The fashion Revolution!

So today's the day when we ask "Who made my clothes"?
On the 24th of April 2013 an earth shattering event took place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Over 2500 garment workers lost their lives in over crowded, unsafe, and illegal working conditions in a factory complex known as Rana Plaza.
These lives were not the only ones lost as countless others who depended on the wages of these workers also paid a heavy price!
Many families were left without the sole bread winner so the number of victims is in fact far higher then the actual body count.

Photo ©FashRev

The organisation Fashion Revolution has marked the day through a campaign which invites consumers through social media to ask high street shops and clothing labels:
"Who made my clothes?"

Supermodel Lilly Cole asks the question #whomademyclothes ©FashRev

Posting a photo on Instagram/Twitter might seem frivolous but in fact it's been working pretty well. So how does asking a simple question change anything? After the Rana Plaza disaster it was through social media that companies like Matalan were pressured by the public to do something about it and they did! Because of it they offered some compensation to workers and it was achieved through social media by everyday consumers like you and me... though we do think more can and should be done!
Asking questions, being interested and engaged with the world can only be good so... remember use the hastag: #whomademyclothes and tag your favourite clothing brands. Even if you don't get a response it doesn't mean that it hasn't been seen! The object of this campaign is not only to demand a change in how things are run in the garment industry but also to promote thought and discussion.

Because we've always believed in demanding fair wages and safe working conditions for garment workers this is a campaign we passionately support.
You may recall that Craft Guerrilla was born primarily because of this and our first campaign back in 2008 was to "wage war against mass produced tatt" which was our way of highlighting the exploitation and reminding consumers the cost of cheap mass produced goods.

©FashRev. Workers in Soko Kenya...

So two years on and we are still waiting to see real and lasting changes for garment workers in countries like Bangladesh.
We know that it's going to be a long road but we're positive that things can and will change! Plus with your actions and passion for making we're sure it will be a worthwhile endeavour.
Though on a final note I'd like to add that I do not boycott these labels and companies but in stead I do ask them questions and pressure them to take a stand and implement changes where needed which will better conditions for everyone involved.
I really don't think that solely boycotting is the answer, I mean we don't want to take anyone out of a job but we do want workers to have safe, clean, humane conditions and fair wages.

By making a few items, mending what you already own, up cycling, recycling clothing and buying your new clothing from ethical brands then you will be changing things with the best weapon you posses: your wallet!

Here today Here Tomorrow. London. ©FashRev

This year I decided that I'd be making more and buying less cheap fashion...
Here's my "afternoon skirt" -named because it literally should only take about 3 hours to make- as a project to remind myself of the work that goes into making a garment!
If you'd like to make your own you can find the full tutorial here:
www.blogforbettersewing.com

 

 

For more info on how you can be involved and check if there are any events in your country please go to the Fashion Revolution web site:
www.fashionrevolution.org

Digital yarn bombing with Bulmers... all in the name of COLOURFUL living!

Bulmers cider have been around for a long time... in fact the two Bulmer brothers (The fabulously named Percy and Fred pictured below ) starting things way back in the 1890's.
Apparently, and to no surprise to us, it was all down to their mum who advised Percy to go into the food & drink business because "it would never go out of fashion"! See... mum does know best!!!

Joined by his brother they travelled through France in the early 1900's studying the process of champagne making and transferring that knowledge into cider production which then earned their libation the nick name "The English White Wine".
The Bulmers family have gone on to produce one of the UK's best loved ciders adding distinctive and fresh flavours to their repertoire... I must admit that I'm quite partial to the crushed red berries and lime cider!
Now with 7 flavours (and more to come!), the entirely British made brand is produced with a blend of beautiful and tasty apples by the hand of some genius mixologists at Broome farm. With such talent there's no surprise Bulmers continues to achieve serious accolades since the royal warrant was received from king George the V.
Wowzers that's some seal of approval!

So what does Cider and craft have in common you ask? Well they both use ancient techniques handed down through the generations so when we heard they were launching a #livecolourful digital campaign using yarn-bombing we jumped on it!

So if you'd like to get involved, win a prize on the way and do a bit of Guerrilla knitting then this is a great campaign! You can find out more via the official Bulmers Website here: www.bulmers.co.uk
As you know we love a bit of fun Guerrilla behaviour, drinking cider (responsibly of course!) and entering competitions, so what is there not to love?!

