Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The real work of an opposition party is to hold the people in power accountable.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

SCOTUS: It’s not “bribery” unless it comes from the Bribery region of France. Otherwise, it’s merely “sparkling malfeasance”.

People are weird.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

Everything is totally normal and fine!!!

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Hey hey, RFK, how many kids did you kill today?

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

The low info voters probably won’t even notice or remember by their next lap around the goldfish bowl.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Ukraine Quilt from Quiltingfool: Auction Starts Now, Goes til 7 pm

Ukraine Quilt from Quiltingfool: Auction Starts Now, Goes til 7 pm

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Auction Time

Auction Starts:  NOON on Saturday (Eastern time)
Auction Ends:  7 p.m. on Saturday (Eastern time)

Two ways to Bid

Put your bids in the comments, as we did for the MomSense Ukraine auction.

Send email to WaterGirl with your max bid amount, and I can bid in the comments for you.  email to watergirl at balloon-juice.com

Quilt Details

Quilt name is Slava Ukraini!

Quilt measures 84″ x 84″.

It’s washable in COLD water, dry on LOW or hang outside.

QuiltingFool does the quilting herself.

The Announcement Thread

You got to see some of this beautiful quilt in last night’s announcement thread.

QuiltingFool’s Slava Ukraine Quilt Will Be Up for Auction on Saturday

Let’s hear from the quilter herself!

Making quilts is my passion. Making quilts gives me purpose: I get to be creative, I get to be challenged, I get to be joyful.

Every day I read the reporting on the war in Ukraine, here on Balloon Juice and on other internet sites. From the first day this of this atrocity, I could only think about Ukrainians and how their lives changed in an instant. I am angry that this still happens – that we, the human race, haven’t evolved away from constant war and the terrible price it demands. I feel so helpless. I don’t know how to give Ukrainians, well, to all people in the world, the freedom from want and fear.

I started this quilt on Saturday, March 5. I knew I wanted to make a donation quilt for Ukraine, and I wanted the folks of Balloon Juice to get first dibs. I put a variety of Star blocks around the center sunflower. There are five different Star blocks bordering the sunflower. One of the blocks is called “Peaceful Hours,” a fitting name, I think. I also quilted the words “Slava Ukraini” into the overall quilting pattern. I wanted to quilt those words using the Ukrainian alphabet, but I may need to practice that a bit!

I thank you all, and blessings be upon you all!

Quiltingfool

Quilt Close-up

Auction for Ukraine: Next Up, Ukraine Quilt from Quiltingfool! Auction Times: Noon to 7 pm Eastern

Full Quilt

Quilt backing

QuiltingFool's Slava Ukraine Quilt Will Be Up for Auction on Saturday (Open Thread)

“Slava Ukraini” stitched on a border.

Let the auction begin!

And the winner is… the people of Ukraine. PsiFighter37, who pulls ahead at the last second with a bid of $3,995!

Reader Interactions

196Comments

  4. 4.

    J.

    I bid $425. My father’s family is from Ukraine (they fled from there during the pogroms) and our bedroom happens to be blue and yellow. ??

  5. 5.

    Miss Bee

    I bid $500.  I want to give this amazing quilt to my daughter’s future Mother-in-law who had to flee Ukraine, leaving behind a bakery she built that supported her family. It’s great to be offered an opportunity to applaud the quilter, support the quilter, and sustain my extending family.

  7. 7.

    J R in WV

    Here in West Virginia quilting is a time honored skill. We were given a wedding ring quilt by my Great Aunt, who gave those to all her nieces and nephews, and then to grandneices and g-nephews as well, making dozens of them over the years.

    The state Cultural agency has an annual quilting show with judges and awards… I’m sure the state fair does too!

    Where I’m going with this is to say this quilt is right in the top quality of all the prize winning quilts we have seen in an area full of great heritage quilting!

  10. 10.

    Alison Rose ???

