Offbeatquilts

The Landlord's Game. I finished this quilt today.
Well, almost. There is still some hand stitching left around the game board. While quilting, an audiobook hit a sad chapter and something inside me finally cracked. I cried for the first time about this whole experience.

This quilt began as a tribute to The Landlord's Game, Lizzie Magie's original board game about wealth, power, and the consequences of hoarding resources. Later it became Monopoly, and much of the original message disappeared.

When I started making this quilt, I didn't think of it as political. Now I understand why some people do. After being rejected from a show and later accepted, the quilt is finally headed where it was meant to go. But acceptance doesn't erase the bruise. What hurts isn't disagreement. Art should invite disagreement.

What hurts is forgetting there's a human being behind the work.

Every quilt hanging in a show represents months or years of someone's life. Artists arrive carrying hope, vulnerability, and a piece of themselves. The least we owe one another is kindness.

I've spent years leading organizations and planning events. I understand difficult decisions.

But I've learned that unkindness doesn't stop where it lands.

It spreads.

The person who is pushed aside feels it, but so does everyone watching. They start wondering if they'll be next.

This quilt carries Lizzie Magie's story. It carries my story. It carries a few tears stitched into the batting. And nd despite everything, I still believe art can help us see each other more clearly.

Teacher thank you quilt has been gifted!

She loves blue and art projects. This person will be missed by my kid. I am beyond grateful that kind and incredibly patient human was there to help them through so many rough moments, guide them to blossom and hold a safe space for them.

She was so kind when receiving the gift, showing it off to other staff.

There was a school lunch picnic on the lawn and we got to use it while the kids happily swirled around. A really lovely afternoon.

🍎