Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join in by Joan Tapper

Craft Activism: People, Ideas, and Projects from the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Join in Reviews

• 
  Kate

  This book was an attempt to explore activism using crafting. Not sure how successful it was. First of all, is there a difference between "knitting for charity" and activism? I kinda think there is. Is there a difference between doing your part to keep products out of the waste stream and ecological activism? I kinda think there is. How "craft activist" is it to yarn bomb trees, park benches, etc., with yarn that I can only assume is acrylic (basically, oil-based plastic yarn)?I don't get the impresson that Ms. Tapper has thought through what it means to be an activist. That said, there are some interesting folks that she puts the spotlight on in her book. One woman is literally making public statements with provocative sayings machine knit into sweaters. Another woman creating knit versions of the pelts of various endangered animals.
  
  If she wants to talk craft activism, she should take a look at Fibershed in Northern California, which is a movement to source the actual fibers we wear on our bodies closer to home.
  
  She could look at the Church of Craft, which is reclaiming the spirituality of crafting and creating intentional communities of crafting around the country.
  
  Stuff like that. That's real activism. Most of what is in this book doesn't qualify.
  
  Still, there are some nice craft directions in here. It is beautifully illustrated. I like the pattern for mittens, and some good ideas for charity work.
• 
  Emily

  This book didn't turn out to be what I thought it would, really, and it actually feels almost like it wasn't sure what it wanted to do. Profile crafters? Showcase the craft/DIY movement? Inspire charity-based crafting? Give patterns/instructions for projects? It does a little bit of all of that. Feels a bit random, but there are great pictures and neat projects here. The only one I was tempted to make was the Bella Brooklyn Housedress on page 68.
• 
  Beverly

  I'm biased. I love Gale's photography. I mean, love. Can't get enough of her pictures.
  
  I'll put that aside for a minute to evaluate this book as objectively as possible.
  
  Joan's writing is vibrant; the projects are enticing; the pictures are stories unto themselves.
  
  And Mr. Jefferies, the cutest dog in knitting blogosphere makes an appearance.
  
  Crafters, get this book. Buy it, don't just borrow it. You're going to want to make these projects and enjoy the stories about our fantastic community.
  
  Objective, right?
• 
  WifeMomKnitter

  My picture appears in the book. Sweet!
• 
  Annie

  I liked this book for its general overview of ways to connect craft to "activism." (Activism is defined and illustrated in broad terms, and as a gentle way to make inclusive community). A very cool aspect of the book is the information about real people and groups who are taking specific actions of craftivism.
• 
  Shannon

  I loved Craft Activism. For starters, the focus of this book is not necessarily on the crafts themselves but truly about the Community of crafting. There are sections on crafting to send a message, honor the past, supporting causes, recycling/repurposing and build communities. In each section there are stories of artists on what they do, how they came to do it and why. Then there are projects that the reader can do. There is also a nice resource section.
  
  I found the artists' stories to be very interesting and many of them were inspiring. I haven't done any of the craft projects myself... yet. I borrowed this from the library and will be purchasing a copy to own, and then I will be trying out some of the knitting projects. (I love the bicycle lane statement cardigan.)
  
  
• 
  Michelle

  Craft Activism: Ideas and Projects Powered by the New Community of Handmade and How You Can Do It Yourself is a beautiful book full of really interesting people doing really great things. Part pattern book and part biographical sketches of activists, it helps to highlight some of the ways that crafters can use their skills to help contribute to causes about which they are passionate. The pictures are just lovely, and the patterns (and why they were created) provide inspiration for independent artistic expression as well as simple pattern templates. I think it is an excellent starting point for the crafter new to using their talent for change.
  
• 
  Tara

  Interesting perspective on crafting. There are a couple of things I learned that I will research more, but the high point was the Ravelry article. Always a treat to be surprised.
• 
  Angela

  I love crafting. There aren't many things out there that I have not tried. So when I got the opportunity to review this book, I found myself seriously excited. While there are patterns in each section, the strength of this book is in the stories of those who have open doors for new crafters. Ravelry designers, Jenny Hart, and Vicki Howell are just a few of the crafters highlighted. Each section focuses on a different type of involvement and gives tips on how to get involved. I very much enjoyed this book.
• 
  Sara

  I had heard a ton of praise for this innovative book, but it kind of fell short for me. I do think it's great that craft has gained stature in recent years. But I'm not sure it warrants a book. May be I'm not the target market. The knitting patterns did not inspire me, and most of what was written, I had read in blogs on-line. If you're not aware of yarn bombing or yarn storming, then read away!
• 
  Megan

