Bristol Badge-making

Had a lovely weekend in Bristol, where I found two beta testers for my badge-making later this week...

I had the idea on the Climate Strike, a few weeks ago. The Extinction Rebellion were stamping bits of cloth or marchers' t-shirts/bags/anything. Perhaps it was a little more time consuming than slapping a sticker on a lapel but much more beautiful. Plus, one of the characters in The Wonder Girls has a tailoring background, so sewing badges seemed more appropriate. Plus plus, I love sewing!

So I went to Powerpoint, cobbled together some artwork based on the The Wonder Girls title font and from the English Stamp Company, ordered a stamp.

On Saturday morning, while the technical support was sorting out the van, I hurriedly stamped up a bit of pre-washed calico and ironed it under a cloth to fix. I gathered a bundle of embroidery threads, some 'rocaille' beads bought on a hobby craft sale binge a few years ago, and my emergency sewing box.

I did the quick and easy badge there and then while the iron was still hot enough to fix the fabric pen. The embroidered version is really easy too, I like the texture of the running stitches. Sewing on the rocaille beads is fiddly but not impossible - just right for anyone who likes a challenge.

I'm thinking of these as secret badges, a bit subversive, under the lapel or inside your jacket badges. My gang does live in a camouflaged hideout after all. You can pin them on or more permanently, stitch them on...

Quote from beta testers, Sam and Holly, 'I'm really enjoying this.' Phew - result! And I love it when an idea goes out into the world then comes back so much more than I first imagined...

I'm really looking forward to doing some more badges at the end of the week!

Here are the details. It's a drop-in between 3:30 and 5:30pm and it's free but hopefully it will sell some books and gather more readers.

The idea is easily adaptable for any ability; it's impossible to go wrong.

Remember, it's never a mistake, always a design feature!

So if you're in Southampton after school on Thursday or Friday 17 or 18 October - come along to October Books, make a badge and join the gang!