We are very excited to announce the launch the of Craftivist Collective’s summer craftivism project. We’re asking people to stitch messages onto tomato jam jar lids in support of Oxfam’s Grow campaign, for a world where everyone has enough to eat.
Why tomato jam you may ask? Well when the CC committee got together to think up some projects, a meeting that Sarah C had with an inspirational woman struck a chord. The jam is made from a recipe given to Sarah by a Kenyan farmer called Christine who she met five years ago. Christine had lost her husband and sister to AIDS and was looking after all the children. She joined a women’s cooperative that looked after orphans by making and selling food like tomato jam and pumpkin chapati on the local market. “She did back-breaking work and at the age she should be retired she is probably still working hard,” says Sarah. “I will never forget meeting her.”
photographs of the basement craft area and shop display cabinet selling many of our crafivism products (kits, postcards, badges, gift cards, flyers and one example of a Mini Protest Banner at the top)
We recently delivered a Mini Protest Banner workshop at Fabrications craft shop in Hackney London and loved the new workshop space, ethos of the shop and the owner! So much so we are going to work together again in June and September to deliver 2 more craftivism workshops (find them on the events page here) in this beautiful space.Fabrications are also selling our products in the shop and often have crafivism themed window displays before our workshops and events.
Fabrications is an independent gallery, shop and studio dedicated to contemporary textile practise and design, with a particular interest in upcycling and eco design. Continue reading →
On a cold February day the Craftivist Collective gave a warm welcome to encourage us to show the world our love.
Meeting in the stylish basement of Fabrications there was a fun and relaxed event which allowed us to think about what we want to do to improve our world whilst encouraging others to do the same, oh and having lots of fun with a heat gun!
This valentines project involved using shrink plastic to make key rings as valentines presents which were then left for strangers find along with a letter encouraging them to show a little more love to the world this valentine’s day rather than just a significant other.
Words by Barley Massey, the owner of craft shop Fabrications, London:
A giant love letter has elegantly floated into Fabrications window this month in time for Valentines day. It is stopping passers by in their tracks, my favorite reaction was 2 small boys who stood, pointed and smiled lots.
They ran off and brought back their parents to read it – brilliant! Keep
recruiting boys!!
Amongst the rails of rainbow-coloured vintage clothes and to the soothing sounds of a live band playing Dr Who and Crimewatch theme song sax solos, around 20 of us gathered at the Paper Dress shop for an evening workshop of hanky panky stitching as part of Craftivist Collective’s ‘Don’t Blow It’ campaign. A truly unconventional way to start of the year and beat the winter blues, I love the fact that whilst we were all enjoying doing something a bit different we could be encouraged that our stitching could help make a difference in the world. Continue reading →
There are so many distractions wherever we live, particularly on Valentines Day. Our craftivism Valentines project is a friendly reminder of the difficult circumstances our global neighbours are in and the gifts are there to encourage a conversation to start even after Valentine’s Day.
Each year we try and hijack valentines day and remind people to “Show some love” for their global neighbours as well as the usual smushy stuff. We would love it if you joined in our craftivism project this year.
For the last 3 years we have had people all over the globe make as many cards as they can and leave them around their area on Valentines day. Each includes a handmade keyring designed by cult jewellers Tatty Devine. In the last 3 years we have left 100 letters across the UK (London, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Banger, Newcastle, Cornwall, Coventry and more- see photos here) as well as America and Canada. Each letter will contain an alternative valentine’s letter (see template letter here), a handmade gift that Tatty Devine are designing for us (see design here) and a love heart sweet. Hand delivered to gaps in walls, cash machine slots, shop shelves etc- You don’t have to be in a relationship to have one of these!
Louise Philips emailed us with her image and blog below:
“I have been interested in Guerilla Art like this for a while now and have lots of love for Craftivist Collective. I met them at a Make workshop in House gallery and cafe in Camberwell. I think its an amazing and empowering way to put positive things into the world. It’s crazy wisdom which is unexpected and can influence people and plant seeds – little surprises in random places.
I believe what I’ve sewn here with all my heart. The way we think and therefore feel and see things is in our control. There is so much potential. When we nurture positive thoughts they grow with the law of attraction and the littlest of changes or positive actions should NEVER be underestimated. If one person sees this before it disappears it was worth it. In fact, even if they don’t, it was. I grew stronger in making it.
I put it in Ruskin Park in the Ruskin Park Community Garden in a fence just off the main path. There is lots to see in this park but lots of abandon too – this might brighten it up.
Fiona Whyte (pictured left): I wandered down to the delightful Paper Dress that evening very much looking forward to some stitching, a cup of tea and one of their notoriously huge slabs of cake.
Being a relatively new Craftivist there were lots of people to talk to, some I recognised from other events put on by the Collective and many I hadn’t met yet. We settled down into the comfy sofas and discussed what we would each be stitching.
We had decided to make some mini protest banners in support of the Robin Hood Tax. People had come along with some different facts, quotes and messages to stitch and inspiration sheets had been produced for those not sure what to write. There was plenty of talk about cuts, tax and bonuses. We talked about support for the robin hood, or Tobin tax being so high. The most popular tax in history?
I had got a head start on mine and brought a quote from the governor of the Bank of England already stitched onto some fabric. I had gone with “Never has so much money been owed by so few to so many” Mervyn King paraphrasing Churchill’s famous “Never was so much owed by so many to so few” . I had stitched most of the wording on my train to work which had garnered a few more supporters of the tax as people asked what I was making and why.
Despite finishing the quote there was still plenty to do and I’m by no means the fastest stitcher in east end. I had to attach my fabric to a backing (which hid all my stray threads) and choose some finishing off bits which included a Craftivist Collective label and a Robin Hood badge.
It was only really once I was getting into the sewing that I started to think about our special guests of the evening: a crew from the French TV station Canal+. What would they be like? Would they want us to do anything special? Do I know enough about the Robin Hood Tax to answer questions I might be asked? A team of three arrived – presenter Alexandra, producer Carole and cameraman (eek, we can’t remember his name!). At the sight of cameras I went pink under my green felt Robin Hood hat. My fellow craftsters and merry women were also a little nervous so it was lucky for all of us that Alexandra and her team were professional and approachable. They thought the creative style of campaigning that Craftivist Collective used was really interesting and just wanted to hear more about it. Founder Sarah Corbett gave Alexandra a run through of who the Collective were and what we did and we all filled her in on what had attracted us to the Collective and what we hoped to achieve with our craft.
Finally we ventured back outdoors and down to Bank station, the perfect location for a mini protest banner on the RHT. Our band of merry women caused plenty of turned heads and smiles along the way. We found some great spots around Bank where we could attach our banners. Railings, benches and barriers were adorned with brightly coloured messages of greater equality, attached by cable ties – but only when we could be sure no one was looking!
I think putting up your piece on display has to be the best bit of making the banners for me. Where should it go and why. By the time we finished filming the banners going up in the street it was late and we were all tired and hungry but happy from a great evenings craftivism.
One of our current projects is to cross-stitch messages into masks to leave on statues across the world. One of our craftivists decided to put a mask on one of the Antony Gormley statues which have permanent residence on Crosby Beach. The project is called ‘Another Place’ Continue reading →
