One of the other things the library maker space has is a big ol' Silhouette Cameo. Like the 3D printers, I have a couple of my own; unlike my 3D printers, I have a currently-working one. Technically two, but the Cameo 4 is still in a moving box somewhere, I hope. I only ever get it out when I need the heavier pressure, since it's the same size as the Cameo 1.

Bonus kid wanted to make some T-shirts, so out it came. We're having a (re)learning curve in getting the iron-on to adhere (I have used the Cameo for paper- and decal-cutting more than T-shirt transfers) but we're at least having fun making the images.

I started this one with the first three lines but was going through my fonts to pick an appropriate one for it, and when the retro Eagles font came up I added the fourth line. It doesn't exactly make any sense, but ending almost anything with "Go Birds" is appropriate in greater Philly.

Cameos are great for making protest signs and T-shirts. You can send to them without going through a centralized server, if you skip the Silhouette-brand software and just print direct out of Inkscape (I use this plugin, but I think if you load designs via USB it doesn't go anywhere. Doublecheck this before trusting a library Cameo!) So while you might get tracked down by custom bought-on-Etsy protest gear, your Cameo won't snitch on you. Don't, of course, go around posting on social media or your blog that you've made a unique T-shirt, and definitely consider making a different shirt for every protest. This one will be for everyday wear for me. If I attend any protests, and I'm not saying I do, it won't be in this shirt.

(You could, though. Here's the SVG.)

Which is not to say that I advocate doing anything illegal at a protest, but a lot of states are enacting or trying to enact laws that criminalize just being at a protest where someone else breaks the law. And if you're not a citizen (or might be "mistaken" for a non-citizen), even a peaceful exercise of one's First Amendment Rights (which aren't citizens-only!) can be used as a pretext for deportation. No sense taking chances.

Anyway, the header image? It's really really hard to cut yourself with a Silhouette, and no one did. But I use a rotary cutter to trim the end of the vinyl for accurate feeding, and one of the kids had a friend over who assumed it was no sharper than a pizza cutter and tried to spin the blade. Luckily, the guard was almost in place and so the cuts weren't deep, but learn from my fail: don't assume "everyone knows" rotary cutters are round razor blades! (In my defense, the friend wasn't participating in the crafting, but just picked up the cutter because it was there. Still, I should have gotten rid of that cutter since its safety is slightly worn out.)