Smokey yard and Smokey the Bear Quilt

A few weeks ago I the pleasure of quilting a Smokey the Bear Quilt. The timing could not have been better, because Oregon was covered in smoke from our own wildfires, and the ones in California.

This fire season was hard for me. There were so many fires, and they grew big, fast. The skies were gray and gloomy, filled with smoke, ash and all sorts of bad stuff that made it difficult for me to breathe with my asthma. I honestly spent most of the days in bed listening to the sounds of the airplanes flying overhead and updating my evacuation list (list of things to pack if we were evacuated). Luckily for us, the fires didn’t get close enough to our town and we didn’t have to leave our home. So many other people were not as lucky and are still not able to go back to their homes yet. 

Those planes that I mentioned above drop water on the fires, and they re-fuel and fill up with water at our local airport. For days anytime you were in town you would see multiple planes taking off and landing. Of course once it gets too smokey they can’t fly. And then it feels like everything gets worse.

Just look at the photos of the smoke that I took from my house. I initially took these photos to share with my family back east, but I think it’s good that everyone sees them, so that we can all understand just how important fire safety is. Make sure those camp fires are out, don’t toss cigarettes out car windows, and be extra careful with anything that can spark.

When I saw this quilt, I was extra motivated to quilt it just because of everything that was going on right here in Oregon.  Smokey the Bear has such a GREAT message!! We need more of him around.

I can remember seeing his commercials on TV as a kid, in Massachusetts.  Mass doesn’t have a wildfire problem and I’ve yet to see one of those commercials since living here in Oregon.  I think we need to start a movement to bring Smokey the Bear back to TV!  (or maybe he is back and I’m just watching the wrong channels????)

But, back to the quilt. Just look at how fun and colorful these fabrics are, while at the same time they have such an important message about fire safety.

A lot of fires are caused by recklessness, and I just want to give Smokey the Bear a big ole hug for trying to spread the word.  As a kid, a didn’t understand just how important Smokey the Bear’s job was.

Thanks for the help Smokey the Bear! And, special thanks to my client for bringing me this quilt top to quilt. It reminded me of some childhood nostalgia that is still relevant today.