Before I get on with future posts, I have something to say. I am not turning this space into a political blog and I probably won’t mention this again here, but I think it needs to be said. I took outfit photos a couple of weeks ago and intended to begin sharing these and others last week, but I’ve been very unhappy and yes, it has to do with our Presidential election here in the US. My devastation is not just political and it’s not only because my candidate lost. It has to do with the state of my country. I see so much division and it saddens me. Whether it was ignorance, indolence, intolerance or indifference — we are a nation divided. As Abraham Lincoln once stated: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” I am not hating on Trump supporters. Half of my family voted for Trump for different reasons. I don’t expect the country to come together, sit in a circle and sing kumbaya. I just want to live in a country where all of our citizens are equal and have the right to determine how they are going to live their lives. A country where all of us — regardless of ethnicity, religion, class, education, gender, sexuality or age — can feel safe. I’m certain that that is what the majority of my nation wants and I pray that someday we will experience some semblance of this. That being said, my aim is to act by volunteering for causes I believe in. I’m not going to sit idly by and watch the country that my ancestors fought for for 400 years turn into a place where many of its citizens feel disrespected and unsafe.
I’m also going to continue creating beautiful things and sharing them for the world to see. Continuing to be depressed and unhappy about the state of the country isn’t going to help anyone, especially me. I can do my part. I can be happy. I can make others happy. Sewing and crafting isn’t frivolous. It’s soothing. It’s healing. It can change one’s life and bring others together. Craft can be a bond that unites us. There’s something special about that.
The sewing community is a unique place. We are supportive and inclusive. We cheer for each other and lift each other up when we’re down. No matter where we live around the world, we feel united with the same love for creating things. No, we’re not excruciatingly happy and cheerful 100% of the time, but we don’t shame and berate. We don’t keep our knowledge and skills for ourselves. We’re diverse. We share and help and teach. That’s the epitome of community and I feel blessed and proud to be a part of this place.
Six things we individual Americans can never afford are: Intolerance, indolence, injustice, indifference, intemperance and ingratitude. Whenever any of these enter, they lead to deterioration, defeat and disaster. Any nation given to them inevitably falls. — J. Richard Sneed
I have only one suggestion for EVERYONE. Do your own reseach. You cannot rely on such biased media to tell you the truth or complete story. Think about whether they are showing any favoritism toward either side. If so, you have homework to do! Don’t let them define the narrative.
Beautiful, Tanya. I too am devastated.
I do find some consolation knowing that Hillary won the popular vote. I felt so betrayed by the media, the pollsters, and my fellow Americans.
The only way for me to feel better is to work harder and become more engaged in the process, donate money to causes I believe in, and make my voice heard through protests and calls to my representatives. The march on Washington will be my first activity as an activist!
Chin up. Cream rises to the top and time wounds all heels. Yes, I meant to say that. 🙂
Yeah, I’m so upset by the state of our country. I have hope though, and that’s what we need to get through this. I feel like this has awoken so many sleeping beasts. I know it has for me! I will be marching as well, but in the Bay Area. We’re not going to sit around and let our country become a dreadful place to live!
Thank you. This is well said.
Thank you for reading.
I love you! Your words and actions inspire. We will succeed because we choose to unite. I too am seeking out ways I can immediately affect change upon the world around me. I know that people like us who stop fighting and start doing, listening, talking, educating, helping, encouraging, etc are what will unite our country in more ways than any president ever will. We the People. For the People, BY THE PEOPLE!
“An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory” — Fredrich Engels.
Sending so much love. And yes, let us continue to unite and include through craft, just like our forefathers and mothers did. 😀
I love you, too, Gwen, and I’m so happy that we’ve met through sewing. 🙂 Never stop fighting for what you believe in!
During the final days of the election, I was attending a Palmer & Pletsch tissue fitting workshop in Portland (highly recommended!). I didn’t see a single television screen nor hear a single radio broadcast for a blissful 7 days. We just enjoyed a lovely group of sewists from around the US. We laughed and bonded and supported each other in our pattern fitting travails. It was the best unexpected antidote I could have hoped for, for this toxic election. Sewing, and the sewing community, feels to me right now like the shining highlight of how I would love our nation to be.
It must have been a nice respite. Sometimes I feel like we’re in a prequel to a dystopian novel. I wish our country could come together and be as nice to each other like the sewing community. We definitely set an example!
I love this! Right now, when things are still fresh and feel so fraught, I hear a lot of folks talking about marches and other forms of very physical activism that I can’t do. I understand that doing those things are helpful and have a real purpose, but reading about it, as someone with an illness, I felt left behind.
