Oh Sorry, was that your land?
At long last I can present a work I finished a while ago which has been sitting in the framing pile for far too long.
For a long time I have been astounded at the amount of finished handmade work that lies unwanted and unappreciated in our op shops. Mostly they are insanely undervalued. I recently visited a store that had a tapestry frame for sale (at higher price than brand new ones!) sitting alongside a finished tapestry. Take a guess at which had the higher price. Given that the people that normally work in op shops – especially of the charity variety – tend to be older women, you’d think there’d be a bit more appreciation for the time and effort gone into some of these pieces. But sadly not.
As part of my personal goal of using less new stuff, rather, using the stuff we have more efficiently. And as part of my goal to help raise the value of craft, in particular the not practically useful ones.. I have begun a series of stitch ‘hacks’.
Taking the political ideas behind hacktivism and the open source movement in particular to inform this series, the Tapysteria Hacks will take a previously discarded piece and give it a new, albeit political, life.
The piece above was titled ‘Snowgum’ and it’s a scene from Goulburn. I’d just been through that area when I found this one so I was particularly interested in it. Initially I had some more detailed ideas for it, but decided that I didn’t want to take away too much from the original work. I found this rolled up and stuffed under a pile of fabric in an op shop. I think it was about $3 or $4. The original work wasn’t done on a frame so it was quite stretched and distorted and took quite a lot of work to frame up – massive respect to Finer Art Services, the art framers in Seddon for the awesome work done on this, Heart! Heart!
This piece is for sale to raise funds for Lex Wotton’s support fund.
On Friday 24th October an all white jury found Lex Wotton, an Aboriginal man from Palm Island, Australia – a former prison island for Aboriginal People – guilty of ‘rioting with destruction’ for his involvement in the 2004 Palm Island uprising. On November 26th 2004 the people of Palm Island set fire to the local police station, court house and police barracks after a pathologist’s report claimed that the death of Mulrunji Doomadgee, a 36 year old local, in police custody a week earlier was an ‘accident’.
Mulrunji died in a police cell, one hour after he had been arrested for being drunk. He suffered massive internal injuries, including a ruptured spleen, four broken ribs and a ‘liver that had been ‘almost cleaved in two’ from a huge compressive force.’
The officer who arrested him, Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley, claimed that Mulrunji had fallen on stairs. A coroner’s inquest found that Senior Sergeant Chris Hurley was responsible for Mulrunji’s death, as the injuries were consistent with a beating. However, a court found Hurley not guilty for manslaughter. He has since been promoted, rewarded, and is an Inspector on the Gold Coast.
In comparison Lex Wotton has now been sentenced to six years in prison with a non parole period of two years. Despite being a democratically elected leader of his community and spending the duration of the riots attempting to keep the situation peaceful, and even negotiating safe passage for Police off the island – an offer the Police rejected.
Proceeds from the sale of this piece will be donated to Lex Wotton’s support fund to assist paying legal bills and travel bills for his family to visit.
Please join the campaign to bring global awareness to this travesty of justice
Craft Cartel Podcast Episode 9: Faythe Levine
Hooray it’s Episode #9 of the Craft Cartel podcast, and we talk to Faythe Levine about her brand new documentary film “Handmade Nation”
by Sublime Stitching.
Rayna has a great chat with Faythe about the film, making zines, the GFC, and yes, Paris Hilton comes up again! Check out the Handmade Nation website and blog and Flickr site to see pics of the Aussie tour and of course, the Paris Hilton pics. A MASSIVE big thanks to the awesome people at in.cube8r Gallery in Smith Street for helping to make this interview happen!
The track off the podcast is Craft Talk by Leslie Hall. It’s Craft-tastic! Check the video:
Next up we bring back the zine review section and review:
The Thrity Crafter from Apartment Cat
Sharp and Pointy – a craft zine by mir UPDATE – you can buy it here!
Outdoor Knit: the graffiti knit kit from Outdoor Knit
And a bit of an update on the Craft Cartel. Check out the Fashion Jam pics here, read about Trash Bag Rehab here, and the Melbourne Social Forum here, and the City Press workshop here!
Phew!
And as always we’d love to hear from you, comment below or drop us a line. And don’t forget to check out the archive if you’re new round here.
The best way to listen to the podcast is to subscribe and download today!
