WHY I MAKE THEM
MY DAUGHTER, ME IN FULL SUFFRAGIST GARB, AND MY MOM IN THREE OF MY EARLY SASHES AT THE 2017 WOMEN’S MARCH IN MONTPELIER, VERMONT
On or about the early hours of November 9, 2016, I was seized with the urgent need to find a creative outlet for my overwhelming anxiety. I found it in making Edwardian-era suffragist sashes for the Women’s Marches that were due to take place in January 2017.
I had so much fun making them that I put out the call among my friends that I’d make them for anyone who wanted them. And then it became kind of a thing, and now making sashes is nearly half of what I do for a living.
When demand outpaced my ability to create sashes, I created a tutorial. If you’d like a sash and want to save yourself a few hours, I also sell them here or on Etsy. I pay close attention to making sure they’re as authentic and historically accurate as possible.
My sash styles have branched out over the years. I’m now making sashes that benefit nonprofits fighting gun violence, supporting trans rights, upholding the right to choose, supporting Ukraine, and honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
I’ve learned a lot about the many suffrage groups fighting for equality a century ago, and have corresponded with hundreds of customers who all have different ideas in mind for how they’ll be using and reusing their sashes. They’ve gone to museum gift shops, voter registration drives, chamber music performances, Girl Scout events and baby announcements all over the world.
They’ve even been on TV: General Hospital’s Election Day 2020 episode (below). Check out the trailer!