I had one friend who said, “Make art! ART MATTERS!” I love that. What we do is important. You’re so right when you say that sewing and crafting aren’t frivolous. I too, will keep going, keep making beautiful things and sharing them. Well, in my case, more beginner things. Point is, I’ll keep going. 🙂
I’ve heard that some of the beautiful art that’s ever been created has come out of dark times. We must do what we can, whether it’s marching or sewing or being supportive to others. 🙂
Thank you, well said.
Thank you for reading it.
I agree with you completely, Tanya – I’ve been so appreciative of the way that the sewing community has been a safe space this week. I don’t worry about seeing things that are hurtful to the people I care about when I log on to read sewing blogs or look at photos on Instagram. I think that the sewing community is a special place, and it’s been a comfort to me when I’ve been so upset at all the ways that some people I know in real life have made it clear that they don’t value inclusivity of people from all races and sexualities.
Yes, this community has been a beacon of light to me lately, especially on social media. For one thing, we’ve found common ground and have got to know each other as we have a common love.
A great post, Tanya. I admire the practical way you have approached this. From the UK, it’s been terrible to see the same themes play out in the US that we saw in Brexit and it does make the world seem frightening. We absolutely do need to find a way to move forward together x
Thank you, Kerry. I have hope that the bulk of our people won’t allow our countries to become a terrifying place.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful post. It was comforting to me, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to re-read it a few times this week when I start feeling overwhelmed.
Thank you, Rachel. It’s comforting to me to express my feelings and views.
I’m glad you posted this, and I feel for your shock, disappointment, and fear. I was devastated when we had the results of the Referendum here in the UK, and was shocked by your election results. It’s a truly worrying time, and I agree that young people are in need of a lot of support and reassurance right now [I am also a college lecturer]. Sewing is my therapy too, and although it might seem frivolous, it helps keep me focused and calm. Solidarity from me and like-minded Brits, we all need to present a united front against intolerance.
Thank you. Sometimes people need a wake-up call to change things for the better. Perhaps this is ours.
Sadness and depression over election results is felt all over the world.
I have my fingers crossed for you guys, I know there are many great and caring people in US who won’t let the country fall and will fight for whats good.
Meanwhile I will wait to see who will be his advisor on foreign affairs that concern Russia.
My hope is that we’ve learned from history and it won’t repeat itself. There are a lot of topics that need to be addressed and people that feel forgotten and ignored. I hope for a better future.
I agree and thanks for positing your thoughts in such a balanced way. The sewing community has so many strengths and now, more than ever, we must platform inclusivity, friendship, strength and positive engagement. For me, this is yet another reminder of the huge importance of skills that some elements of society would dismiss as trivial. I have been loathe to introduce politics into my blog (for some fairly obvious reasons!) but I am certainly fighting the good fight for the human race, one stitch at a time!
Thank you, Karen. It seemed too big of a topic to ignore, especially as this has impacted so many people. Yeah, you’re always supposed to steer clear of politics and religion! I promise I won’t start proselytising and sharing my religious views. 🙂
Thank you for this. This week has been extremely hard, and I feel so helpless. I’m grateful you shared.
Thank you. The best way I’ve found to cope with things is to talk about them and express thoughts and feelings.
I’m so glad you posted this. Today I had such a hard time. I have been feeling really depressed and unsure of what to do. I need to find my purpose in this whole new reality. It’s going to take some adjustment for me. I can’t just stand by and allow people to be unfairly treated. I’m glad that I found the sewing world. It is full of really awesome, kind people.
Thank, Natasha. Many of us feel this way. They say that some of the most masterpieces in the world have come from times where the days are dark and the outlook is bleak. I’m going to try to stay positive.
Well said, Tanya. I completely agree with you that focusing on something positive and productive is a good way to begin the healing process. There are still so many good people doing important work in this country, and personally I’m focusing more than ever on doing my part: educating students at the university where I work, and creating an environment of openness and respect where learning can take place. We may not be happy with the election results, but we can still keep on doing what’s important to us and promoting tolerance and community in our own cities and towns. Thanks for this post, and hang in there.
Thank you, Carolyn. I think our education system needs to be at the forefront of this topic. My husband is a middle school teacher and it’s been a tough week for his students.
The discussion of what you can do to make your community better is one I’d like more people to take on. By volunteering, by donating to your social service of choice, to paying it forward with no expectation of a thank you. Be aware of who around you is going through a rough patch. I believe when we selflessly give of ourselves, we infect others with the giving spirit, spreading enough goodness to combat those who would rather take people down. Have you given a compliment today? Did you sew to raise funds for someone with high medical funds? What will you do today to make the world a better place?
