Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

Protesters marched for women's rights from New York to Paris and even Antarctica

Tens of thousands are expected to walk through the nation’s capital, while similar marches are held in cities around the country.

Planning started fewer than three months ago from the home of a grandmother in Hawaii in the wake of the unexpected election results. Now, on President Trump’s first full day in office, the Women’s March on Washington is here — and it’s expected to be massive and the biggest demonstration tied to the Trump inauguration.

The past, present, and future is female.

Thousands of men and women flooded the streets of Washington, D.C. Saturday to march for women's rights in the wake of Donald Trump's inauguration as the 45th President of the United States.

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

"Glass ceilings are meant to be broken."

I am making this quilt to commemorate the Women’s March on Washington, D.C., on Jan. 21, 2017. I participated in the Charlotte, NC, march, and wore the pussyhat I knitted. (For information on pussyhats, please visit PussyhatProject.com.) The Pussyhat Project was designed to give people participating in the march a unique collective visual statement – a sea of pink hats with pussycat ears. The word “pussy” is intentionally provocative – it’s a reference to Donald Trump’s admission/bragging on the “Access Hollywood” tape with Billy Bush that he sexually assaulted women: “I moved on her and I failed. I’ll admit it,” Trump says, “… I did try and f**k her. She was married. I moved on her like a b***h, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married.” [Trump and Bush see actress Arianne Zucker.] “I’ve gotta use some tic tacs, just in case I start kissing her. And when you’re a star they let you do it. Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.” – Donald Trump NOTE: I am personally offended at the use of the word “pussy” to describe women’s genitalia. I use the word to take it back, in the same way that some African-Americans are using the word “nigger” to take ownership of it, and make it less powerful as an insult. During the election, several women I know who supported Trump got very upset at people using the word “pussy” and were dismayed that their school-aged children were hearing it. I pointed out that Trump’s use of this word, and more importantly, his admission that he had sexually assaulted women, was the reason for the word becoming so common. It is very difficult for me to understand how someone could vote for an admitted sexual predator. One of the reasons I marched was to protest sexual assault. I have many friends who have been sexually assaulted. One was sleeping in her graduate school apartment when a man broke in and raped her. One was groped by her boss at work. I know women who were raped as teenagers, and in fraternity houses at college. Women who were repeatedly sexually molested by family relatives when they were teenagers. Late in her life, my mother told me that a handyman forced her to sit on his lap and touched her genitals when she was about five years old. I had some close calls myself. So yes, it's time to talk about the “pussy grabbers.” And when the pussy grabber becomes the president of the United States, it’s time to scream. Here are the directions. I’ll post a photo of the whole quilt, and create a free, downloadable PDF of the directions, when I finish the quilt. My pussycat Wicked oversees construction of the Pussyhat Quilt Pussyhat Quilt My version is 5 hats wide and 7 hats long, and measures 51" x 40". It’s easy to add hats to the width or length to make a bigger quilt. Since each of the hats is made from a different fabric, I found it easiest to cut the fabrics into the appropriately sized squares or rectangles first, and then cut the individual pieces from them. (The sizes are indicated in the directions below, and in the diagrams.) Diagram 1: Bottom Row (whole hats) Use 12" x 8" piece. For each of the 4 whole hats in the bottom row, cut from a different pink fabric: One A - 2-1/2" x 8-1/2" One B - 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" One C - 2-3/4" square cut diagonally in half to make 2 C triangles Diagram 2: Bottom Row (ends) Use 7-1/2" x 7-1/2" piece. For the 2 half-hats at the ends of the bottom row, cut from a different pink fabric: One E - 4-1/2" x 5-1/2" One C - 2-3/4" square cut diagonally in half (You only use one half for the ends) One F - 4-1/2" x 2-1/2" Diagram 3: Hats in all other rows Use 10" x 10" piece. For each of the 27 whole hats in the other rows, cut from a different pink fabric: One B - 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" One C - 4" x 4" square cut diagonally in quarters to make 4 Cs Two D - 2-1/2" squares Diagram 4: Ends in all rows except bottom row Use 7-1/2" x 5-1/2" piece. For each of the 6 blocks (half hats) at the ends of other rows, cut from a different pink fabric: One E 4-1/2" x 5-1/2" One C - 2-3/4" square cut diagonally in half (you’ll only use one) One D - 2-1/2" x 2-1/2" You will also need to cut C and D pieces for the very top row, to go between the ears in the block. You can cut these from scraps. Each hat is designed with a band at the bottom that is designed to look like the ribbing on the hat (or the cat’s neck). I made my quilt so that it looks like the crowd of people at the Women’s March wearing pussyhats. So the first row (at the bottom) is at the front, and shows all the ribbing, but the other rows are partly covered over by the ears of the hats in front of them. (You could leave off the bottom row, the ribbing, if you prefer.) I recommend that you lay out the pieces for each row, and sew them together before adding the next row of pussyhats. Work just one row at a time. Because the hats are staggered, they have two different fabrics between the ears, and it can get confusing unless you lay the pieces out where you can see them and make sense of the arrangement. 1. Lay out the pieces for the first two rows of blocks at the bottom, alternating lights and darks and different shades of pink until you get a pleasing look. 2. Ribbing row: Sew together the A pieces. Sew an F piece on each end. Press seams in one direction. 3. Faces row: Sew together the four B pieces. Sew an E piece on each end. Press seams in opposite direction from step 2. 4. Ears row: Sew C triangles together as shown in the diagram above, press toward the ear fabric, then sew them to squares in the order of the design. Press seams between triangles toward one side. 5. Sew the ribbing row to the faces row and press toward ribbing row. 6. Sew the ears row to the faces row and press toward faces row. 7. Repeat until you have sewn all the rows together. 8. Layer with batting and backing, and quilt. 9. Bind, and add a label. 10. Snuggle, enjoy and dream of a time when sexual assault is taken seriously by our society and we don’t have a president who is a sexual predator. Want to make a difference? Please contribute to RAINN. “Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help victims, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.” https://www.rainn.org/

