BLC Day 15: Symbol of Solidarity

If you spend time on various social media platforms, chances are you've noticed a new movement gaining momentum. Regardless your politics, speculation abounds regarding what the incoming presidential administration will mean for our country and its citizens.  In the wake of the election results, many have expressed their heightened levels of anxiety and fear of being targeted, while respected news outlets report more incidents of "hate crimes" and intimidation levied against members of various demographic groups.

In an effort to make a positive statement and establish solidarity with anyone in our communities who are afraid, an online movement has started where supporters visibly wear a safety pin attached to their clothing.  "As a show of support, groups of people across America are attaching safety pins to their lapels, shirts and dresses to signify that they are linked, willing to stand up for the vulnerable."  (Source - NewYorkTimes.com)

image courtesy of Instagram

The idea of displaying an indisputable symbol of support and comradery resonated with me and I've decided to participate in this movement.  I chose, however, to wear multiple safety pins to represent the fact that several groups have felt targeted, maligned and/or offended over the past 18 months.  After attaching them to my jacket, I wanted some way to easily transfer my collage of safety pins to other garments without manipulating them individually, plus I didn't want to leave pin holes in any of my other garments.  Then, an idea...

I still had a magnetized name badge provided to me years ago by my employer which was designed with its old logo. I used it, along with fabric and craft glue, to make a foundation to attach my pins.

I used a white woven fabric to serve as a base for the design fabric so the name badge's original image didn't "bleed" through.  I cut a section of the white and design fabric to cover the badge front, with enough excess to fold over each edge.

On the badge back, I applied a line of glue along the top edge and folded both fabric layers over the edge, anchoring to the glue line.

I repeated these steps for the back bottom edge.

After trimming the remaining excess fabric and miter-cutting the corners, I folded and glued both fabric layers on each side edge of the badge.

After test-fitting all 5 pins on the badge top to align their placements...

...I pinned them in place on the badge front.  Now, I am able to move my Solidarity Safety Pin collage from one garment to another with ease.

These feel like very uncertain times in which we're living, so please be safe out there, be kind and patient with one another, and let's continue to show that love does indeed conquer hate.

Be blessed!

Aisha