'K' is for Kaleidoscope . . .

"And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi,

Let me now go to the field,

and glean ears of corn after him

In whose sight I shall find grace.

And she said unto her, Go, my daughter."

Ruth 2:2  KJV

‘K’ is for Kaleidoscope . . . At some point I had to make a kaleidoscope – I don’t recall when or why but it may have been back in college for one of my Elementary Education classes or in Scouting, it doesn’t matter except that I know how to make one and how it works. The kaleidoscope I made contained three mirrors glued together forming a triangle (with the mirrors facing each other) which was then slipped into a tube with small bits of colored cellophane dropped in front of the mirrors. As the tube was turned, the pattern changed . . . the exact same pattern never to be created again.

 

I see Friends as kaleidoscopes – individuals and groups are constantly moving and changing. Friends move from here to there and move their membership from one Meeting to another – all for various reasons. Friends’ opinions and attitudes are different and ever changing as the world around them changes.

 

Over time as individuals, Meetings, Yearly Meetings and other Quaker groups - we grow and mature and the world changes around us as governments make new rules and laws. Our thoughts and opinions vary on these new rules and laws. And all of this affects what we do and how we do it, to some degree.

 

Some of Friends are good at thinking for themselves; other Friends have strong opinions one way or another on various topics and issues that arise; some Friends are naturally good leaders . . . and other Friends are not such good leaders – always looking to other Friends in the group for guidance when it comes to figuring out the sense of the Meeting, committee or group.

 

There are Friends among us that struggle with some issues that are brought up. Some Friends have so-so or weaker opinions on the various topics and issues. Some Friends are not meant to be leaders, and as Friends we’re OK with that – every Friend has a place where they fit in and all Friends have an equal voice and part in the process.

 

None of this makes any of us better OR any of us worse – every group needs leaders and followers, after all, we can’t all be leaders or all be followers! We need a good mix between the two.

 

To an extent, who we are and our individual and corporate beliefs are shaped by those around us – whether that is other Friends, family, friends or co-workers. We all learn from others and that shapes who we are both individually and corporately.

 

Recently here in the United States one of the big issues or topics has been with LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender, and Queer). The US Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriage – oh my! Some County Clerks and their staff refusing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples and some refusing to issue marriage licenses to anyone. Business owners refusing to serve same sex couples including – photographers, cake makers, venues, and there are pastors/ministers of various faiths, including Friends, refusing to marry same sex couples.

 

Friends have various thoughts on the whole LGBTQ issue – and it doesn’t seem to necessarily have anything to do with which Branch, some of it is just personal. There are those that are openly accepting, those that want nothing to do with them and those that are only partially accepting. Some Meetings that have not seen eye-to-eye with their Yearly Meeting have and are being forced to conform to what the Yearly Meeting says is right . . . or leave the Yearly Meeting. Some Pastors have openly said they would marry same sex couples – causing quite a stir in some areas.

 

The LGBTQ issue has also come up within both the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts here in the United States in the last couple of years. Members of Friends Committee on Scouting have discussed this and are available to support Friends, Friends Meetings and Yearly Meetings – we have a whole page on our website, http://quakerscouting.org, dedicated to Scouting and Homosexuality. We encourage Young Friends as well as our Adult Friends to participate in Scouting and Guiding Programs.

 

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‘K’ is for Kaleidoscope quilts/quilt blocks – a relatively easy block to make, the tricky part is fabric selection and then cutting out the triangles/wedges for the block.

 

The kaleidoscope is a form of a pinwheel block. Putting several of these blocks together you’ll end up with a psychedelic quilt with an awesome optical illusion. This block can also be a great stashbuster, a way to use up old scrap fabrics.

 

Rainbow Stripes

Kaleidoscope quilts became popular in the latter part of the nineties and their popularity continues – they are visually strong, bold and striking. The key to obtaining a successful kaleidoscope effect in a quilt is the fabric selection to create that optical illusion. The designs are centered in a symmetrical way that resembles looking through a kaleidoscope.

 

Care should be taken when selecting fabric for a kaleidoscope quilt. Fabrics should be a large to medium print, preferably with a bold pattern. Fabrics that don’t work well in other quilts, because they appear too busy may be the perfect choice for this type of quilt. High color contrast, bold patterns and large motifs are the key points to remember when selecting fabrics. Fabrics with too little contrast would reduce the kaleidoscope effect. Small prints will work in a small block. With large prints, make sure there is enough background under the prints so that the design doesn’t become confusing. The background gives the eye a place to rest and allows the optical illusion to pop out.
 

Tulips

Fabrics with at least an 8-inch, but more of a repeat will give you more options. A fabric with a 24-inch repeat and good color contrast, strong lines and enough background showing – would be ideal. Knowing the repeat will help you figure out how much fabric to buy.

 

The background fabric shouldn’t detract from the strong visual effect of the kaleidoscope. The background and kaleidoscope should complement rather than detract. Auditioning various background fabrics before making that purchase would be helpful. Tone-on-tone prints, marbled monochrome prints or prints with very soft colors and very subtle prints seem to work the best.

I've made two different kaleidoscope blocks to share here. The first one I made was with a rainbow stipe that I had - turned every other one the other way, which aligned the red and green stripes to line up all around. The second one, that I made this afternoon, was done with a large tulip print that I had recently gotten for a project. I think you can see more of the 'kaleidoscope' pattern in the tulip block.