More than 100,000 people gathered in Denver’s Civic Center Park on Saturday for the Women’s March on Denver.

Thousands of Minnesota women are throwing themselves into the political process, some for the first time, as they seek to sustain the wave of energy generated by the Women's March the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Protesters marched for women's rights from New York to Paris and even Antarctica

Marches across the Pacific Northwest will be held on Jan. 20, one year after Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States. The next day in 2017, the Women's March took over streets all across the country and even the world.

More than 200,000 protesters descended on Washington, D.C., for the Women's March On Washington. Watch actress Ashley Judd rally the crowd of what she calls "nasty women."

It seems like women might be interested in this policy too.

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

The policy has been instituted by every Republican president since Reagan, and rescinded by all Democratic presidents.

Images of today’s marches in Washington, New York, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and from other cities in England, Ghana, France, Canada, Serbia, Australia, Kenya, Germany, India, and many more.

Protesters marched for women's rights from New York to Paris and even Antarctica

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

"Glass ceilings are meant to be broken."

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

Images of today’s marches in Washington, New York, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and from other cities in England, Ghana, France, Canada, Serbia, Australia, Kenya, Germany, India, and many more.

"Glass ceilings are meant to be broken."

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

Images of today’s marches in Washington, New York, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and from other cities in England, Ghana, France, Canada, Serbia, Australia, Kenya, Germany, India, and many more.

"Glass ceilings are meant to be broken."

Photos of children at the Women’s March in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities.

Marchers carried hand-made signs emblazoned with passionate messages of hope, rage and...

When millions of like-minded people take a stand in support of women's rights -- in all 50 states and across the globe -- an indifferent shrug won't cut it.

More than 100 individuals braved a 14-hour bus ride from Milwaukee to join the Women's March on Washington. Here's what motivates them.

"Glass ceilings are meant to be broken."

If you think you can bully women back to the 1950s, think again, Oakland Mayor Libby...

As you continue to practice social distancing and DC gradually reopens, we've gathered up some things to do this December, including safe in-person activities and virtual events.

Funny, moving and bolstering moments from the Women's March on Washington.