On my soap box....

I'm going to get up on my soap box. 

A small child from the 19th century in a wonderful plaid dress.

For a moment, just allow me to control your thoughts.   Pretend you are a seamstress from the 19th century.  You are quietly sitting on your porch catching your breath from some canning in your summer kitchen.  You can hear the voices of your children as they have been sent to the garden to pick beans for tonight's dinner. 

Suddenly you have been transported to today's world... you've been placed in the bedroom of a woman who has identified herself as a quilter.  

The quilter is holding a booklet devoted to quilting fabric and patterns (you can't imagine such a thing) and is pointing to a kit she had purchased and made.

"Oh Deborah," the quilter says to her friend who is standing next to her (and I'm not even going to touch how confused you are by this inappropriately dressed female in a pair of strange blue bloomers with her hair chopped off - such a sight this quilter of 2012).

"Look at this wonderful bed scarf I made.  I love how it picks up the colors in the room."

BED SCARF?  What?  The bed gets cold and needs a scarf?   You beg to return to your canning and escape this nightmare.  I understand your confusion and will now release you from this scene. 

Okay, I've said it.  I've done it in a round about way, but it is out there for everyone to ponder.  What the heck was the reason for having bed scarves? Who would waste their time and money on a project such as this?  Did they run out of time to finish off the quilt?  Did they  just get bored?  Did they make it as a gift and didn't think the recipient would appreciate the entire quilt so only gave them a quarter of it?

And then there are bed scarf patterns?  Again, have quilters lost their pin cushions?  Consumerism at its worst.  Sorry, I just can't warm up to a quilt that barely covers my toes!

And since the summer days are coming to a close and leaves turning brilliant colors means that Christmas decorations will soon be in the local grocery store, and my mailbox will be filled with catalogs....let me part with this image:

Consumerism.  What can they possibly think of next???