The lighter side of the state Capitol…and sometimes beyond

What does someone do with a campaign t-shirt once the campaign is over?

If you’re lucky, it becomes part of a quilt by Pat Worley, the former chief assignable clerk at the state House.

The t-shirts that become her quilts come from Coloradans running for Congress, statewide seats such as Secretary of State or governor, and even a Denver mayor (or three).

It started with several boxes collected by former Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post scribe Lynn Bartels. When she downsized to a condo in 2019, she had a dilemma: what to do with all those shirts?

She gave them to Worley, whose sewing skills at the Capitol were already legendary. Worley made the first ties with the Colorado state tartan, the first one going to the late Rep. Gary McPherson, who connected her to the person who came up with the tartan back in the mid-1990s.

He had one condition for giving her that info: that he would get the first tie. And he did.

For years after that, lawmakers wore the ties and scarves Worley made with the Colorado Tartan, and she helped persuade McPherson to change the date of Colorado’s celebration from July 1 to the National Tartan Day on April 6.

Worley, known for her “Oh My God red” hair color, was also a bit of a prankster or a co-conspirator. When a lawmaker wanted to pull a prank—like asking that Majority Leader Doug Dean’s coat sleeves to be sewn shut (hello, Rep. Shawn Mitchell) —Worley’s needle and thread carried out the joke.

It earned Worley her nickname, “Evil Pat.”

According to a Bartels column, when Worley retired in 2013, Worley would walk by the podium of House Speaker Frank McNulty and say, “You better watch it, buddy, an effort get the Highlands Ranch Republican to laugh.

In 2012, she sewed the arms of his suit jacket shut; in the 2013 session, she crocheted a baby blanket and teddy bear for his newborn daughter.

“The Capitol,” he said, “won’t be the same without our Evil Pat.”

When Bartels gave the boxes of shirts to Worley in 2019, Worley created the first quilt, which she then gave to Bartels.

She also made pillows with two of the t-shirts, one for Wayne Williams, whom Bartels worked for when he was Secretary of State; and for former U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, with whom Bartels shared a long friendship. The Perlmutter pillow eventually went to the state Democratic Party as part of an fundraiser. In a letter she wrote for the fundraiser, Bartels said “God knows we need an honest pillow guy.”

Worley’s second quilt project, which is now in progress, is state lawmakers, starting with those she worked with, such as McPherson. The list is “Who’s Who” of the state Capitol over the years: House Speakers Doug Dean, Crisanta Duran, Mark Ferrandino, Russ George and McNulty. Andrew Romanoff and Lola Spradley; Joint Budget Committee chairs Cheri Gerou and Brad Young; and Senate Majority Leader Norma Anderson, who referred to Worley as the “glue” that held the House together, in the Bartels column.

Her list currently includes 45 lawmakers who served between the 1990s and the final years of her service. She retired in 2013 after 22 years in the House.

She’s finished one side of the state lawmakers’ quilt but needs about another 30 T-shirts to finish the other side, as the quilts are intended to be reversible. She has also taken items like bumper stickers and transferred them onto fabric when a t-shirt isn’t available.

The second quilt is headed for former state Rep. Mark Waller, who intends to display it.

If you have a campaign T-shirt or a bumper sticker to contribute, contact Pat at 303-915-3422.

Thanks to Lynn Bartels for the photos and the pillow letter.