When people ask me about craftivism,* I love to talk to them about what’s happening now and who’s doing what here in the present. However, I also try and remember to make the point that craftivism is nothing new, as like with The AIDS Memorial Quilt, which I mentioned last week, many amazing craftivism projects…
Category Archives: LIFE LOVERS
After donation and beautification, notification is the third tenet of Craftivism.* Compared to the other two tenets, notification tends to garner the most discussion. Unsurprisingly, it is also the one most likely to hit people with the biggest punch, as it features a juxtaposition between the “soft” world of craft and the “hard” world of…
This post is the 3rd in a series about craftivism. If you missed the previous posts, you might want to check out the Introduction and Part I. The second tenet of craftivism is beautification, or making your surroundings more beautiful by using your craft skills. As yarn bombing is what people think of first when…
A finger puppet from Craft Hope’s project with Country Woman magazine Last week on the blog, I wrote an introduction to craftivism, an international creative movement that I started in 2003. As I noted last week, within craftivism, I created three different tenets to help illustrate whether something falls under that umbrella:’ 1) donation (creating items…
In late 2000, I lived in New York City and learned how to knit. I just wanted to learn a hobby with which I could connect to others, I didn’t want to create a movement. But that didn’t mean I didn’t need to change my life. It wouldn’t be until later that I fully realized…
For us, the people behind the clothing’ and stores we love are just as, if not more important than the things they create. It’s the people that inspire us and add to our overall experience of a brand. One of such people is Jesse Kamm, an example of a modern woman who is intuitive about using’ modern…
A painting depicting women inspecting silk, early 12th century, ink and color on silk, by Emperor Huizong of Song For hundreds of years, China tightly controlled the production and manufacture of silk, making it the most prized of all fabrics.’ The desire for silk created thousands of miles of trade routes as well as advances in…
The Fair Isle Jumper by Stanley Cursiter, 1923 Nothing says warmth like a cozy wool sweater but it took’ thousands of years of selective breeding to get it.’ Ancient’ sheep bear little resemblance to today’s wool sheep, selectively bred for their fine coats. Like other domestic animals, humans bred sheep for different traits to develop the breeds we…
Robe à la française, France, block-printed cotton, c. 1770. Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Next in our history series is cotton. The history of cotton is the history of trade and industry with a lot of politics and economics thrown in. Now the most prevalent fabric in the world, it’s humble beginnings…
This will be the first in a series of blog posts where we will take a closer look at natural fabrics such as linen, cotton, and wool, and their journey through the ages. Today, natural fabrics can be found in all shapes, styles, and forms from basic undergarments to high end fashion. In decades past,…
Beautiful Dreamers sits on an unassuming street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Inside, rustic wooden tables are piled high with unique objects and jewelry and tree branches-turned clothing racks hang garments from local independent designers. Plants and foliage are nestled between the handcrafted furniture and native American wall hangings adorn the shop’s walls. Behind this dreamy store…
More and more small businesses within fashion and’ homeward’ are adapting the home away from home atmosphere for their shops that we’ve already seen in the’ likes of’ Electric Nest. They embrace natural materials, create cozy chaos, and yet stay true to style. They strive to make their shop environments as comfortable and individual as their own homes, putting…
This week our textiles heroine is Leana Zuniga, the founder of label Electric Feathers and owner of Brooklyn boutique Electric Nest. Leana has a long history with travelling, but both of her ventures’ are based in the US, giving her Bohemian backgrounds some roots. She’s a relatively new player in the fashion game, but her special…
We start our Bohemian Modern series with a company whose clothes we have completely fallen in love with, and it all started with overalls! We first discovered them while’ wandering the streets of Williamsburg and stumbled across a tiny boutique called Beautiful Dreamers (which you can read more about in our next feature). What struck us…
There’s something quite special happening in the world of design – designers of textiles, interiors, fashion and shop owners are making a turn from focusing on the mass-produced, everyman products to a more caring approach where they control the production without compromising the quality. We’re seeing more and more one-of-a-kind pieces – clothing, jewelry and…
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