What is craftivism?

What is craftivism?

Craftivist mini protest banner

The term “craftivism” spells out what should be obvious but is often overlooked: by the very act of participating in a craft you are making a difference to the world. The word was coined by the…

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Book-making is craftivism too

Nobody enjoys hearing objections. And I hate to object. Today, inspired by my friends in the craftivist movement, I decided to do something different. I set aside several hours to make little books to send to…

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Anyone can have a go

Rachael Matthews standing beside the bed's headboard

Rachael Matthews has an extraordinary talent that she wears lightly, and people who meet her tend (as I did) to come away with the impression that they too could have a go. Some…

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What makes us do this?

Tom of Holland, creator of the brilliant #InvisibleMending programme, has written an artistic statement that brilliantly conveys the craftivist spirit.

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Dear Emma...

As one of 25 craftivists stitching to raise wages at Marks & Spencer, I was given the task of contacting Emma Thompson, one of the “leading ladies” in M&S's recent ad campaign. Other craftivists were assigned to contact M&S board members, representatives of major shareholders,…

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“Usually I thought, Oh God I haven’t got time for this!”

But after 15 seconds of crafting I realised it was exactly what I needed: a chance to slow down, and think.

Hand-stitched activism

The thing about hand-stitching a campaign letter rather than typing or even handwriting it is: you really don't want to waste time on words you don't need. Because even if you make only a very few mistakes, and don't have to unpick too often, it…

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"So impressed with the clever campaign"

The impact of our campaign to raise discussion about a #LivingWage at Marks & Spencer was enormous. It even led board members at the company's AGM to send out messages of thanks – including one from Baroness Martha Lane Fox of Soho, copied to her…

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Why Sarah Corbett spent six hours stitching for a stranger

“Something beautiful and handmade is a great starting point for a conversation”

M&S customer Jessica Ball tells me about her role in the campaign.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”

Hand-stitched hankies for M&S board members featured quotes from Rosa Parks, Abraham Lincoln and the Dalai Lama. Craftivist Caroline Instance stitched a portrait of M&S board member Mr Vindi Banga.