Welcome back! Last time we looked at historical examples of fiber arts being used to explore sociopolitical issues, this week we’re going to look at the contemporary counterparts. Now I could spend pages writing about different craftivists and their motivations. However, because this wave is fairly recent, this information is more widely available online and elsewhere so I’m only going to focus on a handful of artists.

Before, I split the work into two categories. Work that calls attention to a specific issue and work that supports a cause. This week I’m going to add a third, fiber as an instrument of change.

One of the examples I touched on last week was the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, but I confess, I didn’t really understand how massive it is, literally. Not only is it estimated to weigh over 54 tons, as of 2010, it is the largest piece of community folk at in the world. Cleve Jones had the idea of the quilt when he was attending the 1978 memorial for assassinated San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Because of the stigma surrounding AIDS, many people were unable to properly grieve, or even have their loved one’s remains properly cared for, as many funeral homes and cemeteries refused to handle the remains of AIDS victims. The quilt became a way for family, friends, and the public to honor people that died.

Each panel measures 3′x6′, about the size of a cemetery plot

Gwendolyn Magee is a textile artist in Jackson Mississippi. Many of her pieces depict what she calls, “… dramatic, visual representations of the African American experience.” I first read about her work in the issue of Quilter’s Home that was banned from Joann’s for being too controversial, (which fits in nicely with this article… Banned art that questions the status quo… Hmmm). Anyway, that’s where I first encountered her piece, Southern Heritage/Souther Shame. She said it was a response to “… The failure of a referendum to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the Mississippi state flag.”

She went on to say, “There was all this talk, ‘I’m not racist, I want to keep this as our heritage.’ I felt a need to show very explicitly that heritage. It involved a heckuva lot more than sipping mint juleps on the veranda or strolling around the plantation with a parasol.” Read more about her work HERE.

Next we have a MrXStitch favorite, Alexandra Walters or Knit-R-Done, as she’s know around these parts. She boldly and honestly explores themes in her work that would make a less courageous person shrink. Her embroidery piece Gay for Eagles reflects her position on Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and as a military wife, she has keen insight into the argument.

She says, “… military service is an expression of love and devotion to a country, personal love relationships have no bearing.” See more of her work HERE.

But what about fiber itself being used as an instrument of change? Anyone who’s thumbed through Craft Magazine or browsed Etsy knows about “Upcycling”, but many communities have taken it a step further. As a spinner, knitter and weaver, I’ve become less interested in my Local Yarn Store and really had a great experience buying fleeces and fibers form ranchers in my area (DIY! Buy Local!), but I will always continue to purchase yarn from Manos Del Uruguay.

From their website- “Manos Del Uruguay was founded in 1968 by a group of women aiming to promote social and economic development in the rural areas or Uruguay. The craftswomen are the owners of Manos Del Uruguay and have set up a not-for-profit organization for rural women, to allow them to develop their communities without the need to leave their homes. They are grouped into 17 co-operatives which spin, dye, knit and produce finished garments for sale throughout the world.”

Finally, if you’re looking to purchase amazing needlework of searching for a worthy cause to donate to, I strongly suggest you take a look at Fine Cell Work, the “unofficial” charity of MrXStitch. Click HERE to read how needlework has dramatically impacted a prisoner’s life for the better.

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Penny Nickels is a printmaker that started playing with needles with tremendous effect. She and her husband, Johnny Murder have been described as “The Bonnie and Clyde of Contemporary Embroidery” and you can discover the power of her creativity at her blog.

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Reference material for this article- Photos and quotes are taken from the artists’ websites. I welcome any suggestions for future articles, contact me at donkeywolf@gmail.com

Let me know what you’re interested in!

If ever there was a good reason for rosette wearing in everyday life, Radical Crossstitch nailed it with this:

There are more!

The new issue of Computer Arts Projects magazine is all about toys. And there’s so much stuff going on, I could seriously get into toys without too much difficulty. I think these characters from dollsforfriends are brilliant. You can buy them from their etsy store.

Actually, Mr Smith (at the top there) commands you to buy them, and you don’t wanna mess with Mr Smith.

This is Basil:
And this is Wilcox:
Simply brilliant.
And IF FATHER CHRISTMAS IS LISTENING, I THINK MR SMITH IS AWESOME AND I WANT ONE! OKAY?

Went to a craft fayre at Middleton Hall in the CMK shopping centre today. I had some high hopes, thinking we might meet some groovy crafters selling interesting wares.
But no.
It was mostly people selling strange bits of naffness, things which were either kinda franchise items, or things that you really wouldn’t want to buy. Now I suppose I’m doing someone a discredit because I’m sure some of the stall holders were good at making the things they were selling. But it was so depressing.
One of the problems with Central Milton Keynes is that it’s impossible for independent retailers to get a shop, because the rents are so high. So the boulevards of the shopping centre are filled with all the big store names. Fair enough.
But then they have the craft fayres, garden shows, and all those kind of shows that cost a small fortune to get a stall at. And there’s nothing that’s local or nothing that inspires you to anything other than self-harm. Seriously, we’ve had garden shows with no plants, food festivals without a single local producer, and now craft fayres with not a single crafter that I wanted to talk to or buy from.
Hmm…
Makes me want to organise something.
Or move somewhere.

