Keep showing up - In Protest Sew Along Week 4

This past week has me feeling outraged, frightened, and numb, and I know that many of you are feeling the same way. So, this week, in addition to some quilty pearls, I’m going to share a few resources that I have found. This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list or a checklist of things anyone ought to be doing, just a small collection of places I’ve landed while trying to figure out how to show up.

Stats and survey:

As we near the end of this sew-along, I have one more ask of you. This project has become so much bigger and more powerful than I ever could have imagined. We have over 300 quilters from at least 23 US states (AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI) and 5 countries (US, UK, Netherlands, Australia, Germany). I would love to collect just a little bit of data about the reach of this project and create an image gallery of your quilts. If you would like to share, please take a moment to fill out the super quick survey below. Thank you again!

Super Quick Survey

Week 4:

I had to double-check my calendar as I wrote this because it’s hard to believe that we are already in week 4 of this sew-along. If you are keeping pace with the weekly schedule, this week you can work on assembling sections 4, 5, and 6 (units S through X) and completing the bottom half of your block.

Since I know that a lot of you are working ahead, I also want to share a few tips for piecing the top half of the sign block. (If you are just joining or working at your own pace, that's ok too!)

• The first piece in Unit Y (aka section 7) is your protest sign.

• Start by trimming your sign to a nice square 12.5” by 12.5”. (If your sign block is also paper pieced, you can remove the paper at this stage or leave it in. I left mine in.)

• On the back side (fabric side) of your template for Unit Y, mark the corners of piece Y1. You can use a pen, poke holes with a pin, or fold your template along the border of Y1 to mark the corners.

• Carefully center your protest sign over Y1. Make sure that your seam allowance goes past the sew line on all four sides of the sign. Each of the marked corners on the template should be ¼” from the edges of your sign.

• Use a gluestick (I’m team gluestick!) or pins to secure your sign to the template. Then sew on pieces Y2 through Y9 to complete the unit.

I used pins to help me center my sign. I placed pins at each corner, ¼” in from the edge, and then pushed them vertically through the marked corners on my template and into the wool mat on my ironing board. Once it was centered, I used a gluestick to secure the sign to the template so that it wouldn’t shift when I was attaching pieces Y2 through Y9.

As a reminder, please make sure to tag or mention me in your posts so that I can see and track them. Participants who post at least two check-ins over the course of the sew-along will be entered to win a prize. You can mention me by typing @quiltbynight (make sure to include the @) in your caption or tag me by clicking ‘tag people’ and adding me.

Featured Quilt:

I have been brainstorming ways to make multiple interchangeable signs for my protest mini, but sarahmakespdx has done it! So far, she’s made 3 signs for her mini and uses snaps to switch them out. I’m so inspired!

From Sarah: "I refuse to be a quiet, compliant, white woman in this world. We must take a stand in this fight. Motherhood, the countless deaths at the hands of law enforcement, and simply being decent have radicalized me. I decided to make the signs interchangeable because there are so many things to protest: women’s rights, protecting LGBTQIA+, ending white supremacy, and so on. Hence the snaps and the ability to change the sign. I’m still new to FPP and didn’t want to make more than one hand, but I couldn’t decide on a sign to put in the big quilt. This allows me to highlight my current protest sign. I’m sure there will be many more signs to add to the collection as we continue to fight for those who cannot."

Stand with Minnesota:

Minnesota Rebel Alliance Pattern

I will be donating a portion of the proceeds from In Protest to the Immigrant Law Center of MN. Thank you for making that donation possible. If you are also looking for places to donate, I found this vetted directory of Minnesota-based organizations and grassroots efforts helpful: https://www.standwithminnesota.com/​

If you want to quilt in solidarity, I made a free FPP pattern based on a design by u/feral_user_ on Reddit, combining the Star Wars Rebel Alliance symbol with Minnesota’s state bird. You can find the pattern here: https://www.quiltbynight.com/free-patterns

Call your legislators (This part is for those of you based in the US):

I hate making phone calls, even for low-stakes things like scheduling a dentist appointment. So the idea of making phone calls about things I care deeply about is always a bit terrifying. I've found these resources helpful in figuring out the logistics of calling my legislators and making my voice heard.

This is a step-by-step guide to calling your legislators from the University of California: https://www.ucop.edu/federal-governmental-relations/_files/Advocacy/Federal-Research/guide_to_calling_your_legislators.pdf​

5 Calls is a 501(c)4 non-profit that provides resources to support you when you are calling your legislators. They have sample scripts, key points, and links to phone numbers: https://5calls.org/

That's all for today! Thanks again for being here :)

Warmly,

Becky