    @WaterGirl: My mom’s grandpa (on her mom’s side) was from Ukraine, and I’d bet he’d be damn proud of his country today. Especially as a Jewish man, seeing Zelenskyy’s leadership and strength on display for the world.

    If I could, I’d bid a million for this beautiful quilt!

  12. 12.

    Quiltingfool

    @J R in WV: Sir, I am blushing!  I’ve put a few quilts in quilt shows, and I don’t win anything.  But my quilts are poor in comparison to the winners, they are stunning works of art.  I’d be afraid to use them, they are so beautiful.  My quilts are for using.  The ones in my house, I just enjoy looking at them, makes me happy.

    My husband likes to choose quilts for me to make.  He has an eye for color and design.  The quilt on our bed was his choice (there have been two, both his selections.

    First one – https://pin.it/4VkRiKX

    The one on the bed now – https://pin.it/2fYbfyJ

    This is the most recent husband pick – he likes black and gray!

    https://pin.it/i1zJ4qS

  20. 20.

    MomSense

    @MomSense:

    Is it possible for me to share this quilt with the Ukrainian artist I follow?  I think she would be so pleased to see this donation.  Just need a good photo of it.

  22. 22.

    oldster

    I can’t bid, but I can express admiration, both for the quilt and for the bidders.

    Y’all are tops.

  23. 23.

    WaterGirl

    @MomSense: I’m sure that’s fine.  Do you want the closeup piece? The one that shows the back?  i can text them to you so you can send them to her.  Or do you want them a different way?

    edit: i sent you 3 photos by text. let me know if you prefer something else.

  25. 25.

    oldster

    Also, if some dude named E. Musk offers to make a bid, tell him it’s cash on the barrelhead or no deal. He has a bad habit of talking big and backing out.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    I am not in a financial position to bid, but I just want to say that it is exquisite. I love it. What an incredible work.

  36. 36.

    Quiltingfool

    Right now I’m working on a quilt (a usual day for me) – a blue and yellow quilt – and I’m thinking about the next donation quilt.  It will be different than this one, but there will be sunflowers!  Slava Ukraini!

  37. 37.

    Baud

    This is exciting. I can’t wait for someone to go all in. The last five minutes before 7 pm is going to be a bloodbath.

     

    @Quiltingfool:

    You chose a your nym well.

  38. 38.

    Sure Lurkalot

    It’s been a rough month expense wise at the Lurkalot abode, as much as I would like to bid, it wouldn’t be prudent so I threw $50 into the thermometer. More like a drip instead of a fire hose but hat tip to all of you fine, talented and generous peeps.

  39. 39.

    Quiltingfool

    @MomSense: Combining my love of quilt making with my desire to help, I can’t think of anything better!  I’m fortunate that I have the funds and time to do this.  I’m not Jewish, so I hope the word is correct, but I see what I and all of you here are doing to help others is a mitzvah, a blessing.

  41. 41.

    Quiltingfool

    @Baud: I thought about “Quilt Diva” or “Quilt Goddess” as a nym, but they weren’t whimsical enough.  Plus, I reserve those terms for the real divas and goddesses in the quilt world, and it’s not me, ha!

  42. 42.

    Aimai

    @WaterGirl: I lurk every day but don’t have time to comment as I’m starting a private practice. So nice to see everyone though, even if I’m not able to hang out and chat much anymore.

  43. 43.

    oldster

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    Hey, great idea! I just tossed in $100, inspired by your example, and by what Quiltingfool and the whole gang here are doing.

    Plus, it’s easier than bidding on 1/10th of a quilt.

  44. 44.

    WaterGirl

    @Aimai: It sure seems like private practice would be perfect for you, right where you belong.  Maybe you can chime in with a “hi” every so often so we know you’re there.

    I know i miss you, and I’m not the only one.

  47. 47.

    Quiltingfool

    Here’s my quilt supervisor, Baby.   She hangs out with me when I sew, well, she naps while I work!

