Craftivism : The Art of Craft and Activism by 
Makers with a Cause : Creative Service Projects for Library Youth by 
The Subversive Stitch : Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine by 
"Craftivism" is a term coined by knitter and activist Betsy Greer, in 2003. According to the Craftivism Manifesto, craftivism "is about raising consciousness, creating a better world stitch by stitch...It's also about sharing ideas with others in a way that is welcoming, not dividing, and celebrating traditional skills in new ways."
Are you passionate about helping out in your community and bringing awareness to social issues that matter to you? Do you like to make things and share what you make? If so, consider joining the new CRAFTIVISM club! “Craftivism” is exactly what it sounds like: craft + activism. How can you use your making skills to promote empathy and action in the world? We will decide, as a group, on one craftivism project to work on during the semester and reach out to relevant non-profit organizations to find out how we can best support their mission through making. We will learn about the history of using craft to make a difference. Examples of possible projects include: sewing for animal shelters; knitting to raise awareness of climate change; designing 3D-printable books for the visually impaired. If you sign up for this activity, please be committed to following through on a specific project that may require some work outside of our scheduled meeting time.
ANIMAL WELFARE identified as our focus.
Non-Profit partner organization: Richmond SPCA
Contact: Amber Morris, Volunteers Manager, 804-521-1329, amorris@richmondspca.org
9/19/2022 We emailed the Richmond SPCA, since the Middle School has made and donated items for them in the past.
9/20/2022 We received a reply from Amber Morris, Volunteers Manager at the Richmond SPCA:
"Thank you so much for reaching out. Yes, we do still have our sewing club. Right now, they are working on making Halloween bandanas for our pups and for us to sell at upcoming fundraising events.
I’ve reached out to the Animal Care Department if there is a need for hammocks, blankets, etc. with dimensions and will get back to you."
10/9/2022 We received a list of "greatest need" items.
thick, but not stuffed, plain blankets (no fancy edges, tassels, frayed ends, etc.) that are sized to fit our kuranda beds closely without edges hanging off for quick removal/addition (dimensions can be provided at a later date if interested)
sized towels/blankets to fit snuggly inside cat cages for ease of changing out (dimensions can be provided at a later date if interested)
specially made privacy curtains with loop/button combo? to cover cat kennels about halfway should we have a scaredy cat vs. the pillow cases + binder clips we use now (dimensions can be provided at a later date if interested)
washable perch covers for our cat perches we use in TH
washable shelf covers for our cats (dimensions can be provided at a later date if interested)
washable privacy curtains to cover the shelf while the front of their kennel is cleaned (dimensions can be provided at a later date if interested)
snuffle “balls” for cats
corner LH cat hidey hammocks + themes
reusable cat tunnels, so washable
bottle baby kitten bonding scarves
washable cat diapers ( @ Shadow)
fabric hidey beds hammock style that secure around the shelf and have a hole for hiding (think birdhouse shape but with hammock straps that tie to shelf)
10/24/2022 From Ms. Morris: "We can get dimensions for you on 11/1 and send them over. 
The Sewing Club does meet weekly on Saturdays, but one of them is very cautious about visitors because her husband is very immunocompromised. If you would like for me to send a series of questions to them, I would be happy to do so.
The small mammal patterns will need to be sized up."
11/5/2022 With a generous donation from Mr. Bartels and the MS Steam Fund, we were able to purchase substantial yardage of fleece and cotton fabric to make blankets, curtains, and cube hammocks.
The SPCA mentioned that their sewing group was making Halloween dog bandanas for fundraising. We thought we could make some bandanas in the Makerspace to raise funds for more supplies. Here is Nellie modeling our prototype bandana.
11" x 11" cube with 6" opening; made from quilting cotton and fleece
14" x 21.5"; made from quilting cotton, elastic, plastic buttons
Pattern: Curtailment
Craftivism has been around for a long time, even though the term wasn't coined until 2003. Check out these early acts of Craftivism.
Soft Politics: The Frictions of Abolitionist Women's Needlework (Sequitur)
"Women’s fair and fundraising work was a key source of income for the antislavery movement through the 1840s and 1850s, one that enabled their political participation while maintaining associations with domestic feminity. These fairs were sophisticated operations, organized by large committees of women and featuring, for sale, “domestic crafts” that otherwise would have been understood as products of the unremunerated labors of a refined, genteel woman, rather than politicized objects or objects sold for compensation. The sale of handkerchiefs, needle books, fancywork embroidery, workbags, and other crafts at antislavery fairs and bazaars gave women the opportunity to see themselves as political actors and earners, while still drawing on the associations with domesticity, morality, sewing circles, and women’s 'benevolent work.'"
Abolitionist Sewing Circles (Graphic Arts, Princeton)
"Women played a major role in the abolitionist movement and formed sewing circles where objects decorated with abolitionist emblems were produced, either for sale or to decorate their homes. Cups and saucers, ewers, pillows, and handbags were just a few of the items produced. While the anti-slavery movement found great momentum in England at the end of the 18th century, by the 1830s the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and other American groups organized similar activities."
The Wartime Spies Who Used Knitting as an Espionage Tool (Atlas Obscura)
"When knitters used knitting to encode messages, the message was a form of steganography, a way to hide a message physically (which includes, for example, hiding morse code somewhere on a postcard, or digitally disguising one image within another). If the message must be low-tech, knitting is great for this; every knitted garment is made of different combinations of just two stitches: a knit stitch, which is smooth and looks like a “v”, and a purl stitch, which looks like a horizontal line or a little bump. By making a specific combination of knits and purls in a predetermined pattern, spies could pass on a custom piece of fabric and read the secret message, buried in the innocent warmth of a scarf or hat."
Knit For Victory (historylink)
"Many of the earliest knitters for World War II had knit for Victory as children or young adults during World War I. Knitting was for them a natural and immediate response to war. “The men hardly have time to grab their guns before their wives and sweethearts grab their needles and yarn,” claimed Time on July 21, 1940. Knitting provided warmth and comfort for the soldier and therapeutic distraction for the knitter."