And don't forget that through yarn-bombing you'll also be doing your bit of craftivism too. It's the perfect opportunity to get your message out and about!

"Tag your photos using #livecolourful to enter the competition and show off your handy craft work!"

So here's a few easy tips on how to get started:

• Knit your apple -if you can't knit don't get in a tangle, a great alternative is a pompom- so make one or as many as you like! We encourage acts of kindness and fun, non evasive yarn bombing as a way to get some joy and colour into the greyness of winter so get to it!!!

For knitter here's a cool free pattern from Natural Suburbia©
For Crocheters here's a cute pattern too from MissDolkaPots©
And for a quick pop pom tutorial look here


• Write your message on a tag and secure it to your apple.... You don't have to be political, nor does it have to relate to a social issue, you can in fact just add a message wishing a bit of happiness to someone. You might have heard about Guerrilla kindness well... Guerrilla kindness is an intentional, anonymous acts of kindness performed in playful, creative ways. And it can be as simple as making someone smile with a bit of yarn-bombing.

Here's the message we added to our cute apples...

• "Sew" the seeds of love and compassion and you will harvest the sweetest fruit! 
• No man is an island... your actions are not without consequence. Please think before you act.



•This is a digital campaign so the yarn bombing will be in fact on line... For my entry I added my apple to a tree that looked like it needed a little loving!
You want to share  your message with people so try to photograph your tag with your message but maybe adding it to your entry too will help as you might not be able to read it in the photos!

Remember it's a DIGITAL campaign so don't forget to take it away with you... you might want to re use your knitted apple as a nice X-mas gift for a friend... the knitted apples can also make handy little pincushions! A great little stocking filler, don't you agree?

•To win a fantastic array of prizes add  a snap of your little apple on to Instagram or twitter but remember to hash-tag #livecolourful and you can tag us too (@craftguerrilla) to show us your handy work... we'd really love to see it!!!
If you'd like to see other people's yarn bombing you can check for the hash-tag #livecolourful or by checking out Bulmers twitter feed (@BulmersCider)...

Get your twitter handle on some tree cosies down at the farm...

If you'd like to win the chance to have your twitter handle added to Bulmer's knitted tree cosies which will be keeping the trees nice and toasty down at Broome Farm then get tweeting! Don't forget the hash tag #LiveColourful... and it's as easy as that!
The deadline for submissions is the 16th December. 

The fantastic Lauren AKA Deadly Knitshade is the amazing artist who's adorning the orchards with her handy work!
We think she's amazing and you can see her in action here...

 

A little bit about Yarn Bombing// Yarn Storming// Knitted Graffiti// Guerrilla Knitting and what you need to know:

 

What is it?

It's a form of modern graffiti which is mainly done to provoke a reaction in a nice, friendly and non threatening way.
There doesn't have to be a message or purpose behind it. Some choose knitting graffiti or yarn bombing as simply a means of creative expression though many individuals and groups across the world have adopted this art form as a way to protest against social injustices, world issues and so forth. Protesting through craft is also known as Craftivism. It's also a way of enhancing public spaces through non invasive, non damaging, non permanent urban art.

Why do it?

Basically we do it because we believe it's a gentle way to get important messages across as well as that it's great being able to add a touch of fun and colour to the world!

Though we encourage yarn bombing we also encourage our "bombers" to make items which people can take away so please remember to leave them within easy reach of people and also to be responsible... though yarn-bombing isn't illegal we'd like to remind people to use their common sense!

Yarn Bombing is less damaging then any other form of graffiti and if anything it makes us look at where we live and revalue our surroundings.
It can also bring communities together so if you fancy doing something on an even bigger scale get the word out that you're looking for knitters for a fun project. It's a great way to meet other people in your area and possibly make some more friends too!

One of the main reason in my opinion why it's not totally frowned upon is that removing these pieces of street art is simply done using a pair of scissors so they are considered and deemed as not as destructive as traditional street art.... so yes, we definitely want more of these fuzzy shenanigans happening in our beautiful but sometimes grey capital!
Lets face it London winters are dark so adding a little dash of colour is sure to raise a few eyebrows as well as a few smiles plus it's FUN!

What are the legalities and laws surrounding "Yarn-Bombing"?

