Oct
18
A few days ago the CrossStitcher team were invited to attend the launch of an exciting new project. The craftivist collective - who combine craft with social activism - have teamed up with Save the Children and a few other crafty superstars (including CrossStitcher pal Mr X Stitch) to encourage people to join the fight against hunger in the developing world.
Cleverly titled The Jigsaw Project - or #imapiece - the campaign aims to remind people that they are always a piece of the solution to problems, as well as encouraging UK MPs to put hunger at the top of their agenda when the country hosts the G8 world summit next year.
As we gathered in Mary Portas's Living and Giving shop, Sarah Corbett of the craftivists explained to us that everyone who wants to get involved with the project is being encouraged to stitch three fabric jigsaw pieces with inspirational messages - one to take home and remind themselves what they can do to help instigate change, one that will become part of a large installation to raise awareness that we all have a role to play, and one to send to their local MPs to encourage them to get behind Save the Children's Race Against Hunger campaign at next year's G8.
Sarah and some of the UK's top contemporary crafters - Mr X Stitch, graffiti knitter Deadly Knitshade, and Craft Blog UK founder Hilary Pullen - will be holding worksshops and events around the country as well as visiting Indonesia in 2013 to gain a better understanding of the causes and effects of malnutrition and possible solutions to the problem.
As we sat stitching our first pieces we were given stories and statistics to reflect on, such as the fact that 300 children around the world die every day due to malnutrition. Sarah and the craftivists aim to encourage what they call 'slow activism', creating an environment in which you can think in depth about these often-complicated subjects while stitching and crafting.
We all came away from the evening feeling really inspired to help make a change, and are even planning our own jigsaw stitching session in the CrossStitcher office in January! If you'd like to get involved, there are upcoming workshops in London, Manchester and Milton Keynes - please click here for full details. Or if you'd like to set about organising one yourself with the craftivists' help, you'll find everything you need here.
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