Feminist crafters, how about we make a MN banner to march behind?

[sethstarkaddersmackerel]

don't you think?

a big cloth one with beanpoles (and tassles at the corners, in manner of old trade union banners) carried by 2 people.

ideally it would be appliqued but could be painted instead.

I think we should do this because:

1. trade union style banners are a fabulous craft tradition that should be continued
2. doing one for Mumsnet would bring together old and new in a way that I think would make people look twice
3. lovely banners increase the visual appeal of a march and thus encourage people to look again and hopefully see the slogany ones
4. there were so many of us at MWR, probably 40-50 including children, surely a contingent that size needs a banner?

wdyt?

I can make you a lovely big cardboard template of the logo because I'm good at that sort of thing. But I wouldn't want to do anything else!

that would be fantastic!

Okay - if you tell me what size you want it, I will do it :)

Am busy thinking through the design.

first question is orientation - do we have it portrait (like the trade union/Suffragette banners) or landscape (but longer) which is more normal these days?

(or am I overthinking it and it really doesn't matter?)

second question: as well as Mumsnet Feminists and the MN logo, should it also have (embroidered, rather than appliqued) at the bottom, the web address, www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/ ?
this would be by analogy with other banners these days that often have some kind of contact details on them. I'm thinking it could be embroidered onto a panel, then the whole panel appliqued, so that if the web address changes it can easily be updated.

oh f*ck it I am totally overthinking, aren't I? portrait looks better.

would like to know if anyone thinks the web address is a good idea though.

I would say landscape as it gives us more flexibility on size (you can only go so tall before it becomes unwieldy). Web address is really good idea (and MNHQ would love us dearly). We could have some kind of slogan as well?

FB - patchwork! I can do patchwork (thank you Gran!). Haven't done it for a while but I was quite good at it. [breathes a huge sigh of relief that she won't be the only person who cannot wield a needle now!]

Sorry x-post there! Portrait is good too!!

I can do a bit of patchwork too and would be more than happy to take a letter.

when I've worked out exact dimensions and instructions I'll post a list of the jobs including the letters and you can all pick the one you want

Right then ladies sisters.

The banner is now planned.
We will need 16 letters; please write your name in caps next to the one you would like to do and repost.
There are also a couple of other, bigger jobs listed under the letters.

Letters need to be 12.5cm high PLUS any sticky-uppy bits; thus t and f and i will be a bit higher.
They are in the Mumsnet font (whatever it is called) in lower case.
You can use any colour, any fabric, check, flowery, plain, any material, cotton, wool, silk, nylon, etc. Please check for colourfastness beforehand in case we get rained on. If you would like to embellish further using embroidery, crazy patchwork, potato printing, Mooncup art, etc, that is also fine. If you would like to knit, felt, crochet, make Honiton lace, embroider on it, weave lentils, etc, that is fine too.

The letters will be applied using Bondaweb. I can get some and send you a bit if you PM me your address. The method is, you make a template of your letter then iron your fabric onto bondaweb, then draw round the template and cut out the bondaweb and fabric together. You don't need to hem it see video here. You will then send me your letter backed with bondaweb which I will iron onto the banner, then zigzag round on the sewing machine.
If you are doing something like crochet which might not work very well with bondaweb, don't worry, I'll just sew it on any way that works.
(Then if I get zigzag fatigue halfway through I'll post it to someone else to take over )

if anyone spots any flaws in the plan please let me know.

Please add names below:
-m
-u
-m
-s
-n
-e
-t
-f
-e
-m
-i
-n
-i
-s
-t
-s

-making cardboard template of Mumsnet logo, just under 44cm high (which should be about 77cm wide) LADY BISCUIT
-using said template, cut out logo in blue silk and bondaweb
-embroider 'www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/' on light-coloured piece of fabric approx 70cm long in dark blue, using chain stitch or similar. (If no-one volunteers for this peculiar task we can write it on instead)

thanks all.

'(could our mumsnet feminist logo have the lassie on the right holding a feminist symbol instead of a bottle?)'

Yes, fab idea!
and satin stitch fine.

people doing letters which repeat might want to collaborate on templates, so when they have done theirs they could post the template to the other person doing that letter, if they wanted.

-m-ENGELBERT
-u - dittany
-m - LADYBISCUIT
-s
-n
-e
-t
-f
-e
-m
-i
-n
-i
-s
-t
-s

-making cardboard template of Mumsnet logo, just under 44cm high (which should be about 77cm wide) LADY BISCUIT

I will make the template with a o+ being held by the woman on the right (obviously upright :o). Is that what you meant dittany?

I will find out what the font is and get back to you all :)

I can do the letters too but could I do one of each letter? So every M sends it on to the next M and so on? There are a fair amount of repeat letters

I was thinking there might not be 16 people who want to do it, in which case if people are doing more than one it might make sense for them to do the same letter - eg one person does all the Ms etc.

we'll see in a few days how many people want to be involved.

I might have a go at one- I am so not crafty though.

Have we got a slogan? That would be really nice.

it is honestly really simple BoF - the fun bit is choosing the fabric you want, then you just iron the fabrics together then draw round the template and cut them out. No prior skills needed (though people who do have craft skills can go to town).

no slogan as things stand, though if people came up with a good one (and could agree on it.... ) it could be fitted on.