There’s something about making something to last
January 31, 2017 6:39 PM   Subscribe

As we all practice expressing our opinions on current events, MeFites (and Americans) have been thinking about protest materials which can be carried everywhere in case of emergency protests. Fortunately, we're not the only ones: Stephanie Syjuco thinks fabric banners and signs are *awesome*. They tap into a long history of using textiles to protest, for one thing--textiles have marched alongside everything from suffragettes to AIDS activists, especially alongside activist women. Plus they're easy to carry, and they clearly demonstrate how much you care about a topic--and they can be great household decoration when the march is done. Best of all, she's written up a helpful guide on how to make your own, complete with instructions suited to a variety of experience and skill levels.

For ideas about how large you can practically make a fabric banner and helpful reminders about technical construction from someone who is used to marching with large banners, Campaign Gears has some additional useful notes and comments. Remember that banners with defined, clear black or white borders are much more media-friendly than banners without borders attached.

And if you want a soundtrack as you sew a banner to wave or a sign to carry or a wall hanging to display, well, here are some textile activism songs that you can play as you work, too.
posted by sciatrix (18 comments total) 76 users marked this as a favorite
 
Now I want to make ALL THE SIGNS.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:04 PM on January 31, 2017 [6 favorites]


I've had spinal surgeries that make holding up signs a non-starter for me or really holding up my arms for more than a few minutes. Still, I really like the protest signs I've been seeing, so I've been keeping a chunky calligraphy pen in my backpack so that I can hand-letter signs for other people. I even went as far as to purchase a bunch of art supplies so I can be a roving art station for the next 'Tuesdays with Toomey'.

If you're interested in your fabric own banner, I would recommend Spoonflower. They will print whatever you like on your fabric of choice and let you share designs. I'm thinking about making a silk constitution that I can wear as a scarf.
posted by Alison at 7:11 PM on January 31, 2017 [11 favorites]


I think I'll make a #Resist banner this weekend. I'm sure I have sufficient materials lying around.
posted by crush-onastick at 7:17 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]


Thanks! I saw this before the women's march and failed to bookmark, then searched frantically and couldn't find it. Fabric banners are beautiful. Thanks !
posted by Miko at 8:22 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]


Cool! I have a shirt made by Stephanie Syjuco! She makes fabulous things.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 8:52 PM on January 31, 2017


I get an Access Denied message from the Google Doc. Do I need to request access? (And if we need to request access, should it be posted here? Seems a recipe for spamming the author.)
posted by col_pogo at 9:04 PM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]


David Solnit, brother of Rebecca Solnit, has an excellent video on how-to on making awesome, hand-made protest banners.
posted by gloturtle at 10:07 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]


The id article is illustrated by a set of posters about women's crafts made in the late 1970s by the Australian Women's Domestic Needlework Group. I hadn't heard of them before, and much of the history of this work tends to be American, but the Gallery of New South Wales has the whole seires of posters up on their website, it is astonishing. here. So many details, so a little bit hard to read.
posted by PinkMoose at 10:36 PM on January 31, 2017


That "Access Denied" thing just happened. I looked at it not 5 minutes ago.
posted by irisclara at 10:49 PM on January 31, 2017 [2 favorites]


Piggybacking off Alison's scarf idea, I would love to make a scarf/scarves with the first few lines of the poem from the Statue of Liberty.

I wonder if that violates any copyright or other laws?
posted by alwayson_slightlyoff at 10:55 PM on January 31, 2017


I'm thinking about making a silk constitution that I can wear as a scarf.
posted by Alison at 7:11 PM


I'm not even American and i want this!! What a genius idea!
posted by chapps at 11:15 PM on January 31, 2017


I had the honour of attending a banner workshop with a woman from Greenland Common peace camp. My community made the all purpose protest banner. All of us made our own arm and hand in cloth, and all the hands held up a stop sign...
The banner said "this must stop"... But was covered in buttons so could be updated with other words than "this"
. I.e. War must stop, racism must stop... Etc
This banner had been at pretty much every major march in my town for the past 20 years!
posted by chapps at 11:17 PM on January 31, 2017 [1 favorite]


I made a banner and I'm extremely proud of it so here it is.
posted by deadbilly at 1:50 AM on February 1, 2017 [17 favorites]


Trying to think of the best all-purpose slogan for an emergency protest banner. Can't improve on the classic "Down with this sort of thing" currently.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 2:59 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


I saved a copy of the doc. Not sure I want to link it here, but PM me and I can share it with you?
posted by crush-onastick at 7:04 AM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


EndsOfInvention, this is my all-purpose sign (just the sign w/more verbose slogan on reverse) now, and I'm thinking I might need to remake it in fabric/felt.
posted by epersonae at 10:15 AM on February 1, 2017


great collection of links! love being reminded of the histories of political textiles, and seeing how striking the fabrics/messages can be.

the wordless tapestries remembering "dirty war" victims ... heartbreaking.

and how powerful is the idea of the POW hand-stitching letters to their family back home, and taking up embroidery while imprisoned simply to keep sane? definitely going to try to reclaim some sanity through handcraft from now.
posted by cluebucket at 1:36 PM on February 1, 2017 [1 favorite]


Made these big banners for DC - upper one is fabric with holsters for the cardboard tubes to help with fatigue. Lower one is vinyl - having a friend who owns a signage business helps with materials! We (collective of activist artists) brought 3 other big banners we gave away and 3-4 dozen smaller signs we also distributed. Now working on a set of simple but big banners with single words or simple phrases for more all purpose protest like #RESIST - they will be as big as the upper banner in the photo.
posted by leslies at 7:02 AM on February 2, 2017 [1 favorite]


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