Introducing our new and biggest project… the *drum roll please* Craftivist Jigsaw Project #imapiece

16 Oct Introducing our new and biggest project… the *drum roll please* Craftivist Jigsaw Project #imapiece

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Finally, we have everything for this project all completed so we can launch it today – on World Food Day! So, what is our next big annual national project, where we get all your crafty creations together, I hear you ask? Well…

We are all a piece of the puzzle, creating change stitch by stitch. That’s the philosophy of Craftivist Collective, and the theme of our latest project, which launches today in support of Save the Children’s ‘Race Against Hunger’ campaign and with the backing of some of the country’s top contemporary crafters: Deadly Knitshade, Mr X Stitch & Hilary from CraftBlog UK

From now until the spring, we’ll be urging you to join the campaign to put hunger at the top of the agenda at the G8 next summer, and encouraging us all to be part of the solution to tackle hunger, not part of the problem. This is an opportunity we have to make real significant impact on the world and on our Government and show that the craft community demands systemic change.

How can you get involved in this crafty activism?

Well with a needle and thread, of course! The place to improve the world is first in one’s own hearts and heads and hands, and craftivism is a tool for that ‘slow activism’ we do. The aim is for people to make three jigsaw pieces, stitched with provocative and encouraging messages to remind us we can all improve the world and help fulfil its potential . One of the pieces will go towards creating  an art installation to raise awareness that we all have a role to play and show that the craft community wants the Government to use its power and influence as host of the 2013 G8 to tackle injustice. 

The second piece is for you to keep as a reminder to be part of the solution, especially when we feel overwhelmed and helpless. We can all do our bit in so many ways – from buying local and reducing our carbon footprint, to raising awareness and talking to MPs about important issues like food price spikes and biofuels. Which leads on to the third puzzle piece, which you can stitch with the words “I’m a piece” and give to your MP to ask them to be the positive change they wish to see in the world.

And that’s not all! There will be craft events across the country from Manchester to London, Cardiff and Milton Keynes and crafty activists are invited to do the project on their own, with friends or set up their own event as well as spreading messages and images about the project through their social media platforms using #imapiece. Keep an eye on our events page for all the info. 

Why are we doing this? Simple. The number of hungry children in the world has risen for the first time this decade. Hunger and malnutrition are political problems, which need political solutions, and the craft community can play a part. The G8 will be hosted in the UK next spring so eyes around the world will be on us again (like when it was hosted in Scotland, and the UK public responded with the mostly successful Make Poverty History campaign). This is a big opportunity to make historical change.

Some of the key players in the emerging contemporary craft movement are getting involved with this Craftivist Collective project: graffiti knitting street artist, Deadly Knitshade, Hilary Pullen, writer of social media tip blog ‘Craft Blog UK’, and Mr X Stitch, the original manbroiderer.

They know that life is like a puzzle – it all seems a mess but when it gets finished it looks brilliant! This project aims to show that we are all connected and our actions make a difference, whether that be through what we decide to buy, vote for, how we treat people etc. There is no one solution to the problem of injustice but we can all play a part in a movement for change. It’s easy to ignore malnutrition in the UK and overseas if it isn’t directly affecting us, but we hope that this project reminds us to be in solidarity and fight for a more just world for all and, basically, just do the right thing and not regret not having a go.

All children deserve a good start in life whether they’re in Sudan, Seattle, Stockholm or Southampton. Nutrition gives all children the chance to fulfil their potential. There’s more than enough food for everybody, but the way we grow and share our food doesn’t work. That’s not fair play and it doesn’t have to be this way. Next year is a historic opportunity to tackle hunger once and for all. We need to make sure it doesn’t go to waste. After all, it is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do.

So please join our project, show solidarity with people around the world wanting a world where no one goes to bed hungry and children can fulfil their potential. Everything we do has an effect so let’s create a positive effect together in the shape of a giant jigsaw 🙂 x

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS1K0CkzvHk?list=UUJ7gYHuTyKF0FPvyRpD_hxw&hl=en_US]

All the support you need is here at http://imapiece.craftivist-collective.com/ including:

• Instruction video
• Instruction Sheets
• Jigsaw Content suggestions,
• Story to reflect on whilst stitching 
• Jigsaw template- 140mm x 200mm (make sure it’s this size so print 100% scale)
• upcoming events,
• Save the Children Race Against Hunger petition to sign
• and you can always contact us here if you still feel stuck 🙂