Detroit Derby Girls

Photo by the Mad Hatcher

Craftsmanship appears to be the theme lately. I have yet another extremely well-made square to show off, this time from the Detroit Derby Girls.The Mad Hatcher sent me this wonderfully complex block representing the wealth of diversity in her league. She phrases it far better than I could, so here are the deets in her own words:


"I choose this particular kind of block that is very heavy in piecing.  I wanted to do something that has many small pieces with very different types of prints because one the coolest things about Detroit Derby Girls is the immense variety of backgrounds represented by our skaters.  We have skaters who are teachers, students, unemployed, graphic designers, lawyers, retail management, waiters, doctors, and so on.  And we come from a number of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as different socioeconomic backgrounds.  We all have different approaches to  skating and derby techniques, to training, to eating right and practicing derby skills.  But I also wanted all of those pieces to be unified by similar colorways: red and black, our league colors.  Because at the end of the day, we work hard to figure out what makes us work best as a league, to capitalize on the overlaps.  So, that's the narrative behind the block!"


I love this square both because of its meaning and its gorgeous piecework. I'm going to have to step up my game if I want the borders around these new contributions to look half as good as the blocks themselves. Nicely done, Mad Hatcher!

ECE Team Goth

I had ample time to dig through my giant pile of clothes while our new bedroom closet was being created. The pile got progressively smaller with each day of having to sleep next to, around, and even under all of my refugee clothing, and I found several shirts that were too full of derby stank to ever wear again, ever. My "team goth" shirt was on the top of the pile, both because it smelled like death and because it resembled a burnt dishrag. How did I find the armholes in something THIS shredded?

If you play derby in the northeast, you have heard of the East Coast Derby Extravaganza. If you live under a rock and/or call any other region home, it's a three-day festival of derby awesomeness in Feasterville, PA. The Philly Rollergirls put this on annually, much to the joy of all who attend. There are sanctioned WFTDA bouts, bouts for B Teams and mixed teams like NERD, and challenge bouts based on themes like Mario vs. Luigi, Robot vs. Godzilla, and Goth vs. Hipster.

I represented Team Goth and had an absolute blast in a way that only goths can. Before the bout we sat around putting on spooky makeup and shredding numerous layers of fishnets. During the bout we played hard and looked awesome in our all-black outfits. After the bout we cried tears of joy because we won. For the rest of the weekend we hung out in the pool and at the side of other bouts, because ECE helps people make insta-friends like that.

If you're anywhere within driving distance of ECE, consider checking it out. It's an incredible weekend, even if you're just watching the action.

DC Rollergirls

Back at Eastern Regionals, I overheard the DC bench coach, Potomac Ripper, giving a moving pep talk to the DC travel team. After tweeting about how it made me cry (shut up) someone retweeted it and he found out. He came over, we chatted, and after a while conversation turned to the quilt. The next morning I found a DC Rollergirls shirt on my table, and I was all kinds of excited.

It's been kicking around my studio for some time, looking for an appropriate background. After the box of Derby Skinz scraps came I foun the solution. There were juuuuuuust enough small pieces of silver-on-blue stars and red and white holographic stripes that I could cobble together this fancy little flag representing the colors of the DC All Stars.  I'm thrilled that my machine was able to handle the four-way stretch material, because I've never quite gotten the hang of working with that stuff.

Thanks Potomac Ripper, and thanks Derby Skinz for helping this square look all fancy. Go team us.

Holy crap! Sweden!

When I first started getting squares in the mail, I fantasized about getting contributions from other countries. When I got my first square from Canada, my ambitions spread overseas. After someone hooked me up with a square from the UK, I hoped to one dat get a patch from someone representing a country that used any language but English as its official language. I'll need to find a new dream, because Sweden has answered.

Julia Ruth Ninja of Gothenburg Roller Derby sent out this square to represent the West Coast Bombshells. She used a great combination of materials, including carefully cut and stitched leather. My mother was all over the corset-looking piece on the bottom, especially. I have to say I agree.

Thank you so much Ninja! I'm thrilled that derby is branching out, and even more thrilled that the quilt is starting to show how far it's reaching. Who's next? South America? Asia? Down under? Let's get on that, people.