Dissent collar quilt
When I heard the news that Ruth Bader Ginsburg had passed, my heart shattered. As if 2020 wasn’t filled with enough political strife, uncertainty, and frankly, fear. I’ve had a pair of earrings (these) that were styled after her famous “dissent collar” for years, and not long after seeing the news a design for a quilted version of that collar got stuck in my head.
Getting the design out felt a little bit like an exorcism. But making it was therapeutic, and when I shared it on instagram, the response was overwhelming. I hadn’t planned on writing a pattern for it, but it seemed like many of you were looking for some kind of outlet, just like me.
So, while it isn’t a fully fledged pattern, I decided to share the foundation paper piecing templates I used. I hope that you can derive some degree of catharsis from them as well, especially as American politics look to be going full bare-knuckle street fighting for the foreseeable future.
I originally planned to “bag out” the block, meaning I was going to cut a backing fabric the same shape as the block, sew them right-sides together, and then flip the whole thing right-side out and hand-sew the opening. I actually considered pilfering a chain from one of my necklaces and hanging it that way, but in the end, leaving it unfinished felt like the most appropriate option (can I say just like RBG’s work, or is that cheesy?). That said, I love it in the frame. I can also see this being used in really versatile (and subversive?) ways- appliqued onto a jean jacket or a tote bag, sewn into a banner, incorporated into a quilt… Please, if you make a block, share it with me. I would love to see the creative ways we all are capturing a little of RGB in our everyday lives.
You can download it here or from the free patterns page. I’m making this available for free because I’m hoping that you’ll donate the money you might have spent to organizations who are fighting to ensure that we not only have the right to vote, but the ability to exercise it, regardless of who we are or where we are. There is a list of organizations in the pattern download in case you aren’t sure where to start. These organizations also have great options for various calls to action, so I encourage you to spend some time reading and considering those, in addition to registering to vote or confirming that you already are and making a plan for voting in these extraordinarily uncertain times.
