Dear Liza,
Apparently, October was Portland Textile Art Month! Textile means fabric, so this month celebrates quilting, weaving, embroidery, and all those wonderful things. I learned about it late, but better late than never.

With crowds being a real concern because of the Covid virus, the artists are having to find new ways to display their art. One of the places to see it is a store front at SE 28th and Ankeny, just up the street from Auntie Bridgett’s SideStreet Arts Gallery.

At first glance, the style and materials looked very traditional, even antique, on embroidered hand towels, bibs, pillow tops, and Samplers. The handwork had the imperfections usually found in amateur work… the lines were a little wonky, the letters sometimes a bit crooked.

It was only when I lifted my phone to take a picture that I actually read the words, and I “got” it. All these folksy, sweet pieces featured the idiotic quotes of none other than Donald J. Trump. I was delighted!

Ridiculous quotes from speeches and misspelled tweets were there on oven mitts and baby onesies, and the contrast of Mr. Trump’s self-centered and misinformed words and his ‘gold plated’ image, contrasted with the old fashioned textiles, just tickled me. I stood on the corner in the fall sunshine and laughed out loud in public for the first time in months.

Election Day is TODAY, and this was written before we knew the results. Nerves are a little frayed, and Trump supporters have been using more thug tactics to intimidate voters. It is nice to take comfort, knowing that artists are just as frustrated as I am with what has been our government for the past four years. I hope we all have reason to celebrate when all the votes are counted.
Love,
Grandma Judy