Groups like Knit the City have done large scale projects without experiencing legal action and we've done some smaller scale projects too and we've never encountered problems with the law apart from a few smiles from the old bill up in Birmingham who request us to "not leave it there forever", which is fair enough!
So if you are driven to do your bit of yarn bombing please don't forget to check that your piece has been removed after a few weeks as it really doesn't look very appealing either if it gets all grubby, water logged and yucky! By not taking down your pieces after a reasonable time you'll then be adding to the "littering" problem and we really don't want that!

©KnitTheCity

Get involved... 

It's easy and don't get too hung up on your little apple being perfect or not... please don't let it stop you. We are believers that the actual act of making is as important as the result! 

Please share your handy work with us, honestly we really want to see where you've been yarn bombing! Have fun and lets make this winter a little bit brighter!

X

 **Please drink responsibly! For further information and help please visit: www.drinkaware.co.uk**

Embroiderers... show us the LOVE!

Help us get the word out that embroidery rocks!
Lots of people are yet to discover the joys of the stitch and we want to show them that it can be fun, simple and rewarding not to mention healing!

image: www.cafeportugal.net

We really don't believe that embroidery has to be done solely by gifted, nor by a medieval bands of merry men or super skilled individuals because if someone wants to do it but can't quite get to grips with the discipline then... who are we to say that  the way you're doing it is wrong?!
Forgive me ladies of the Embroiderer's Guild if I make you weep and shriek when you see my embroidery work: "That's not how you embroider! " because frankly I don't care!!! You can call me the punk of embroidery and that's fine by me. I really love embroidery and though I can still hear my nana's words ringing in my ears as she tried to explain to me that cross stitch should be the same in the reverse as it is on the front of my work I completely ignored her as I continued to do as I pleased.  She tried yet from a very early age rebellion was strong in me!

So we'd like to put out a plea... we're after embroidery works which express sentiments of love based on the Portuguese "Lençinhos dos Namorados" (Boyfriend Hankies/ Lovers' Hankies or Wish Hankies) which were once hand embroidered by semi illiterate women as token of love which were gifted to the objects of their affections!
Apparently they go back to the 17th century when peoples' wishes were embroidered onto a small piece of fabric in order to conquest their hearts' desire. They were later taken up by women and popularised into this form we now love and know.
Canny retailers have even gone on to screen print inspired motifs on textiles, home furnishings and clothing created for the tourist market. And you can certainly find at least one of these modern adaptations in a form of a table cloth or tea towel in almost every Portuguese home. That's how popular it's become.

image: http://namorarportugal2012.blogspot.co.uk

Plus this project is all about liberating, letting go and putting ghosts to rest as you'll be able to offer a homage to anything you miss but still burn a torch for... or if you're in love and want to celebrate that then that's great too! So as I mentioned before it can be healing too if you wish it to be and not just a way of practising and honing your embroidery skills.

The deadline is January 2015 so you have plenty of time... The show is in the summer but we'll need them early to ready them for the exhibit in the 2015 E17 Art Trail and possibly for a few other international shows.

If you're interested please down load the document HERE which has all details including the criteria and a brief history about the work.

So get ready to embroider a token, a wish or a homage to anything you want... a piece of cake, a pet, a husband, a child, a secret love, a book, a city, a place you adore... anything which makes your heart beat that little bit faster!!!

image: www.cafeportugal.net

Please note that this is a modern take on the traditional so feel free to use mixed media and don't feel like you need to stick to the style or motifs of the traditional "Lençinhos". I really can't wait to see what you come up with!!!

Knit an Ice Cream for Bag Books!

We all love knitting, charity projects and ice cream so this is the perfect project which encompasses all of the above and more as it's also a quick make!
We're asking people to make these beauties for multi sensory stories for use by a charity called Bag Books. To find out more about them please visit their website: www.bagbooks.org

I absolutely love using craft in a therapeutic way and how it can provide comfort, joy and happiness not only to the recepients but also to the people making them.
I really hope this is something you might enjoy making and heck... I'm even going to sit down and try to conquer my fear of knitting patterns...though I may have to ask someone to wipe my brow hold my hand while I learn to decipher the code!

Plus as it's not real ice cream that means ZERO calories so no worrying about the hips but it will in fact provide a warm fussy feeling and that goes straight to the heart!