If that doesn’t work you can download the file directly from here.
We really don’t like advertising very much round these parts, so if you like what you hear, please make a donation to help support future episodes. It’s what an add-free world sounds like.
More media!
Welcome to all our visitors from The Age! Please come on in, grab a cup of tea and make yourself at home. It is lovely to meet you 
For you other visitors who rambled in from elsewhere, welcome too! And you might wanna look at the article ’cause it’s got lots of great people in it. Even better, go check out a paper copy of M (that comes with the Sunday Age) and see the super stunning picture of Pip on the cover and the spunky Gemma on the inside.
It’s a good read too. It was nice to see what other people round the traps are thinking about it all. I recommend checking out all the people in the story cause they’re all doing great stuff!
Isn’t it nice to see the media finally sitting up and taking notice to all this cool crafty stuff going on. Much more interesting than nudey photos if you ask me.
Those of you who came visiting looking for something a bit crafty, possibly a bit smutty and definitely a bit boozy to come along to, check out the next Craft Cartel gig on April 5th at Bebida. Yes, Trash Bag Rehab is here for anyone who’s overdosed on cutesy craft crap.
Read all about it here. It’s gonna be a regular thing and it’s gonna be dirty, dirty fun. See you there!
Media whores!
Since craft is totally the new black and recession chic is all the rage, everywhere you turn these days there seems to be a story about craft and how it’s practitioners are saving the world.
And we’ve been in some of them, yay!
Here’s an article that was in the Sunday magazine in last weekend’s Herald Sun, I think it was in the Daily Telegraph(?) equivalent in Sydney.
Click on the images to see them big.
Radical craft wins! And Brendan who wrote the story is a top crafty bloke too. He makes jam! mmm jam… And is was great having a big chat with him!
Casey and I were also on the sunday artsy program on 774ABC Radio in Melbourne just before I buggered off on my overseas jaunt. It’s quite the funny interview. I recommend a nice cup of tea and a 10 minute sit down while you have a listen (click to play or ctrl+click/right click to save).
Bring on the global craft takeover.
Handcrafting a new society
One of the biggest highlights of my trip was a super inspiring but way too short trip to Hamilton.
As soon as we arrived, I arranged to meet up with Dr Joyce Stalker whom people might remember from her talk in Melbourne last year. We met Joyce at the school of education where some of her work is on display in the foyer (text from the show).
Nice Women II
70 used tea filters, 70 beading clusters, brown cotton thread
60x95cm
2008Each year, the [NZ] Police receive 70,000 call outs for domestic violence, an average of one every 7 1/2 minutes. It is estimated that five times as many people acknowledge family violence as call out the police. Meanwhile, nice women sip their tea.
Money Down The Drain
My Mother’s (green) quilt remnants gifted to me on her death, PVC drain pipe, glue, bucket.
50x200cm
2008Once the quintessential example of recycling acumen, today quilting is a highly commercialised activity. Most quilters, already committed to a search for perfection, now search for the perfect palette, pattern and shading among fabrics manufactured specifically for quilts. We have every right to spend money on or hobbies, but when second hand clothing stores overflow with 100% cotton items, when drains in developing nations run with the colour of toxic textile dyes, I can’t help but wonder if we have too easily let our world of fabric craft be taken over by commercial interests.
My Heritage is Bigger than “I Am”
heritage quilt made by my Grandmother, canvas, embroidery thread
122x175cm
2008Seventeen years after emigrating to New Zealand Aotearoa, I feel more sharply than ever the loss of my Canadian heritage. I have read that McCahon is this country’s greatest artist and been told that all artists here reference him. I remain stubbornly unmoved by his dark and complex works and deeply stirred by the fabric of my family’s lives.
Night Sounds on Pitcairn Island
used zippers, embroidery thread
80x240cm
2008Like quilts, zippers can carry many messages. They can be sensual and suggestive, but stories from Pitcairn Island remind us that they can carry darker messages. Romanticized as the windswept refuge of The Bounty’s mutineers, Pitcairn’s history is now tied to the reality of generations of islanders who tolerated the systemic abuse and rape of the island’s young girls.
BACKGROUND
These fabric works originally were part of Threadbare: An exhibition of unruly quilts held at Artspost, Hamilton, 29 August to 22 September, 2008.