    When I use my quilting machine in the basement, she will visit a bit and then go sleep on the couch upstairs.  When it gets to be about 2 o’clock or so in the pm, she will come downstairs, crying and carrying on.  I think she is telling me in her cat words that all work must stop and it’s lap time for the kitty!

    https://pin.it/6Ksnl4l

  49. 49.

    Quiltingfool

    @Baud: Dry wit is my favorite form of humor, and you are the master!  I bow before your witty awesomeness!

    Kinda hard to lie on the Internet when you post photos…I guess I should’ve thought about that, huh?

  51. 51.

    Quiltingfool

    @eclare: Oh, she lets me know when she needs attention.  She will hop up on the sewing table and purposely lay down on the pieces I am fixing to sew.  Or pat my leg.  Whatever, it works, I stop and do what she wants.  That cat has me trained.

  52. 52.

    Gretchen

    @Quiltingfool: It’s so beautiful!  How did you learn to combine colors? Is there a book or class you recommend?  I like to make quilts but I struggle with choosing color combinations.

  57. 57.

    AndyG

    @WaterGirl: It could be. I love Valentin Silvestrov’s music. In 1974, he turned away from writing modernist, avant-garde music, partly in response to official criticism from the Soviet Union. He spent the next three years writing a beautiful song cycle, ”Silent Songs” where the singer’s voice rarely rises above pianissimo. It spurred a complete change in his work, where the music of the past is re-visited, bathed in a halo of quiet chords and resonances that echo off into the distance. One of the songs in the cycle set part of a poem, “The Dream” by Taras Shevchenko, a 19th century Ukrainian nationalist poet. The song is simple and beautiful, and was clearly one of Silvestrov’s favorites, as he used it again as the heart of his 1999 piece “Requiem for Larissa”, a requiem for his wife, Larissa Bondarenko who died very suddenly in 1996. It doesn’t take much to see it now as a requiem for Ukraine and its people.

    “Farewell, world! And farewell, earth,
    Farewell, land unkind!
    All my grief and torment I
    In the cloud shall hide.
    As for you, my dear Ukraine,
    Widow without fortune!
    I shall fly to you, to speak
    With you from the clouds, and
    Seek your counsel, speaking sadly,
    Quietly with you,
    I shall fall on you at midnight
    Like the abundant dew.
    Then together we’ll take counsel,
    Grieving for our woe,
    Till the sun rise, till your babes
    Rise up against the foe.
    Farewell, then, my dearest mother
    Widow poor and grieving!
    Feed your children : with the Lord
    Of Heaven truth yet is living!”

    There was a wonderful acapella version of the song on YouTube but it has disappeared. Here’s a recording of part of the Requiem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGGbyxPuCxE

    (relurking….)

  63. 63.

    Quiltingfool

    @Gretchen: I struggle with colors, too!  The color wheel is useful.  Using fabrics in colors opposite each other (compliments) on the wheel works well. Think red and green — sounds awful, but think Christmas!

    Neutrals are good to include with compliments, tones down the vibrancy.

    Now, blue and yellow aren’t complimentary (purple and yellow are), but they work well together.

    Usually I find a fabric I love and work around that!  Some of the most striking quilts I’ve made just have 2 colors, so pick two, say a vibrant color you like and pair it with a neutral-white, gray, black, beige.  You will like it!

    Here’s a  2 color quilt to illustrate: https://pin.it/4ts9kh7

    Here’s a complimentary color quilt paired with a neutral

    https://pin.it/6Rc8yLi

    Scrappy is good, too!  Take all different colors and put them with a neutral, like this

    https://pin.it/6iFSTAm

  64. 64.

    Dangerman

    @Quiltingfool: Blue and Yellow is outstanding. Blue and Gold is even better (hi Glendale Bill). “Hail to the hills of Westwood …”

    Lovely quilt. My Mother (quilter; made them as wedding presents for everyone) would have loved it. It’s perfect.

  65. 65.

