Jyn Erso will likely become one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars Universe.
I loved Rey. Love Rey. I admire and value Rey. At the same time, I don’t quite “look up to her”. There is a disconnect as a woman in her 30’s. Leia continues to be a role model, but as I was 4 when I first saw her she is like my adult mentor. The lead character in Rogue One, Jyn, is amy peer. Still probably younger than me, but the actress Felicity Jones is 33 like me. So I look into her eyes and I see a character who at least has seen as many winters as I have seen. I see someone who has kept her head down too long, stayed out of the fray, and is realizing that she has something to offer the rebellion. As a hero, I have an easier time looking up to her and visualizing myself as her.
This shirt is in honor of her and women like her.
I am unsettled by the state of politcs in the US and the UK that look more and more like the worlds depicted in the movies Children of Men and V for Vendetta. I grew up on Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings. Those stories, these cultural myths, taught me to stand up against tyranny, against oppression, fight for those who were oppressed, fight for equity and equality.
Like the characters of the Star Wars Universe, I am one person. And it can be daunting to look at the world, the deforestation, the extinctions, the poverty, the wars, the xenophobia, and human rights abuses and see a clear path forward or even a way that a single person can make an influence.
Robert Kennedy spoke about ripples. Individuals make ripples when they stand up, with enough ripples they can become waves. Just think about the other side. This rise in hate speech and hate crimes has become a wave because enough individual ripples discovered they were not alone.
Sewing might not be the obvious path to equality. And it is not my only path, for sure. Sewing provides a refuge for me, a way to find peace and control in my life. It is meditation. It is my way of removing myself from the cycle of fast mass manuafacuting.Clothing, like many other forms of material culture, have symbolic functions that convey our personal stories, our identity. Sewing my own clothes is my way of building a wardrobe that inspire me daily and reminds me of who I look up to and what ideals I want to stand for.
Rebellions are built on hope. We have hope. Never lose that.
The Fabric Alchemist 
Amen, sister.
I have teen boys, and it’s hard to convince them and their peers that there is a future. And that we have to be ready for it. So, no, you can’t skip class. No, you can’t put in a half hearted effort. There isn’t time.
Little steps. See something, say something. That’s a good start. It’s funny that the comix and cosplay communities are probably the most politically diverse groups I communicate with. It is a place in the middle to start talking. Because like you know, if you think you hate rebels and then you find out that your best friend is one, that changes the world.