Threadbare was a collaborative project between D Wood (a studio furniture artist lecturing at the School of Media Design, Wintec) and Joyce Stalker (an associate Professor lecturing in adult education at the School of Education, Univerty of Waikato).
The purpose of the Threadbare exhibition was to explore what happens when orthodox quilt processes and messages were challenged or eliminated completely – in other words, when quilters and quilts became unruly. We played with the traditional elements of quilt design: repetition (duplication of a predetermined module), pattern (arrangement of the module), layering (front, filling and back), and fixing (method of holding elements together).
I really enjoyed taking some time to see this work. I was particularly impacted by the Pitcairn piece as I was working in Parliament at the time that story was prominent in the news. There was quite a process trying to figure out between the various governments involved, the Islanders and the victims what would be an appropriate way to trial the offenders. I remember the universal horror at the story. I remember how everyone just stopped dead in their tracks trying to imagine how ingrained and systemic the abuse was for something so awful to go on for so long.
The Pitcairn piece sits nicely with the Tea piece in connecting up quite how universal the systemic violence against women and children in our society really is. And also how universal the culture of silence and denial is.
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After catching up with Joyce, we heading down to the Migrant Resource Centre (which is an AWESOME venue for a talk) for the talk I was giving about radical craft history.
Despite being 4pm on a Tuesday, there was a great turnout and everyone there was involved in actively creating craft or change in the community. We had a fantastic discussion after my presentation and it was so inspiring to see so many active thinkers on the issues surrounding craft, women’s knowledge and activist theory.
Even better is that the group decided to meet again soon! Here’s the callout:
To all Hamilton craftivists, anarcho-embroiderers, eco-crocheters, knitta-street-artists, radical quilters, indy needleworkers, contemporary textile artists, Luddite lacemakers, evolutionary creators, creative evolutionists, stitching saboteurs, etc etc
You are cordially invited to the Vicarage to foment revolution over your needlework.
Whether you are looking for a crafty political collaboration or just some interesting company and conversation while you finish the project that’s starting to drag, this gathering will be more interesting than anything on TV. If we have enough fun we might want to do this regularly.
Forward this invitation and bring your crafty friends along too.
Where: The Vicarage, 25 Thames St, Claudelands (the house with the wooden fence next to the carpark on the corner of Thames and Heaphy)
When: Tuesday 17 March, 7.30pm
What to bring: A handcraft project to work on, your crafty friends
RSVP Meliors
I look forward to hearing reports of what this group gets up to!
Thanks tons to Joyce for organising the talk and all those who helped spread the word. And thanks to Meliors for picking up the needle and getting the group going!
Finally, I did record the talk so I’ll put up a link when it’s online.
RCS helping out
Thought it was time for a bit of an update about how we’re tracking with the Bushfire Appeal. It was a bit hard going away while things were in full swing but I still managed to make a bit of a contribution while I was away.
The amazingly awesome Gemma Jones threw together an awesome art raffle at Outre Gallery to raise funds, and pulled in over $12,000!!! I contributed the original of the Question Authority pattern which you can see beautifully displayed above. And it went to a very good and appreciative home so that was wonderful to hear.
Also while I was away was the Sustainable Living Festival and I had a whole pile of stuff for sale at the Design Market on the Friday. I’m yet to hear how that went but will update this when I do. And the day before I left I had a stall at the SUPER INSPIRATIONAL Sticky Zine Fair in the Flinders Subway. I met some incredible people including one member of the Craft Cartel I hadn’t met in person yet. And I rasied an extra $30 for the appeal there.
And of course the Radical Rags store is stocking pretty much everything as a Bushfire Appeal fundraiser. I’ve just got patterns in there at the mo but when I get my stall back I’ll be relisting all the other bits. I’m up to about $70 raised in the store so far so getting close to my goal of $200.
Two of the patterns from the store were purchased to use as a giveaway. So If you’re keen to get in the draw to win some patterns, go visit the Craft Gossip giveaway page. The patterns are about halfway down the page. So go enter!!!
Outdoor Love
One of the blogs I’ve been following for ages is the super groovy Outdoor Knit blog fresh out of Wellington, Aotearoa. So when I knew I was heading that way for a talk I flicked Knitsch an email saying ‘come along!’
