SAM JOHNSON AND THE BLUE RIBBON QUILT

A send-up, in crinoline, on the equal-rights theme--for those who find the idea amusing. As this contrived affair has it, turn-of-century farmer Sam Johnson discovers a torn awning over the pig pen when his wife is away, and discovers a gift for quilting in the course of mending the tear. Mrs. J. can't see Sam in the Women's Quilting Club, however, and neither can the others: ""We can't have a man here bungling everything. . . . Why don't you go join the men's horseshoe or checkers club if you want something to do with your time."" Well, Sam posts EQUAL RIGHTS signs; rouses the other men with talk of ""freedom and the country and even the Declaration of Independence""; and induces them to organize a club and enter a quilt of their own at the county fair. Much competitive stitching ensues (there is some brief humor in this)--but on the day of the fair ""a huge gust of wind"" blows both quilts into the mud. Chastened, men and women cut out ""the unsoiled sections"" of the two quilts, and piece them together in an ""amazing"" new design (called ""Flying Sailboats""). The pictures are in a cutesy nostalgia vein, reminiscent of Pioneer Village Souvenir shops; the text is cutesy topicality and crafts--too obvious to be a real spoof of feminism or a fresh, creative approach to quilts.