Making Sashes for the
Women’s March on Washington, Jan 21, 2017
When I first heard about the Women’s March, I knew I had to be there wearing a sash in
solidarity with our suffragette sisters. The more I worked on my design, the more I
realized it was the perfect message canvas for a winter protest. T-shirt and sweatshirts are
great for nice weather, but late January in DC tends to be bitter cold requiring a coat,
scarves, and mittens.
After a great deal of trial and error, I mastered making sashes out of satin ribbon. Above
are photos of my finished products and below are instructions on how you can make your
own sashes for the March.
I recommend using the sashes as a fundraiser. Instead of selling the sashes, I’m asking
people to make a contribution to Planned Parenthood.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at [email protected]
Let our voices rise up and be heard,
Robbin Warner
SUPPLIES
Ribbon
• 3-inch white double sided satin ribbon.
• 2-inch purple double sided satin ribbon for
the borders
Why purple? This color has a long history in
the fight for women’s rights.
Purple is the color of loyalty, dignity, and
steadfastness to an important cause.
Purchasing ribbon. I bought the ribbon
online from PaperMart
http://www.papermart.com They have good
prices and fast and dependable deliver.
Ribbon length. I cut the ribbon into 80-inch
strips. This is a good length for wearing over
a coat or jacket.
Extra Large (4-inch) Safety Pins
PuI decided to use extra large safety pins as
fasteners for the ribbons. The safety pin is a
symbol of unity and safety.
Purchasing. I ordered the extra large safety
pins on Amazon
Other supplies
• X-Acto knife
• Paint
• Roller brush
• Spray Tacky
I purchased all of these at Michael’s
MESSAGES
Short messages work best. Here are the messages I put on the sashes:
Front: Women United | Back: Against Hate
Front: Rise Up | Back: Women United
Front: Women’s Rights | Back: Are Human Rights
Front: Love is Love | Back: Love is Love
STENCILS
To make the stencils, I first designed the
wording and then printed it out. I used a font
that was simple, bold, and 2-inches high.
I put the print out under clear plastic and then
cut the words out using an x-acto knife.
Stenciling the ribbon was harder than I
expected. After much trial and error, I camp
up with a process that produced clear and bold
lettering.
First you need good shiny paint that works on
fabric. I ended up using Martha Stewart
Crafts Multi-surface High Gloss acrylic paint
in black.
Next you need to tape the ribbon on a board. I
used painter’s blue masking tape.
Then you need to attach the stencil to the
ribbon. I found that spraying just a little
Tacky Spray on the back of the stencil worked
well. The trick here is to only use a little
amount. Too much and you have trouble
removing the stencil and end up with left over
glue on the ribbon.
Finally you’re ready to paint. I used a roller
brush. The trick I found with the paint is you
want to make sure it isn’t runny. A good thick
coat is best to avoid the paint bleeding under
the stencil.
SEWING ON THE PURPLE
BORDER
I sewed the purple border on after I stenciled
the white ribbon so that if I made mistakes in
the stenciling, I would only lose the white
ribbon, not all the ribbons
FINISHED SASHES
Here’s a selection of the finished sashes