Way back in 2006, at the very first Yearly Kos, my sister and I had patches available for signing for a quilt. It was signed by all sorts of people — including some famous people like Sen. Harry Reid, Amb. Joe Wilson, and Gen. Wesley Clark, to name a few. That quilt later was the focus of an Act Blue page to benefit a Democratic Sen. campaign.
This year, things being what they are, even though we cannot attend the conference, we are going big and sending patches for two quilts to Philadelphia — one to benefit the Democratic challenger for the Kentucky Senate seat, one for Democratic challenger for the Maine Senate seat. I will quilt each one by hand. These quilts will be collectible keepsakes from what promises to be the most important election of our lives so far.
There are one hundred eighty-six patches signature patches on each quilt — and although Netroots Nation this year will be heavily attended and absolutely buzzing with fascinating people, that’s a lot of signatures to get. So I am asking for help. Loggersbrat, the lady you will recognize by her bright red hat, will have the patches and the archival ink pens that must be used for this project (for uniformity and permanence). You will likely find her in the Town Hall of the Conference. If you can take a few patches to your friends at the conference for signing, that will be great! Getting a book signed by a well-known author? Ask to put a patch in front of them, too! (I’ve done that...got John Dean’s signature on a quilt that way!) And a plea to the powers-that-be...if there is any way to get patches and pens to the Presidential candidates, that would be absolutely aces! (You know they will all want these Senate races to go blue.)
If you are not going to Philly and want to put some encouraging words to the future on one or both of these quilts, if you let me know today, you can certainly do that. Let me know in the comments or Kos Mail me and I will transcribe your message. Think of something uplifting, a positive view of a new Senate after 2020. I am a firm believer in the power of words to effect a positive outcome. Here’s a picture of an example.
It is not necessary to contribute toward the making of these quilts to be a part of them — this is something we feel strongly about and are just doing our bit for our country’s future. But if you would like to provide general support for the work we do making quilts for community members suffering illness or hardship, we would be most grateful.
PayPal link for donation to the Community Quilt Project
One last thing… loggersbrat’s return flight will not allow her to mail the quilt box back to me. We will need someone to handle this through the hotel business office. I will include a label for the box. Send me a Kos Mail if you can help!
what happens after…
It will take a month or two to finish the first quilt. Each patch will have to be heat set to make the ink permanent before the top is assembled. Then I will hand quilt it. But when it is done (I think Kentucky first, don’t you?) we will run a month long Act Blue campaign. A person can enter once a day in one of two ways — with an Act Blue donation to the page set up for the fundraiser or by supplying a 50 word essay on a topic yet to be selected. At the end of the month, we will draw a ticket for the quilt and some lucky person will have it for their wall. Of course, if the election goes well, we will all be extraordinarily fortunate!
Afterwards, we will repeat the process for the Maine quilt.
Yours for a Blue Senate,
The Community Quilt Project!