I wish more people would do more to help others and make this world a better place. We seem to have become a very selfish society and very isolated in our groups for the most part. My family has always given back to the community, so I grew up with the idea of helping others. It’s something that I need to do more of.
I’ll admit to looking on in horror (not entirely in regard to your President Elect) but to the reaction of the people over the past week. The hatred shown to others who have opposing views is just mind boggling and I find this so very hard to comprehend. I feel truly lucky to live where I do, here in NZ. My daughter can walk hand in hand with her girlfriend down the street without slurs being thrown at them and I can be an atheist and great friends with a Christian. She doesn’t tell me I’m godless or try and convert me and I wouldn’t dream of casting aspersions on her beliefs for one second. This community is very much like that. Accepting and encouraging and I sincerely hope this never changes. I hope more than anything that the turmoil settles down over there in the US and soon…. although somehow I think this is going to be a long road. xx
It is definitely going to be a long road to healing! But, all states are not full of hate or discourse. California and the west coast for the most part are like what you describe where you live. The cities and college towns are generally more progressive and open. I live in a conservative “pocket” which voted 63% (or so) for Trump. Things vary from city to city, county to county, and state to state. I definitely hope for change and not taking a step backwards like we appear to be doing now.
I dislike both Trump and Clinton and voted for someone else entirely. However, I’d just like to say that it’s easy to stereotype people and places that have different opinions than we do. Just because people or a state voted for Trump it doesn’t mean they are “full of hate.” Good Lord. It’s much more complicated than that. I’m not trying to minimize your very real disappointment, but I think people on both sides need to really listen to the other side, with an open mind, and try to understand where they are coming from.
I did not mean that “red states” are full of hate. More so I’m alluding to the portrayal of certain states in the media that one might see in another country. I actually have studied this topic both in undergrad and in grad school, so I do have an understanding of this very complicated issue. I’ve also visited every state in the continental US, lived in several and spent time getting to know people from all walks of life, so I would say that I am pretty well informed and open to discussion from all sides. These are just my personal thoughts and experiences.
Oh, I see what you are saying. Thank you for your reply. I am sorry that I rather jumped to conclusions myself! I’ve seen so much of that (on both sides) the past week. I think the media is a big part of the problem, as they often perpetuate stereotypes and simplifications. We’ll all Americans, and this “us” vs. ‘them” narrative that is promoted everywhere isn’t doing any of us any good. The challenge is going to be to learn to work together. And it does make me sad if entire states are being portrayed in the media to other countries as full of hate. It’s simply not true.
I totally understand what you’re saying. Sometimes I feel myself being a classist and that terrifies me, especially as a former social anthropologist. I think perhaps we’re sometimes stuck in our little bubbles and don’t get to know the world around us. Generalizing and stereotyping people does not help us at all. If more people from different groups got to know each other and found common ground, I think the world would be a different place.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. This is something that is going to have to be worked out over the months to come but I’m with you, I want peace to reign in our country.
There is no easy fix, unfortunately. There needs to be a change and the upcoming administration isn’t it. I suppose we someone like Ghandi to bring broad healing or something like that.
I feel the same. Thanks for expressing your thoughts so well. We must sew on!
Thanks, Barbara. So many of us feel this way. It would feel strange to carry on like nothing is wrong without saying something.
I’m with you 100%. Love from Australia.
Much love to our allies down under.
I feel likewise. I did not touch my sewing machine all last week, but this weekend I came to peace with myself and accepted the outcome of the elections…not happy though. Then I thought 4 years ago I guess republicans felt the same way , so I felt better.
This feels very different. I never voted supported Pres. Obama, but I did respect him. I can’t respect an inept fascist demagogue that incites hate.
Sewing things is an important part of self-care for me, and it sounds like it is to you, too! It has been a simply terrible week, and more hard times are ahead, but that makes it ever more important that we care for ourselves, others, and the planet. Best to you, Tanya, and hang in there; you’re not alone.
Thank you. We can just try to hope that the whole country hasn’t lost their minds.
You have expressed yourself beautifully.We here in Canada are very concerned for you. Don’t give up hope! I agree our sewing community is a model. You are a very nice part of it. Thanks for that.
Thank you, Bonnie. The world is watching us and hopes we don’t fall. It appears that we’ve shot ourselves in the foot.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tanya! I’ve been feeling like posting is frivolous too, so I appreciate your point that being busy, happy and engaged is important!
Thanks, Gillian. We don’t want to be a world of sad people or dark side has won.