    Ninedragonspot

    @AndyG: Love Silvestrov!   I was lucky enough to be able to have him autograph a volume of piano music for me.

    He releases new recordings almost daily on Bandcamp.  Folks looking for a way to support the doyen of Ukrainian composers, currently taking refuge in Germany, can do so there.

  67. 67.

    HinTN

    @PsiFighter37: Well done! Even though I could ill afford it right now I had told myself that for this beautiful work and this cause I would bid that, if needed

    ETA: And now we’re at 1950!

  70. 70.

    AndyG

    $2000.

    When I was a grad student in London, I got into The Wedding Present. Some of the band had Ukrainian connections, and they did some Ukrainian songs for the DJ John Peel. Here’s the final track on that album….it takes a few minutes before it really heats up….. https://youtu.be/z_8DPgKutLM

  78. 78.

    Yarrow

    QF, the quilt is just gorgeous. A true work of art. Thank you for sharing it with us and for offering it up for this worthy cause. The bidding is way out of my league but it’s a treat just to get to look at the pictures.

  80. 80.

    Ruckus ??

    I’ve been out for my daily walk and I come back to find this? A $2500 bid! Damn.

    Although for this quilt I think the bidding is a bid low……..

    (Yes that’s snark, but it is a full rounded and loving bit of snark)

    And I repeat…. DAMN good work everyone.

  84. 84.

    The Quiet One

    Mr. Cole should be so proud of this beautiful community he’s brought together. What big hearts you all have. I love this place.

  85. 85.

    la caterina

    I’m good for it.  Just ask the guy at the place where I get food for my feral cat colony! He lets me pay by check.

  86. 86.

    JPL

    @HinTN: It is beautiful and probably worth that price, but alas most of my money is tied up into my house.   It’s probably fortunate that I haven’t sold it yet.

  87. 87.

    realbtl

    Way to go jackels!  I was ready to go around 1500 but by the time I got back from a late lunch we’re pushing 5k.  Wow.

  88. 88.

    Ruckus ??

    @Baud:

    Do you recognize what I put behind my name?

    I think it’s a flag, possibly of a country that needs our support and I’m giving what I can.

  90. 90.

    AndyG

    @Ninedragonspot: How wonderful that you have an autographed score! I will have to check out his Bandcamp page. I think Silvestrov’s 5th symphony is one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.

  96. 96.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Yeah, different platforms and different browsers recognize some emojis differently. I discovered that when the pretty red balloon next to “keep balloon juice ad free” is black for some people.

  98. 98.

    WaterGirl

    @HinTN: It’s okay.  I’ll be asking for the Act Blue contribution confirmation before Quiltingfool ships anything. :-)

    Not that we don’t trust anyone!  But we did that, too for the MomSense auction.  Only because when one person gets it that means that another person doesn’t.

  99. 99.

    HinTN

    @Matt Smith: I absolutely agree, @Quiltingfool:, I’ve been yammering about the money we’re raising for the great, grand and noble Ukrainian cause, but none of this would be happening without your amazing contribution of this beautiful piece of art. (I wish I could afford to put it on my bed!)

  102. 102.

    NotoriousJRT

    @Quiltingfool: It really is beyond beautiful. I’m afraid the bidding has eclipsed my means, but WELL DONE to you and to whoever makes the winning, wonderful bid!

  107. 107.

    Mike S (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @Baud: I guess we will need official emoji translators at summit meetings.

  108. 108.

    prostratedragon

    @WaterGirl:  Long as you do Ray Clay to announce the winner.  Such a beautiful quilt.

    Will see what mite I can put into the till this evening.

  109. 109.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: in the first text I ever sent my husband, I said I love you or some such. He responded with the “laughing to tears” emoji. He thought it meant “touched to the point of tears “

  111. 111.

    japa21

    I know the creator of this beautiful quilt is modest and tends to downplay her accomplishments, but I want to say that not only has she created true beauty, she has done something that shows, once again, what a community this place is.