  A wonderful book of portraits of various makers and crafters who work in knitting, quilting, multi-media collage, embroidery, sewing, crochet, and using recycled materials (plastic bags, tin cans, old clothing) to create new things that make a statement, revive something from the past or contribute to a cause. The book contains many pictures, suggestions, patterns, websites and resources for anyone looking to create.
• 
  Jordan

  this is my first review. so i really liked this book. it has a great message,and great projects.it's not really for beginners so i can't do some of them. but it's got lots of info and side bars about the crafters so it's still a good read.
• 
  Gale

  Yes of course I am 100% biased. I am thrilled with how it came out. I hope you will be, too.
• 
  Jessica

  Oh so inspiring...the stories and projects are wonderful!
• 
  Michelle Cristiani

  This is more of a profile series on crafters making a difference, but each section does have ideas and patterns for the reader. I enjoyed the profiles - especially the creators of ravelry.com (which I use regularly) and Ruth Marshall, who creates knitted sculptures of big cats and other animals. The picture of her in the Yale Peabody museum of Natural History is worth the price of admission.
  I've long been fascinated with artist trading cards, and this is a welcome introduction to finally check them out.
  
  My critique is that the patterns are very, very difficult. They require some of the highest level knitting. I can make these skill-wise, but the time investment would be sizable. The donation projects are slightly simpler; but overall I'd love to see more patterns and ideas of varying skill levels, so no one gets turned off by the idea.
• 
  Linda

  In contrast to
  Craftivism: The Art of Craft and Activism, this one is more about the craft/DIY angle and less about the activism. It reads to me as a book planned by craft companies (yarn companies, for example?) to drum up interest in learning crafts by sprinkling "activism" around here and there. I'm not sure that most of these projects are activism in any meaningful sense of the word, but if you're looking for project ideas that you can perhaps adapt to a cause near and dear to you, this may be a jumping-off point for you.
• 
  Sarah Lee

  Okay, so the main reason I marked this book down to 3 stars was because it really is NOT a book on activism, but rather crafting community, charity and awareness. Totally different things, so I feel the title and description is a bit deceiving.
  
  The reason it didn't get 1 star was because there was a lot of good information on creating crafting groups, personal experiences from many types of crafters on how they started out, and some various projects you could work on yourself if you wanted. Overall a HUGE chunk of this book is knitting with a bit of sewing and then random sprinklings of other crafts. If you are not interested in knitting don't even bother with this book.
• 
  Ruth

  This book was not at all what I thought it would be. I guess I should have had a clue what it would be like since it had the word "activism" in its title. I thought perhaps it would suggest REAL actions you could take to make a difference in the world - for example, making hats, scarves, and mittens/gloves for homeless people and yarn bombing places they would be most likely to find them. Instead, the book was rather self-righteous about using craft arts to "inform" about political and social issues. Kind of like putting up posters or marching for hunger, but not getting your hands dirty by volunteering at a food pantry. I gave up reading it in the second chapter.
• 
  Christina

  The best part of this book are the profiles and images of various women crafters doing really interesting creative things within the traditional woman-led makerspace. There were a number of women profiled who I’d like to go look up and learn more about. (This book was written in 2011 and I feel like since then these particular areas of subversive or unexpected or activist crafting have surged even moreso; I kept feeling like the tone was almost quaint in its unavoidable ignorance of what was coming in the next few years.)
• 
  Gail

  Interesting and inspirational read. Got some good ideas.
• 
  Cromaine Library

  Loved reading about various ways to use crafting to support a cause.
  
  Recommended by Community Relations Coordinator Amelia.
• 
  B. Escamilla

  This was a very cute book, but I honestly wouldn't do any of these projects.
• 
  Jess

  not quite as good as some other craftivist books on the market. It seems torn - is it a how to DIY craft book, a Catalogue, an overview of people who work in areas that could loosely be deemed craftivist? If you want a seriously basic Intro to craftivism plus some patterns and how too's then this is the book for you. If you are already firmly embedded in the craftivist world, actively working for a specific cause in order to change the social/ political make-up with the world, then you could probably give it a miss. It doesn't introduce anyone you don't already know.
• 
  Ellen

  This provides an interesting overview of craft, some of it relating to activism, and some more about making things yourself. The author seems to view all of this as activism, but having grown up making a lot of things of necessity and to save waste, I do not see all of it in an activist light (and I may be missing some subtle elements here). There are many patterns included in this work. There are some very helpful hints at the end of each section to help with organising local and not so local craft connections, and there are some exceptional sections, especially about Ravelry and quilting.