On Thursday in Brixton, the Vodafone Live Music Awards took place. In all the nearby bars were people being trendy. Or so they thought.
In a building just off Brighton Terrace, something amazing was taking place.

Sampler-Culture Clash is part of a project being curated by David Littler who, in a moment of inspiration in a pub, decided to examine the dynamic between the two loves of his life – music and textiles. He has used the word “sampler” as his basis and is exploring the similarities between music sampling and embroidery sampling. There’s a lot more connection that you first think:
- Needles
- Weaving (sounds and fabric)
- Patterns
- Politics
- Communication
The list goes on. It’s worth reading the blog about the project to see how strong the connections are. It’s quite amazing.

So when I found about the project I simply had to go.

I arrived at 6.30 to be greeted by the sight of a thirty foot long table, with a huge piece of fabric and all manner of embroidery materials on it. Sitting at the table were some of the wonderful ladies from the New Embroidery Group who beckons me over, and before you knew it we were chatting about blackwork and all kinds of stitchery nonsense.
The fabric was there for people to embroider whatever they chose, as a collaborative piece. So I sat down and tried thinking outside of the cross. Which was a challenge at first, but then you kinda get into it, and before I knew it I was writing my favourite graffiti tag – “keep warm” and doing a bit of couch stitch. All new stuff for me, but I felt quietly confident.

After a while, more people had arrived and at one point there were about thirty people stitching on the thing at various places. What was great was the variety of people taking part, and the effect that communal stitching had in breaking down barriers. The traditional British reserve of not talking to strangers went out of the window, and I met some really interesting people.
There was Monica, the pattern designer who was studying her way through the world of textiles.
There was Jason Singh, sound artist extraordinaire – more on him in a bit.
There was Yusra Warsama, urban poetry goddess and excellent tea maker.
And then the ladies from the NEG, who were so friendly and welcoming and willing to explore different views on embroidery and outlooks on life.
It was a lovely atmosphere and people who’d come along for the music were sitting down and doing their bit.

I had a great chat with Jason and Yusra, who responded really well to my ideas about contemporary cross-stitch. They both came from the music/performing background but you could tell that the project had gotten them a bit hooked. So we chatted a lot, which is why I didn’t stitch as much as I could have done. Now here’s a mad thing – Jason’s got this software which can convert patterns and shapes into sound. I can’t quite get my head around it, but one of the things they’ve done is make sounds from bits of traditional sampler and composed tunes from them. Mindboggling!

Then all of a sudden it was 8.30 and it was show time.
We all went upstairs into the offices of the London Printworks Trust for the show.
In the exhibition space there was a bar, serving wine, beer and cups of tea, and then various spaces on the walls for people to explore sampling. You could use small pieces of graph paper and make patterns, some of which would be turned into sounds later on. There were photocopies of a traditional 18th century sampler, and you were invited to cut and paste new phrases out of them. Monica had done one that was beautifully poetic.

The show began with an introduction from David, who is really honest and modest and passionate about what he does. Then we had:
- A beat box monologue from Jason
- Poetry from the ladies of the NEG
- Poems from Yusra, inspired by samplers seen at the Victoria & Albert Museum
- A video of a traditional stitching song that was recorded by the NEG ladies at a recording studio
- Breakdancing from the Brixton B-Girls

It was superb. So superb that I forgot to take any pictures.
There was a real eclectic bunch of people there a great time was had by all.

Before you knew it, it was 10pm and I had to leave to get home. But I left feeling inspired and exhilarated.
Crafts are coming back in a big way, and events like this just show that although we think we’ve gotten away from all that traditional stuff, we’re just on a circular path and we’re coming back to it big style.

I can’t wait to see what David (in the pic above) comes up with next!

A little project of mine that I did for fun. I’ve got so many medium or big things on the go at the moment that it was nice to do something that only took a couple of hours.

I like all the pixel art and sprite stitch stuff that’s floating around, although I lack the skill to create my own. But having decided to do something retro, Manic Miner seemed an obvious choice. Manic Miner came out in 1983 on the ZX Spectrum and I loved it. I was eight years old and never managed to finish it. A couple of years ago I put a ZX Spectrum emulator on my old computer, and still never managed to finish it.

Here’s a shot of the back – I like a tidy back, although with something as simple as this, it’s not too difficult to keep things neat.

I’ve just come across this etsy shop and am loving it. Glad to see that particular boundary being pushed.

Got married on 8th August 2008 to my beautiful wife Alissa. Thought it was really kind of the Chinese nation to open the Olympics on that day in honour of our wedding as well…

Went to Guernsey on honeymoon and took some cross stitch with me. But while we were out there we found a little craft shop called Stitches in St. Sampson, and bought an illuminated letter pack. It came with some linen and so I decided to do a small piece with an A and J intertwined.

We found a nice picture frame in a shop called Indica in St. Peter Port and the end result is this: