Another Vote Block

 I was finally able to find a chunk of time this weekend to work on another VOTE block.

This one is paper pieced and very similar to the one I made back in June.  Months ago, I tried to change a "LOVE" block into a "VOTE" block and was not very successful at first.  But many Designers out there are revising their LOVE patterns so the work is now done.

This block is by Sam Hunter (Hunter's Design Studio).  The pattern includes two sizes - I made the 9 x 11" block.  All profits from this pattern are donated to Vote Save America and Fair Fight, organizations that are working to ensure voting rights and safe access (with respect to the pandemic) to all US citizens.

If you haven't done so already, be sure you have put together a plan for getting in your vote.  Oregon votes by mail - but I will be delivering my ballot directly to a collection site.  I will also be tracking my ballot to make sure it is received and counted.  Check in your area to see what will be the best options for you.

Thank you for upholding Democracy!

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Flag Blocks

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment - where some women won the right to vote.

 I am still slowly working on my "Vote" quilt.  For weeks I have been thinking about adding some flag blocks to the mix.  But truthfully, with the country so divided, I haven't felt all that patriotic and have been hesitant on making them.

Then I came across the pattern for the Wave Your Flag Tablerunner pattern at the Fat Quarter Shop.  I was drawn to this block - not because of the "pride" it portrayed but because of the division the design represented to me.

A country with two very different views; seemingly unrecognizable by the other.

So I added these two blocks to the previous blocks I have completed.  The election is coming up quickly so I hope all of you have a plan in place for voting.  Either in person or by mail-in ballot, I hope you are planning on casting a ballot.

The state I live in, voting can be handled entirely through the mail.  But I do not send my ballot back through the mail.  I have already identified the locations of direct ballot receptacles in my area so that I can deliver mine directly.  

With a country so divided, I hope voters can put aside their party and vote for the candidates to take the country closer in the direction of unity.  Stress and hatred are not healthy for any of us!

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Ratification Stars

Recently, I watched the 4 hour American Experience documentary "The Vote".  I realized I had forgotten so much about the struggle women endured for generations to obtain my right to vote.  I highly recommend the show.    Here is what is said about the show:

One hundred years after the passage of the 19th Amendment, The Vote tells the dramatic culmination story of the hard-fought campaign waged by American women for the right to vote — a transformative cultural and political movement that resulted in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.

In its final decade, from 1909 to 1920, movement leaders wrestled with contentious questions about the most effective methods for affecting social change. They debated the use of militant, even violent tactics, as well as hunger strikes and relentless public protests. The battle for the vote also upended previously accepted ideas about the proper role of women in American society and challenged the definitions of citizenship and democracy.

Exploring how and why millions of 20th-century Americans mobilized for — and against — women’s suffrage, The Vote brings to life the unsung leaders of the movement and the deep controversies over gender roles and race that divided Americans then — and continue to dominate political discourse today.

I could relate to the suffragists sewing stars on their Ratification Banners as each state ratified the amendment.  Above is a photo of Alice Paul hanging her completed banner after the 36th state (Tennessee) made the amendment the law of the land.

I decided to add some ratification stars in purple and gold to my "Vote" quilt to honor those three generations of women who fought for my vote.

I decided not to applique my stars - instead I used ThreadBareCreations' Christmas Star pattern.

You can download it for free and it comes in lots of sizes.  I made mine 4".

I think maybe I will put them between my big letters as shown above.

So far, here are all the blocks I have completed to date.

If you want to read any additional information on any of the blocks above, you can do a search of my blog for "vote".

The 19th amendment was the culmination of more than 70 years of struggle by woman suffragists.  It is important that today's women honor that fight by voting.

Please make sure you are registered to vote - above are the deadlines by state to request a vote-by-mail ballot for the November election.  

Please take any necessary measures as soon as possible!

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Be Counted

Just popping in today to share my latest block finish.

I made this block to remind everyone in the US to be sure and complete their 2020 census.  The census can be filled out by mail, online or by phone.  It just takes a few moments to complete and it helps put money into your community. 

 If you haven't yet, please go to 2020Census.gov and be counted.

There are no citizenship questions on the questionnaire.

I appreciate you taking the time!

And if you want to know more about how I made the lettering for this block, I coated the back of my fabric with a thin coat of Fabric Mod Podge.  Once it is dry, you can cut it into small pieces and top stitch it without it fraying.  This block measures approximately 12 x 14".

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Voting By Mail

The post for my finish this week got pushed out to next week, so today I am sharing the newest block I made for my Vote quilt.

I really didn't have a firm plan for this block.  I started by cutting some 1" strips and I made the letters.  Then I just added enough fabric around it to trim it into the diamond shape I needed.  The rest of the block was just a matter of sewing on pieces and trimming them up to the look I wanted.

I live in the state of Oregon in the US.  Here, everyone votes-by-mail.  We have no voting precints, so we never have long lines.  No need to take time off from work to vote and you can even do it in your PJs.  Voting is super easy and convenient with lots of time to complete your ballot.  It has huge support here in the state and voter turnout is about 60-80% depending on what's on the ballot.

Oregon has been voting this way since 1998.  A citizen's initiative (ballot measure 60) made Oregon the first state in the US to conduct it elections exclusively by mail.  The way it is set up, it is really difficult to create fraud.  It is a LOT of work (and a felony) to steal ONE vote.