    I am pretty sure Quiltingfool is astonished at the amount being offered, but it goes beyond the physical object involved. And we see this time and again here. As with MomSense’s knitting, as with so many things, this place shows its heart and caring for others, not just itself.

    And that is the difference between us and the right wing world.  And that is why, ultimately, we will win.

  118. 118.

    WaterGirl

    PsiFighter37 is still in the lead at $2,995, with 15 minutes to go.

    (Just giving you all the chance to tell me that I missed something!)

  122. 122.

    PsiFighter37

    @zhena gogolia: It’s a beautiful quilt, and our family is short on things for the new place we are moving into in a few days. And also supporting a great cause of course! That said, I would not be surprised if someone pulls the classic eBay move and puts in a bid with 10 seconds left that is higher!

  125. 125.

    Knight of Nothing

    I have not commented in a long time but had to say that the quilt could not be more gorgeous!! And what an amazing auction for a worthy cause. Congratulations and thank you to @QuiltingFool and to the winner, whoever it ends up being!

  131. 131.

    WaterGirl

    AndyG takes the lead at $3250.  But I hadn’t even pressed post comment when la caterina comes in with $3,500.

    Five minutes to go.

  147. 147.

    WaterGirl

    And the winner is… the people of Ukraine.

    And PsiFighter37, who pulls ahead at the last second with a bid of $3,995!

    You guys all rock, every one of you.

    Check out celebration music up top.

  149. 149.

    Skepticat

    I am awestruck by the skill required to produce that incredible beauty and by the generosity of jackals, now and ever.

    I came in just at the deadline, which is good, because the drama might have been too much for me. Y’all give me hope for this world, or at least a small part of it.

  150. 150.

    HinTN

    I’ll go $1005 in the thermometer just to make it $5k donated through this delightful auction but I challenge every bidder to donate their last bid to this noble cause.

  152. 152.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Congratulations to PsiFighter!! I knew I couldn’t afford even the opening bid, so have been a passive — but very excited — lurker for this thread. But it’s fantastic to see how many jackals actively participated. Well done, everyone, especially QuiltingFool and WaterGirl. Such a lively afternoon!

  153. 153.

    Ruckus ??

    That is amazing. The quilt looks entirely worth it and with where the money is going and from the posting time on @PsiFighter37: last bid I say, without any official BJ notification, congrats on a well fought auction and thank you for such a gracious donation.

  155. 155.

    dexwood

    WOWIE ZOWIE! What community. Thanks Quiltingfool, Watergirl, PsiFighter37, all the bidders, and, always John.

  157. 157.

    WaterGirl

    I will just add that there will be more auctions for Ukraine, including one next week.  And Quiltingfool has promised more Ukraine quilts!

  159. 159.

    Steeplejack

    Re Eva Cassidy’s “Fields of Gold”:

    “But I swear in the days still left we’ll walk in fields of gold.”

    ?? ??

  169. 169.

    Ruckus ??

    @Baud:

    Aw, I get it now. When I first added it of course I went into moderation so I wasn’t sure that it would appear as. But then it came on just like I wanted. So it should be oblivious now.

     

    No, I didn’t misspell anything.

  171. 171.

    Quiltingfool

    I’m sitting here in tears.  I don’t what to say, except thank you PsiFighter37!  I am so pleased that funds will go to help our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

    To everyone here, thank you for your bids.  Thank you for your kind words.

    To Watergirl, you have been so helpful and have done so much to do this auction.  I made the quilt, but you made the auction happen.  I couldn’t have done this on my own, so thank you!

    This place restores my hope for humanity.

  173. 173.

    HinTN

    @WaterGirl: Thank you for putting that piano piece up top and for making this happen.

    Congratulations to @PsiFighter37:, you have made an amazing purchase and donation to Ukraine.

    This was fun! Thank you John G Cole for making this community real.

  177. 177.

    sab

    @Quiltingfool: That was a very impressive quilt. I know the bidding would have been high for the cause, but this winner got their money’s worth besides.

