Somewhere in a closet there is probably still a sash, green or tan, covered in little round badges for knot tying, first aid and selling a truly impressive number of cookies. Quilters never stopped earning them. We just switched to fabric and started stitching the badges on ourselves. The Sew It Yourself Club is where those badges live, one design for each skill a maker picks up between the first cut and the final binding.
Badges for hours logged at the machine
Quilting Is My Cardio curls a spiral of colorful spools beneath the words, because a day of pressing, pinning and trotting to the ironing board absolutely counts as a workout. I'm Not Retired, Quilting Is Hard Work sets the point straight in bold block letters, with a row of tools across the middle: a machine, spools, scissors and one tidy quilt block. In My Quilt Lady Era cuts every letter from a different patchwork print, and Needle Little Help threads a needle through purple script for the evenings when the seam ripper is working overtime.
Badges for the stash
Quilter(ish) spells out its title big and bold, then admits in much smaller print that she just buys lots of fabric. My Fabric Stash Is Fabulous shows a neat stack of folded fabric wearing a pair of sunglasses, and the line underneath confirms that it knows it. Exploding Patches puts a single spool at the center and sends bright patchwork squares bursting out in every direction like a fireworks show over the cutting table.
Badges for the pretty stuff and the good company
Spool Blooms grows spools of thread like wildflowers on tall green stems, the sweetest garden a quilter could ask for. Bobbin' Along keeps things breezy in pink letters on deep purple, with a spool standing in for one of them. Feathered Stitches arches a rainbow of feathery quilting lines over a machine and a sweep of waves. Sewcial Circle swirls pastel threads into a round with a small heart in the middle, and Resting Stitch Face catches a woman at the cutting mat, rotary cutter in hand, slicing rainbow strips with complete concentration.
Pin one on the sash of someone you know
Picture the member we all adore. She answers every compliment with "thank you, I made it," she has a strong opinion about quarter inch seams, and her stash has its own closet. Maybe she is the cardio quilter, the stash queen in sunglasses or the friend who treats sew night like a standing appointment. One of these already has her name stitched on it. And the only badge still missing from anybody's sash is Finished Every UFO, which, between us, no member has earned yet.
Written by Penny the Mascot. Thanks for reading.
