Rachel E. Pollock
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labricoleuse.bsky.social
Rachel E. Pollock
@labricoleuse.bsky.social
Writer/blogger, costume-maker, professor, cat mom to Clea
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My book STICKS IN PETTICOATS:PARASOL MANUFACTURE FOR THE MODERN COSTUMER is available here:

www.lulu.com/shop/rachel-...
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
Early Bird registration goes live 1/18 @ 12AM ET. Early Bird price is limited to the first 50 registrants, and will last until sold out or until 1/24 @ 11:59PM ET! After that, badge prices increase to $75 for the rest of the pre-registration period.

#cosplay #cosplayamerica2026 #cosplayamerica
January 15, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Clea offers a brief feed respite.
January 16, 2026 at 2:38 AM
🧵
My friends local to Minnesota, whom I trust a great deal, would like to share the following resources that could use support.

PowWowGrounds - Native American Coffee Shop doing direct food and supply aid to their communities-

Venmo @powwowgrounds

www.powwowgrounds.com
Pow Wow Grounds
www.powwowgrounds.com
January 16, 2026 at 2:30 AM
I’m so glad I started following the Walk for Peace monks!

It’s so inspiring to see people show up for them all across the route.
So today the monks Walk for Peace details.

Day
71 (1/4/2026) Begins - We have just started our walk from Arnoldsville, Georgia, heading east through Crawford to Lexington. The journey continues through Georgia, one step at a time. We warmly welcome everyone to visit us at our stops!
🖖
January 4, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
Reminder for everyone operating at situationally-diminished capacity.
January 3, 2026 at 3:40 PM
I just called both of my senators and my representative. Nobody’s there so you can leave a message even if you are phone phobic and not good at talking to people.
Because the more people call, the more you inspire others to call, the more electeds will pay attention.

Right now, if everyone says: not going to call, not my problem, then it's a death spiral of apathy. We have to break through this.
And what will that do?

They don’t listen to us.
January 4, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
A thing I learned this year: It takes surprisingly few emails/calls to get a rep's attention.

As a strategy, it's probably more effective per person to call Congress than it is to protest.

Our leaders love to ignore us, but they do actually get worried when enough of us overwhelm their phones.
Because the more people call, the more you inspire others to call, the more electeds will pay attention.

Right now, if everyone says: not going to call, not my problem, then it's a death spiral of apathy. We have to break through this.
And what will that do?

They don’t listen to us.
January 3, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
In 2026 I want all of the decent people to remember one thing.

You aren’t meant to be this disciplined, this self-sacrificing to survive. The environment is supposed to support good living. We can have that. You are not a failure. That is politics.

That is all.
January 1, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
Are you an author in search of a New Years Resolution? Are you an author in search of a New Years Resolution that specifically has nothing to do with finishing your draft? Here's one: Resolve to join Authors Against Book Bans & help protect the right to read.
Authors Against Book Bans
Our Mission Statement We are Authors Against Book Bans. We, a coalition of writers, illustrators, anthology editors and contributors, and other book creators, stand united against the deeply unconstit...
www.authorsagainstbookbans.com
December 29, 2025 at 5:25 PM
PENIS WINE RAVE

OK, but that seems like it was my 1996…?
The first 3 words you see will define your 2026.

MONEY
TRAVELS
PIZZA

sounds good to me.
December 28, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
It's okay to tell yourself "This conversation is beneath me" and decide to be quiet.

If you don't give it attention, it dies. Often very quickly.
Ignorance is easy.
December 28, 2025 at 2:30 AM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
What’s up with the loud AF noise coming from UNC’s coal plant? We have a few queries out and will let you know what we find.
December 27, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
I wrote about Pluribus and the dangers of writing exclusively for the fans. www.theatlantic.com/culture/2025...
The Importance of Critical Thinking in a Zombiefied World
Why romantasy is crucial to understanding Apple TV’s hit show “Pluribus”
www.theatlantic.com
December 23, 2025 at 2:11 PM
This video on the templates used by AI image generators illuminates why the outputs look so 🤢generic.

youtu.be/khysGsyK9Qo?...
AI image generators have just 12 generic templates
YouTube video by Pivot to AI
youtu.be
December 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
Great article. It's going to take all of us to push back on A.I. being rammed down everyone's throats even though nobody asked for this or wants it.

www.thenation.com/article/soci...
The Slop of Things to Come
This past week boasted many overhyped AI breakthroughs, but the healthiest one was the fierce repudiation of a contemptuous McDonald’s ad.
www.thenation.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:18 PM
Creating digital models of historical garments

youtu.be/t4GiXJcMnTk?...
PREPARING TEXTURES - How to Create DIGITAL TWINS of HISTORICAL GARMENTS - PART 5
YouTube video by Digital Dressmaker
youtu.be
December 22, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
A blog post about my students’ footwear projects at the end of the semester

la-bricoleuse.blogspot.com/2025/12/foot...
Footwear projects
Now that the semester is over, i’m sharing photos of my students’ footwear projects.  This project is about how a costume maker can create a...
la-bricoleuse.blogspot.com
December 22, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
If you're staff, faculty, grad or undergrad student, alumni, or other community member of any UNC system school, please send Peter Hans a letter opposing the mandatory public release of syllabi.

First amendment & academic freedoms aside, this policy could actively endanger instructors of record.
Oppose the Public Release of Syllabi!
On Wednesday, December 17th, members of AAUP NC from across the state met with UNC system President Peter Hans to discuss our concerns over the proposed syllabi release policy. This meeting is a direc...
actionnetwork.org
December 19, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."

- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.

Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
🧵
A thread of how to say “nobody asked you” from around the world, starting with this one…

A Lithuanian way of telling someone to mind their own business is ne tavo kiaulės, ne tavo pupos. It means “not your pigs, not your beans.”
December 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
If you see this, we IMPLORE YOU to post a picture from whatever device you’re using without explanation
December 17, 2025 at 2:53 AM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
The costume production MFA program at UNC Chapel Hill invites applications from talented theatrical & historical costumers, cosplayers, burlesque, & drag artists.

All MFA students receive a teaching assistantship or a research fellowship.

Learn more at drama.unc.edu/programs-of-...
December 5, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
just bananas no agenda love portland
December 13, 2025 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Rachel E. Pollock
It's so fucked up to have been a kid during the D&D is the devil freakout and the Tipper Gore dirty lyrics freakout and live to see the teen suicide machine get such a pass.
December 12, 2025 at 5:40 PM