©ilikelemons

You can find the pattern via:

i-like-lemons.blogspot.co.uk

Please send your makes to: Bag Books 1 Stewart's Court, 218-220 Stewart's Road, London SW8 4UB

Knit some Christmas cheer...

The good people of the Waltham Forest Adopt team have come up with a very crafty bit of campaigning... "Close Knit Family" is part of the very clever campaign to bring awareness to adoption.
So if you can knit and fancy doing your bit then get making! We love this project and we'll be clacking our needles to make a few too... though I think we definitely need a pet dog and a cat to finish off the family!

"As part of  the campaign we are asking people to get involved and raise awareness of the importance of adoption by knitting dolls that we will distribute to local children."

To make the dolls please follow the guide pattern:

Please have your dolls ready by Friday December the 13th and hand in or post to:

FREEPOST RRGL-ZXTL-GZXZ
Close Knit Family
Waltham Forest Strategy and Communications
Waltham Forest Town Hall
Forest Road
Walthamstow E17 4JF

For further info, to down load the pattern and/or if you're interested in adoption then please visit the Borough Of Waltham Forest web site...

 

Zips are sew scary...

Ok so zippers are my Achilles heel...Well, one of them anyway! Yup, there I admit it... I'm not a master seamstress (or should that be mistress seamstress?) though I do like to sew and you know what they say "Practise makes perfect"!
And because I also believe it's in the genes -granny was an amazing seamstress so some of it has to have been passed on, right?- plus with the right amount of practise, persistence and a little bit of help from experts I do honestly think it's something I can improve on and maybe even master!

From an early age I've attempted to make made my own clothes. Growing up as a punk in a Benetton pastel infused surfing town was pretty much the push I needed to start making my own clothing! It started  with basics like skirts - no zips may I add just a lot of elasticated waists, Lycra and lots of popper buttons and some safety pins too- then going on to harder stuff like tops and even a pair of stretch leggings... though I should say that if anyone had inspected my work closely that I would have been rumbled! The shoddy "freestyle sewing" I was employing worked as far as getting clothes on the body went. It was wearable but completely NOT how a dress maker would do it!

Thank you Gertie for a brilliant tutorial and you can find it here: http://www.blogforbettersewing.com/2009/08/make-this-skirt-part-two-of-gathered.html 

About a year ago I started a Drindl Skirt but never got around to finishing it...
I know, a year is a long time... but the culmination of putting on an invisible zipper and then finding out that the waist band was two sizes too big was too much to handle!
But in order for the skirt to fit me I needed to fix the waist band.
So back to square one because of this tiny alteration everything had gone skew whiff including the zip I had initially added so I threw a hissy fit put everything away, then after a quick cuppa and a break I decided to go back in for round two! Ding Ding!!!

What I found helpful was A) being organised: have everything you need at hand -including lots of coffee!
B) watching tutorials: on line you have a wealth of information from "you tube" to specialist sewing blogs including this tutorial on zippers!
And C) don't take it too seriously and allow yourself to fail... this way success is even sweeter when you achieve it!

The pressure to be a domestic goddess/ sewing superstar is immense... our love for craft, sewing, making and watching programs like "The Great British Sewing Bee", "Kirstie's home made home", "Super Scrimpers" etc. etc. etc. has not only raised the bar but also created a few monsters too! By monsters I mean people like me who strive to be perfect rather then experiment and go with the flow... but I am trying to be less rigid!
Think Kaffe Fassett a truly maverick spirit when it comes to embroidery... that man is a genius and he says "stuff you traditional techniques, I'm doing it my way!" (this is not a direct quote by the way...it's more what I imagine he would say!) but what he manages to do is create things of absolute beauty without getting hung up on the actual technique but he doesn't bodge it by any means!
We have so much to live up to now and too many great people to compare ourselves and our work to so what I say is "Don't let that get in the way of your enjoyment of making what you want to make"!
It's not a contest and I'm not producing these items to sell, they are for me to wear and for my own pleasure so it's with a sticky out tongue and two fingers pointed up high to the sky that I proudly proclaim: "ZIPPER YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN ME THIS TIME!"
Plus for my first attempt at proper grown up clothes making -OK it took me a year but who's keeping track?- I think it's not too bad! Whaddya think?