Since I started this quilt project, I have been asking a number of long time Oregon residents if they think there is a lot of voter fraud with mail-in-voting.  No one I talked to has ever had an issue or even heard of an issue.  And they all feel the election security is safe.

Personally I feel far better filling out a paper ballot than casting my vote on some electronic device.

Mail in voting works for our military and most politicians vote that way.

(Note - Vote by mail does not mean that you have to put your ballot in the mail - there are lots of secure ballot receptacles around the city where they can be dropped off.  Always in convenient locations.  Here in Oregon, we WANT people to vote!)

If this is something you want to see in your state, you should start pressing your politicians now.

Don't be afraid to use your voice - the citizens of Oregon made the change decades ago.

Here are all of the blocks that I have finished to date.  This has been a fun project to not only plan the blocks but to also learn more about the aspects of voting.

I know there are still some states with primary elections soon - please get out and vote!

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Linking Up:

My Quilt Infatuation (Needle & Thread)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

Alycia Quilts (Finished or not Friday)

Vote : Big and Small

I don't have a finished quilt to share with you this week but I did finish another of my "Vote" blocks.  This one uses the Spell It With Fabric letters from Moda.

(You can get the free pdf pattern here.)

The blocks finish at 10" tall.  I haven't attached them together yet because I am not sure exactly how I will use them in the quilt.  It might be fun to add some stars in between the letters.  But I have lots of time to think about that - I have many more blocks to do!

You can see the comparison to the smaller 4" blocks I wrote about earlier.

As I was working on the blocks, I thought a lot about the importance of voting in both the big and the small elections.  Sure, it is important to vote for our President, Senators and Representatives but I think the smaller elections are just as important.

Here are some positions you might see in your smaller elections along with some of their responsibilities...

A Mayor not only runs the day to day administration of a city, but they are also responsible for setting the tone of the culture of the city.  They help to recruit businesses and take a lead role in city legislation. They also usually appoints the chief of police to manage law enforcement. 

A Sheriff is typically an elected position that oversees a county and is responsible for seeing that the laws are enforced fairly.

District Attorneys decide when an arrest leads to a charge.  They are also the ones who negotiate plea bargains.  This position can either be elected or appointed depending on your area.

State Legislators are responsible for policies that set the tone of the culture of your state.  They define what constitutes the procedures for responding to crime, sentencing structures and funding government agencies that are responsible for dealing with offenders and victims.  

Your state legislator represents your area within the state.

There is great importance in these positions - they directly influence our day to day lives and the lives of our neighbors.  If you are not happy with how these positions are being run, use your vote and influence to try and make a positive change. 

Please vote in ALL of  elections!

A further step I am taking to ensure a positive change is to join my Neighborhood Association.  This group represents 26K people of my city's population.  Attending these meetings gives me access to my local officials and to hear their views and policies.  I want the place I live to be a welcoming, healthy and safe environment for all.

Making changes takes some effort - I am dedicated to seeing a better tomorrow!

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What a Mess!

This is my first post in the new blogger format.  It took me forever just to find the button to make a new post.  I am already expecting a bumpy ride!

I finished another vote block for my newest project.

Talk about a mess!  I started with the "LOVE" paper piece pattern by Diane Bohn.  The word Vote and Love are extremely similar  -  I just needed to change the L to a T.  

The pattern is easy enough - the mess was my own creation.

I prepared for this block like I do for any block.  I grabbed a couple chunks of fabric and immediately got to sewing.  I had a clear vision in my mind of what I wanted the finished block to look like but I really didn't think through the details. 

 I ended up with something different than my vision.

I tried to live with my choices and the resulting block but I am really quite unhappy with it.  I could maybe take my seam ripper to it and try to make it better - but it will never be the block I originally wanted.

So I pulled another background fabric and just went back to the beginning.  Yep, I started anew.  I identified the changes I needed and am so pleased with my new block.

My first block was just too chaotic. The letters all ran together and the message was difficult to read.

Voting is important so I want the message to be clear.

The politicians we vote into office should also be meeting our expectations. 

 Use your voice and vote to make sure our country is governed by people we can be proud of.

We can do this together!

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BTW - I made it through the new Blogger format.  

But it sure takes a lot more steps to get things done!

Oh Scrap! : Something New

As I am sitting at home with little distractions, I find myself doing a lot of thinking.

One subject I have been doing a lot of thinking on is voting.

The right to vote is the foundation to any democracy.

The 19th Amendment guarantees American women the right to vote.  Early in America's history, women were denied some of the basic rights enjoyed by male citizens.  Married women couldn't own property and had no legal claim to any money they might earn.  No female had the right to vote.

After decades of struggle and agitation, on June 4th 1919 the amendment was passed through Congress and it took over a year for states to ratify.  Thanks to a 23 year old representative in Tennessee (who listened to his mother), the amendment was adopted on August 18, 1920.  

I thought I would spend now until November appreciating my freedoms and the right I have to vote by making a quilt.  With each block I hope to educate myself and think about how my vote should be molding the future I want to see. 

Things need to change - America is not getting greater.

I hope that women celebrate 100 years of having the right to vote and start demanding a change.

If you want to make your own vote block, I used the Little Letters tutorial at Temecula Quilt Company. I just added a skinny frame around them.

And please, start planning now by ensuring your voters registration or by completing the process to vote absentee now so nothing will prevent you from your right.

Now I will step off my soapbox and dive into my pink scraps.

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