Submission Guidelines
Privacy Statement
To protect the organisers’ privacy, no mailing addresses will be posted publicly.
Mailing instructions will be shared after your submission has been reviewed and approved.
Complete the Online Participation Form
You will be required to:
- Upload a clear photo of your finished block
- Include a ruler in the photo to verify size
- Provide your name
Although we ask for your name for administrative purposes, it does not need to be your legal name. You may choose how (or whether) your block is identified publicly.
Submitted photos may be included in a public online gallery documenting the project.
Contributors may opt out of online display whilst still participating in the physical quilt.
All submissions will be reviewed prior to approval.
Sharing Your Work
Many contributors enjoy sharing works-in-progress as they stitch — this is both allowed and encouraged.
If you choose to share your block on social media, please use the project hashtag:
#PatchworkofResistance
Tagging helps document participation and connect contributors across the project.
Deadlines
Early submissions are greatly appreciated.
Two strands of the Patchwork of Resistance project share early May 2026 inclusion dates, but they move forward differently after that point. After this date, the NorthStar Resistance quilts complete their submission window and open out into a wider community framework, whilst the Testimonies of ICE Resistance Story Quilt will continue to welcome new blocks as part of the ongoing archive. More detail on how we see each strand progressing can be found in the sections that follow.
NorthStar Resistance Patchwork Quilts (Blue + Rainbow)
(MN Star Submission Strand)
The NorthStar Resistance quilts (Blue and Rainbow) are being prepared with the intention of submission to the Minnesota State Fair.
Submission or exhibition outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
UK & International Submissions
For contributors in the United Kingdom — or anyone elsewhere who prefers to ship to the UK:
- Preferred deadline: 15 April 2026
- Final UK deadline for inclusion: 4 May 2026
Whilst 4 May is the latest workable delivery date for inclusion in the NorthStar Resistance quilts, the earlier deadline helps accommodate postal delays and postal delays or late arrivals.
Edinburgh area residents may hand-deliver entries to a local address (shared after submission).
Late submissions may choose to ship directly to Minnesota at the sender’s expense. Inclusion cannot be guaranteed.
Minnesota Submissions
For privacy and safety, drop-off details will be shared privately after submission of the participation form.
Preferred deadline: 15 April 2026
Final US deadline for inclusion: 1 May 2026
Local contributors may deliver parcels to a participating quilt store.
After May 1st (US) & May 4th (UK/International)
Following the final inclusion deadline, the NorthStar Resistance MN Star quilt model will transition into an open solidarity framework.
Quilters and guilds worldwide will be invited to interpret and create their own NorthStar Resistance MN Star quilts as expressions of solidarity. These quilts will not be part of the original Blue and Rainbow submission pieces but will continue the wider aims of the project.
After the submission window closes, we will continue assembling and preparing the Blue and Rainbow quilts for potential submission to the Minnesota State Fair. Because the Fair does not always accept group submissions, we cannot guarantee acceptance. However, we intend to put forward the strongest possible application.
As we move into the assembly phase, we will also be seeking volunteers with access to long‑arm quilting equipment to help complete the quilts. Details will be shared once we reach that stage.
Testimonies of ICE Resistance Story Quilt
(The Patchwork of Resistance – Ongoing Archive Strand)
The Testimonies of ICE Resistance Story Quilts are conceived as an evolving archive of testimony and witness.
To enable assembly of the initial King‑sized Story Quilt(s), we are setting an inclusion deadline of 4 May 2026. Blocks received by this date will be considered for inclusion in the first round of completed King‑sized quilt assemblies, the number of which will depend on the total number of blocks received.
This deadline marks the completion of the first King‑sized quilt(s) — not the end of the project.
Although public messaging has suggested that DHS practices are being rolled back, the harm continues — often less visibly, but no less severely. Since the harm and trauma caused by DHS does not have an end date, we cannot justify giving this project one. Participation in this strand will remain open, and the archive will continue to grow for as long as contributors continue to stitch.
As the archive grows, we will also be seeking volunteers with access to long‑arm quilting equipment to assist with the quilting of the Story Quilts. Details will be shared once we reach that stage.
Submissions received after 4 May 2026 will continue to be welcomed and will be incorporated into:
- subsequent King‑sized quilts
- future assemblies
- exhibitions and archival documentation
Our intention is to assemble as many King‑sized Story Quilts as the collective submissions allow.
There is no fixed closing date for participation in this strand at this stage. The archive will continue to grow as long as contributors continue to stitch.
Shipping
All contributors are responsible for the cost of shipping their quilt blocks, regardless of destination.
For many international participants, shipping to the UK may be significantly more affordable than shipping directly to the United States.
Blocks received in the UK by the deadline will be hand‑carried to Minnesota during the first week of May by a family member, helping reduce overall costs for contributors, and ensuring the blocks arrive safely.
Blocks shipped directly to Minnesota must meet the US deadline for inclusion (1 May 2026). Late arrivals cannot be guaranteed inclusion.
Shipping
To be included in the first round of quilt assemblies, blocks shipped to either location must arrive by the relevant deadline.
Missing the deadline does not mean your voice will go unheard. Blocks that arrive after the inclusion deadlines will be welcomed into the ongoing Story Quilt archive.
Shipping costs are non‑refundable, and contributors are responsible for ensuring correct postage and customs documentation where required.
Call for Quilt Blocks
This quilt will only come into being through the hands, time, and care of many people.
Whether you are an experienced quilter, a total beginner, or someone stitching a single block as an act of solidarity, your contribution matters. Every quilt block represents a voice — a reminder that collective work can hold collective grief, outrage, and hope.
Sew one block or many; stitch alone or with friends; participate from Minnesota, the UK, or anywhere in the world.
Every block expands the circle of care and testimony.
The online submission form will be shared soon. Given the current political climate, mailing instructions will be provided individually after your submission has been reviewed, so contributors and organizers can participate safely, and on their own terms.
Thank you for your understanding as we take these privacy measures seriously.
Together, we can build something that refuses to look away.
Closing Note
This project is built on shared care, shared labor, and shared conviction. Each panel stitched for this quilt is an act of witness — a reminder that collective work can hold what individual hands cannot.
Whether you are sewing from Minnesota, the UK, or anywhere else in the world, your contribution becomes part of a larger story of resistance, solidarity, and hope.
Dedication
This project is dedicated to everyone whose lives have been disrupted, endangered, or diminished by systems of detention and state power — and to all who refuse to look away.
May each panel stand as a reminder that resistance can be quiet or loud, solitary or shared, but it is always stronger when carried together.