is one of my certification portfolio projects.  It\u2019s called Rainbow Hosta Queen.  All the piecing is completed and just needs to be assembled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I’ve been working on this beauty, on and off, for the past couple of years. It really will be a stunner when it’s all together. All the units\/components are complete…just need to assemble it all together.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve also got this beauty waiting for the long arm.  It\u2019s called Rainbow Crystal, and is one of my very favorites.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first time I went to retreat in Montana, this was on the workroom wall. I was mesmerized from the moment I saw it and knew that I just had to make it. The next day it was on their long arm and being quilted to become the sample for their cover photo. I bought the pattern and sewed it up. THIS is mine! And as complex as it looks, it is actually very straight forward and quick to sew up. I love it!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is yet another Quiltworx rainbow in the planning stage that I\u2019m still working out the color placement, which I will share later.\u00a0\u00a0It will be so amazing when it is done\u2026I know it will be another treasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there is this one. I call her “Color Junkie”. She is my riff on a bargello and an original method that I used by “smashing together” the techniques from three different patterns into one to create something that has no corners to match and has a unique twist to her visual appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When I think about how much of my designing process turns out to simply be a happy accident, I’m always amazed at the outcome. The tricky part is trying to look back and figure out what made it work so well in order to re-create it for a class. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I think, when it all boils down, my favorite part of rainbows is the color spectrum.\u00a0\u00a0Color just makes me happy and lifts me to a better place.\u00a0\u00a0My mood improves and I begin to \u201cturn that frown upside down\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Rainbows get it started for me, and colors of all kinds keep it going.\u00a0\u00a0And sunshine.\u00a0\u00a0You can\u2019t get a rainbow without the sunshine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So now\u2026I\u2019m going to go play with some color\u2026I\u2019ve got lots of it in my stash.  Tubs and tubs of stash.  I think I\u2019ll start with the batiks and work from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, it\u2019s a good thing.  My fingers are getting itchy to touch some fabric and litter my tables and floor with some fabric and color.  Yessss\u2026. Rainbows are so good for my soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe you should try your hand at playing with some of your rainbow.\u00a0\u00a0You never know what kind of inspiration you\u2019ll find!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until next time, may your bobbin never be empty! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, yesterday I was looking for that rainbow.\u00a0\u00a0You know, the one that comes out after a bit of a storm and brings sunshine and happiness with it. Not to sound all down and out, but yesterday\u2026I could have used a rainbow.\u00a0\u00a0Yesterday was the beginning of the Phase 2 Certified Instructor training in Montana.\u00a0\u00a0I would have … <\/p>\n

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