Explore the importance of celebrating people of all gender identities while making plushie characters with Mikey Anderson.

Making art in your home is political. For a long time, in lots of parts of the world, there was a divide between home, where women were in charge, and the wider public world, where men were in charge. Even now, things that mostly women make in their homes, like quilts or stuffed toys, are sometimes viewed as less valuable than other kinds of art. Deciding that certain people have to stay home or that their work is less important because of their gender isn’t fair or equitable.

Artists have always been part of the fight to make sure that people of all genders and identities can live and create freely and that their work is valued. Mikey Anderson creates characters that celebrate queerness. Queer identities don’t fit into anyone’s box and challenge us to expand how we think about ourselves and other people.

Activity

Create your own soft, 3D characters—plushies—using your imagination, recycled fabric, and basic sewing techniques.

Gather your materials

• Paper
• Pen or marker
• Scissors
• 2 pieces of fabric or felt (you can use any new or recycled fabric around your house)
• Thread or yarn
• Needle that will work with the thread or yarn
• Something to stuff your plushie with—even bits of cut-up fabric will work!

Make a queer plushie

1. Draw your character. Imagine an animal, monster, or person who is joyfully, magically unique.
2. Draw your plushie pattern (the outline of your character) on paper and cut it out.
3. Trace your plushie pattern onto two pieces of fabric.
4. Cut out both pieces of fabric into the shape of your plushie pattern.
5. Put the two pieces of fabric together and secure with pins.
6. Sew both pieces of fabric together. Leave a hole about three inches long so that you can stuff your plushie.
7. Flip your fabric inside out, so the seam is on the outside and the edges of the fabric are inside.
8. Stuff your plushie with stuffing or cut up fabric.
9. Sew your plushie shut.
10. Decorate and enjoy!

Tell your stories

Print this character sheet and comic book page and use them to give your character a history and tell their story. Remember, you are valuable and the stories you tell are powerful!

Take a look at Sanford Biggers’s Quilt 24. How do the colors and patterns make you feel? What about this work feels comforting? What about this work feels uncomfortable?

When a society doesn’t recognize a person’s identity or their work as important, it doesn’t do a good job of telling their stories. Sanford Biggers makes artworks using old quilts to inspire us to look closely at our past and make sure stories of African Americans aren’t forgotten. Does your family have stories you don’t want to forget?

Reusing materials is also a way of collaborating with the past. Can you tell which parts of the artwork were part of the original quilt and which ones Biggers added? If you were going to keep working on this piece, what would you add?