X

Debbie

Tell us about your making adventures or what frightens the sweet crafty Bejezzus out of you and/or what projects have had you in a sewing melt down?
Feel free to share your crafting nightmares -and successes- in the comment section below!

P.S. I've ordered this cute Misses Dress pattern from Simplicity so...watch this space... next step is to make a dress then watch out Milan, London, NYC and Paris...Craft Guerrilla Couture is on it's way!

Make a gift for someone... just because you can!

You'll know by now that making is something of a illness around here! We love making and inventing though this next tutorial isn't ours to claim but we love it so much that we thought we'd share it with you.
Also because we know a lot of summer babies we thought as per usual that we'd make them their birthday gifts!
And if your lovely friend loves sewing as much as ours do then this is the bestest prezzie ever- and it works for boys too as they never seem to have sewing equipment at hand! - plus you can bookmark it for Chrimbo as it's also a good and inexpensive secret Santa gift too!

D.I.Y Mason Jar Sewing Pin cushion...
You'll need:
fabric
small mason jar
glue gun
stuffing
pencil/pen
scissors
•bits and bobs like pins, needles, cotton thread, bias tape, buttons and so on!

Place the inner top bit over the back of the fabric and trace leaving a small -circa 5 cm edge- and cut.

Cut another circle but this time to size...

you'll now have two circles!

dab some glue -use a glue gun for best results- around the red edge of your top...

...and fold over but remember to leave an open edge for the stuffing...

...like this!

Add some stuffing until nice and plump but don't over fill.

Glue the opening so it's not completely closed like...

...this!!!

Glue the smaller circle over for a neat finish!

Add small dabs of glue in the inner jar top and press your pin cushion top through. Press down firmly!!!

Remove any strands of glue to tidy up!

Ta Dah, that's it! Simple but very cute!!!

Add sewing supplies like buttons, spools of thread and even a small pair of scissors if you can!

Chirp, chirp, cheep, cheep...spring time is making time!

Thanks to the awesome talent of Think Big Chief here's a brilliant freebie for all you birdie loving crafters!
Make your own 3D models of realistic birds and drive your cats bonkers! But seriously leave them kitties alone... that's just my warped mind though it could prove to be quite fun and a little bit naughty! Sorry Mr Kitty I do love you.

But if you fancy making them for any other reason be prepared to have fun making!!! I love 3D paper craft and I think you'll enjoy it too. It's a really pleasurable technique... cutting, folding, gluing...ah pure paper bliss!

So if you fancy making your very own chaffinch or king fisher then all you need is some paper, a printer, glue, scalpel and scissors!
I think they'd look great as part of a table display (think garden parties or even weddings!) and though I know they are made of paper I still had to look twice just to make sure they weren't real.

 Click on the link for your free downloads: http://think.bigchief.it/articles/2013/04/29/realistic-paper-models-of-birds/

Amazing!!!

Craft Guerrilla hit the road!

Craft Guerrilla with the aid of Toyota and their Positive Ideas campaign went out into London to storm bust stops, train stations and anywhere else we found commuters waiting! Toyota lent us a couple of cars for the day so we could get what we do out there on the streets! Getting out of the Craft Guerrilla bunker with all our stuff is quite a chore so this was a perfect opportunity...

The whole idea was about bringing a bit of positivity to people through craft. By getting people to make something quick and easy while they waited we also brought to light the positive impact and benefits that "using your hands" has and how important it is to get back in touch with the simple things! Believe it or not making, especially craft, is a very healthy pursuit and using CRAFT as a therapy is nothing new.

Me and our fab Guerrilla Karen Dunn

Two lovely commuters at Marylebone Station

Craft Making in Brixton at a bus stop

We want to encourage more people to "make while they wait" because of it's stress busting qualities. Let's face it, we all spend way too much time waiting around for public transport and getting angry about it so getting people to relax and enjoy their wait was absolutely amazing and fulfilling...
PLUS it shares the love between people in our city, our beautiful Ye Old London Town which we absolutely love!

Everyone loves a moustache even guys with already quite generous facial hair!

Brixton bus stop hosted our very own pop up "crafternoon"

We thank you London...and remember: Do something positive, do something nice!

If you'd like to watch the other videos which include our fabulous friends Knit The City visit the Toyota web site:
http://www.toyotapositive.com/gb/gadget/