DJ A9 + some handmade politics

Here's finished block A9, which was a surprising struggle for me to complete. I used tissue paper to kind of paper-piece the center few rounds. That was tricky. Then I ended up with the center a little too large, so I trimmed it before adding on more borders (log-cabin style) and somehow trimmed it too much, and had to rip some sides and sew on new pieces. Ugh. Then I kept putting together the triangles wrong for the outsides, before finally figuring those out and stitching them on. I did more ripping on this block than probably all the others combined. Definitely not fun, but I'm glad it's done! 41 pieces!

And now, switching gears a bit to get a little political... I've been thinking a lot about labor and unions lately (Wisconsin is my home state, and I've been following that situation closely via college / facebook friends who are teachers and protesting) and this week I happened to catch some thought-provoking documentaries on HBO that are semi-related. The first was Triangle: Remembering the Fire on Monday, all about the horrific fire at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in NYC that killed almost 150 people 100 years ago. Then last night I happened to catch most of Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, which is about New York's garment district--and its disappearance.

What's basically come out of this idea stew, for me, is this: Collective bargaining rights are important for so many reasons, which include worker and workplace safety. Garment workers are typically young, female, commonly both, and have a long history of being abused. Something like 95% of all clothing sold in the U.S. in the early 1970s was also manufactured here, whereas that number today is closer to 3%. That's right: about 97% of clothes sold here were made in factories overseas, probably by women, possibly by children, and for a wage of less than $1/hour.

It's hard to find clothes that were made here (other than American Apparel, which is difficult for a feminist to support for a completely separate set of reasons)--in fact, other than AA tees, I don't think I own anything made here. It's hard to make clothes. Especially pants. But it's also hard to spend good money on things that were manufactured by exploiting those with little or no power. Watching these documentaries almost back-to-back has really inspired me to strengthen my efforts to craft my own apparel (and maybe tackle some of those difficult pants). Winters are tricky, but summers are easier, and I have a ton of fabric in my stash... Although the ethics of fabric manufacturing are tricky, too, but I think the lesser of two evils. And if you're a reader of this blog, you know I don't have to be convinced of the value of the handmade.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now.

Some Christmas loot

Well, it's the new year and I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, including blogging. For whatever reason, doing anything but laying on the futon watching CSI was next to impossible for me while I was off for the holiday break. But now I'm back to work and, hopefully, back to the blog. I've had a few crafty exploits lately, but first I wanted to post about some of the awesome loot I got for the holiday. I guess for me it was the year of the necklace! From left to right, they are: 

• Teacup necklace by Amy Belanger, via goodEGG industries. This was from my brother. LOVE!
  
• Kitty necklace by Mark Poulin via Shana Logic. This was a little treat I found in my stocking. It is so cute! 
  
• Freshwater pearl necklace, hand-knotted by my friend and coworker Lora. It is so much more beautiful than the photo shows. The irregularity of the pearls is so sweet and makes the color not so uniform--some are more blue or pink than others. It's really lovely. 
  
• Wood and resin necklace by Garnish (home). This was from my husband and is probably my favorite of the necklaces (though that's a hard claim to make!) Just look at how cool it is: 

Yeah, pretty awesome. I've already worn all of these necklaces a couple of times each (and I have the teacup one on today). Also, they were all made by indie artists and crafters, so I am happy to support them with my gift-receiving! 

A gift from my sweet kitty Iris was this awesome shirt via BUST: 

Super cool. I really love the shirt and the throwback feminist screen print, but the tee itself is not so great. It's like a Hanes shirt or something (I was hoping for American Apparel) and has a not-so-great neckline and short sleeves that go almost to my elbows! I may have to take some shears to this and give it a mini-makeover. 

Also, from my mom, this Packer tee. It's really cute. I wore it the Sunday after Christmas while the Pack beat the Lions. The game was much closer than it should've been, but my mom still hopes the shirt will bring the Pack good luck next season. Fingers crossed. 

I also received some wonderful gifts, including: a new robe that feels like a wooby, slippers, a pair of Gingher stork embroidery shears, a Clover mini-iron with all the attachments, Son of Rambow, and a gift certificate to my local quilt shop. Nice. 

What did you get? 

Urgent! Help keep Bitch afloat!

I know I haven't been blogging on feminist issues, but that's mainly because I think the links on the right under "feminist links" do a much better job at that than I can. That's why I was super bummed today to discover that the most recent issue of bitch, the one I just devoured, cover to cover, in three days, may be the magazine's last, unless they can raise $40,000 in the next month. A frowny face does not do justice to my concern. 

So, if you are a feminist, if you care about independent publishing, if you care about smart writing that analyzes pop culture, PLEASE consider donating here. I have been subscribing and giving gift subscriptions for years now, but I just gave another $25. Hang in there, bitch--we need you.