Pins and Patches 2018

The Pins and Patches Festival in Santa Ana 2018 was me (Saph) and the girls first trip together. I had such a good time despite it being hot as hell and spending way too much money there. There must have been a hundred booths of, well, pins and patches, but also clothes and bags and magnets and everything in between. It was so cool to see almost everyone there rocking tons of pins on the backs of their customized denim jackets or getting to know a person just by the pins they decorate in their Ita Bags. Did you know they’re called Ita Bags, by the way? Those backpacks with a clear plastic window? I just looked that up and found that out.

Anyway, it felt like a tight-knit community of strangers coming together with a common interest. Like, an anime convention or comic con type of thing. It felt welcoming and freeing. It felt like everyone there was supporting you—or enabling you, unsure. We made friends with people manning their booths. I met a fellow Voltron fan there and bought a print from her. Me and the girls bought pins for each other. It was just… really nice. I can’t wait to go again.