It was awesome to make contact and I’m still flicking through the wonderful wee zine I got from her about knitting outdoors. I’m not sure if you can buy it online anywhere, Knitsch?
In our initial chats we were hoping to get out and do some radical craft together. But as it turned out I didn’t have the time or the energy to commit to something that fun 
BUT the Outdoor Knit crew went out regardless and created some nice positive joy for the Bypass Communters of Wellington.
I just adore the idea of spreading some positive messages via fence stitching. In this time of global financial stress it really is all too easy to get depressed and despondent about it all. And some would suggest that the powers that be are all too happy for us to do so..
I hope the people of Wellington do perk up a bit when they see this. And maybe they’ll even be inspired to get out and do something positive in their own community.
As for me, I’m super fired up to do some more work around Melbourne. Anyone keen to join me on a big project, get in touch!
And then! I was strolling down Cuba Street Mall with the whanau and stumbled across the massive knit love tree cozy the Outdoor Knit crew built during the Cuba Street Carnival. And it looks awesome!
It’s in the blood
Nearing the end of a wonderful three week trip in Aotearoa and I’m taking some time to look back and remember all the good bits so they’re ingrained in my memory. I’ve met some super inspiring people and seen some amazing craft!
This is the first of a hopefully few posts about wonderful creative stuff I’ve seen. And this post is all about the Melbourne of New Zealand; Wellington.
As previously mentioned I did a talk about radical craft history in Wellington. But I couldn’t do the talk until I’d visited a very distant relative I’d been trying to track down for a long time. I have an ancestor whom I always knew was politically active. When I first got involved in politics I had a picture of her on my wall to inspire my activism.
Lucy Lyall was active in local politics in Wellington in the 1850s and 1860s. This was a long time before women were able to vote so it was hardly a pro woman space to be working in. Nonetheless, Lucy was right amongst it with the boys. Notably, Lucy was very involved in the 1856 Wellington Provincial election between Featherston and Wakefield. An obituary after Lucy died mentions a procession of boats she lead around Wellington Harbour visiting all the wee settlements to campaign for Featherston. At the conclusion of the tour Lucy pulled out an effigy of Wakefield, which while she tolled a bell, proceeded to drown. Hardly what you’d call an example of positive politics, but I do admire the creativity.
About a year ago I was going through some of my old papers and I stumbled across my Lucy papers. I stopped for a wee read and then I turned a page to see a banner Lucy had made. I remember seeing the image before. It was pretty common place in those days for women to craft small tokens of political affiliation. But I hadn’t seen this in a long time. And you know what?
It was cross stitch.
I am sure you can imagine my joy! So knowing I was visiting Wellington, I arranged through my wonderful grandmother to visit the house of the women who had this cross stitch in her possession.
And here it is.
The flag is in the colours of Featherston’s campaign and is hand sewn. And the text is from the Featherston campaign song
As you can see it is a very old piece! While it has been looked after very well over the years – I understand it spent quite a few decades flat between papers in a cupboard – it is definitely starting to show signs of wear. So I will be helping to find the best person to advise on how to protect it for the future. I’m hoping it will end up in a museum somewhere but I do share the concern that it would be a shame to see it end up in the basement of Te Papa where noone will see it.
But yes super exciting to finally see the piece in person!
And even more exciting was the surprise to find out that not only is this stitch in the family still but so is the sampler of Lucy’s daughter Rachel, which was started (but not completed) when she was just six years old.
This piece was just so delightful to look at. The stitching is tiny – much smaller than the sort of stitches us cross stitchers use today. And it must have been hours of work for such a young girl. Having spent quite a bit of time recently looking at old samplers it seems most young girls started their samplers at 8 or 9 so this is quite unusual. This piece is also in very good condition for its age and is showing a lot less deterioration than the other piece so hopefully this can get properly framed soon too.
Needless to say Lucy’s cross stitch has definitely gone into the powerpoint show. I’ve updated it a bit recently so I’ll put a new version online soon.
The talk in Wellington was fantastic. We had an awesome turn out and raised over $200 for the Oct 15th Solidarity fund. And I met so many inspiring creative women there. Hopefully some of the relationships that began that night will continue for a long time! Thanks a bajillion to the womyn who worked really hard to bring the talk together.
More stories from Wellington and other parts of the country to come next!