This Quilt is not for Hiding Under and I WILL NOT shut up and be quiet.
My father always asked me (most often if we were arguing) “Is this the hill you are willing to die on?” He was asking me in his not so subtle way if what I was about to do or say was going to be worth the consequences. I hear you dad… and yes. This is the hill I am willing to die on when it comes to speaking my truth about what the last week of shameful presidential behavior means to me through the lens of BadAss Quilters Society. And while not everyone feels safe to do so I have built BAQS on the belief that we are better when we live in and act on our truth and for me my truth is the same in my private life as it is in my business.
I am a mother of 6 children, a lover, a wife and a grandmother. A homeschooler parent and business owner. I am a rape survivor, liberal, pro-choice, pro immigration, pet rescuer, aspiring minimalist, bisexual, raw cookie dough eating fiber artist, quilter, crafter.
I am a mother who has made the harrowing decision to take her own baby off of life support as well as made the choice to risk my own life to bring another baby into this world.
I am complex and I assume you are too and you are welcome here in my place of truth.
Just know this…. BadAss Quilters Society is dedicated to being an inclusive, diverse, safe haven for those who need a voice in the quilt and sewing world and we will not be quiet about it or apologize for it. We are not a politics free zone and for the foreseeable future your quilty BAQS goodness will come with a side order of fuck-this-shit RESISTANCE. So writing me and telling me to “shut the hell up and just show me pretty quilts” will be responded to with a firm middle finger salute and a list of 5 ways to become more politically active as a quilter.
The day has passed when we can bury our heads and voices under our quilts and pretend that the call to duty has not been issued as we enter this dark time in history under the Presidency of Donald Trump. I feel sure we will look back on this time with sadness as we try to explain to our grandchildren and great grandchildren what went so very wrong that we could even consider dialing back the historical clock to a time when the rights of women were being stripped, the environment was willfully pillaged for strict financial gain and the American dream was snatched away from those who had risked their lives to come here and become one of us. (And that was just the first week folks…)
When asked I will answer that I fought, I used my voice, my monetary resources, my artistic skill and my place on the net to support the Resistance to changes that are totally antithetical to my belief that love wins, and that we are a caring people.
I created BAQS to be a safe, inclusive and diverse group and while I welcome all I understand that it is not for everyone. If you need to unfollow I understand and wish you well.
For those who choose to stay – there will not be less of anything fun but you will see more ways to be part of a rising culture of action crafty and otherwise. I know that some of you are scared and sickened about what you are seeing and hearing (I am too) and the desire to slip back under the quilt is really tempting, but don’t, your voice is needed.
The fact is that each voice counts and I will not be silent. When I look back, win or lose I want to know that I was on the right and loving side of history and I welcome you to join me. We will not always agree about all the finer points and that is ok, what matters is that we are in it together.