  178. 178.

    debbie

    In the spirit of Ukraine:

    After reports that the Russian Federation pulled its so-called troops to the border with ??Finland, the Finns published a video with tractors moving to the border with the Russian Federation. Bravo, Finland! pic.twitter.com/sYsj74H6it— The Odessa Journal ?⚓ (@Odessa_Journal) April 16, 2022

  180. 180.

    eachother

    It is a beautiful and pleasing quilt.  The pictures are comforting to look at.  It is warming QuiltingFool.

  181. 181.

    Steeplejack

    @Quiltingfool:

    I was out most of the day and authorized WaterGirl to act as my representative up to an honorable but not insurmountable sum. When I came home and saw that it had been far outstripped, I was glad and thought that I would increase my bid to $1,930. But even that was far outstripped! Congratulations to PsiFighter37 and to all the other bidders. I’m sorry not to get the quilt, but I’m glad to have helped run up the score for such a worthy cause. ?

    My mother—still sane and in reasonably good health at just turned 92—was born in 1930, and that’s why I thought of my final bid. She was a lifelong quilter, and an expert one. Game recognizes game, as the yoots would say, and she would love your work, QF. I have a number of her quilts that she did over the years, and I treasure them. I don’t even have a photograph of the best one, though: at my request she made a crib-sized “alphabet” quilt for the birth of some friends’ first child. That was in 1997 or ’98, and that kid is in his 20s now. That quilt was treasured, and I hope it gets passed down in that family for years to come.

    Thank you for this great gift that you have given to the Balloon Juice community and to the cause of aid for Ukraine. ?

  182. 182.

    Gin & Tonic

    I am truly at a loss for words about the generosity on display here, from people who have no obvious reason to care. From the artistry of Quiltingfool, to the astounding winning bid from PsiFighter, to everyone else who was willing to pay lesser, but still extremely generous amounts, I have respect and awe.

  183. 183.

    eachother

    I haven’t felt this sappy since the sinking of the Flagship two days ago.

    Someday this quilt should be in a museum  in Ukraine.

  186. 186.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Baud: ​
     

    A live auction wouldn’t have a set end time.

    A defunct message board I used to hang out on many years ago (Fathom) used an auction format where the auction ended at a specific time unless there was a bid in the last 5 minutes, in which case it ended as soon as 5 minutes went by without a bid.

    I thought it was a good format because nobody could time a bid to land with a few seconds to go and no time to respond.

  187. 187.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl: ​

    I’m just the facilitator!

    Fixed that for you, there’s no ‘just’ about what you do!
    Beautiful quilt, Quiltingfool, and congrats to PsiFighter37 on the winning bid!

  188. 188.

    WaterGirl

    @lowtechcyclist:

    …used an auction format where the auction ended at a specific time unless there was a bid in the last 5 minutes, in which case it ended as soon as 5 minutes went by without a bid.

    I thought it was a good format because nobody could time a bid to land with a few seconds to go and no time to respond.

    I think that’s an excellent idea for the next big one.

  190. 190.

    PsiFighter37

    This will be a wonderful addition to our new home. Thanks QuiltingFool for the beautiful work! I am sure my daughter will absolutely love it. I still need to work on explaining this to the wife – but as she had been thinking about ways to help out in Ukraine, I think we will be able to reach an understanding!

    WG / QF – let me know best ways to coordinate logistics!

  191. 191.

    Baud

    @PsiFighter37:

    I still need to work on explaining this to the wife

     

    LOL.

    “You see, honey, there’s this blog started out by this guy named John Cole, who used to be a right winger….”

  193. 193.

    PsiFighter37

    @WaterGirl: It works! No longer my primary email, but I’ve had it since middle school and managed to remember the password the whole time.

  195. 195.

    PsiFighter37

    @Baud: My wife is more familiar with NYT Pitchbot, so that will be the easier way to explain the association – via DougJ…lol

Comments are closed.