will i be lonely anymore?

I have recently set up a 'Some Craftivists' group on Facebook (any ideas where else I should post the group?) and have my first proper open meeting on Saturday 24th January 2009 in the British Library Cafe. It's exciting but also really scary! :s

I thought it would be a great way to meet like-minded people and other Craftivists. We can hopefully work together on public art projects to make people think about poverty and social injustice and change the world! ;p I had an invite only preliminary meeting in December 2008 to see if my idea might work. We met 11am-2pm (which is when I hope all meetings will be) to see if that was a good time to meet: to long, too short, too busy, took up too much time in the day, too early, too late. We made some 'mini banners' to cable tie to railings and fences around London. The banners could include any facts or statements to show their passion these craftivists had about global poverty and injustices. I brought a long a suitcase of crafts for people to use for free.

Whilst sewing and cross stitching the mini banners we discussed how these meetings could be as fun and fruitful as possible. We made a manifesto so there is a focus on what we will and won't campaign on, thought of how we would like the meetings to be structured (do we want an agenda. a theme for each monthly meeting, speakers to come in, a project completed each month...), when the meetings will be, how to promote the gruop and how to provide the craft resources.

So the plan is: we will have a meeting every 4rd Saturday of the month at 11am-2pm at the British Library (its central, free and meetings go on there all the time but we need to campaign to make sure they get Fairtrade tea and coffee in their cafe!). People will pay £2 each meeting to pay for the resources (this can change depending on how much the resources cost for each project). However we didnt want to confirm how the meetings would go until we have or first open meeting next Saturday. And that's why I'm pretty nervous and scared of the first proper meeting... :s

What if people disagree with my ideas of having themes or projects we all work on each month?
What if people offer some ideas I dont want to do but the rest of the group do want to do? What if no one turns up? What if people find me and the idea of the group boring? I am a bit of a control freak so this is super scary for me!

Any ideas on how you think these meetings should go? How would you do it?

bigger = easier

So this is the same design as the small one below but it is on a bigger grid. It's on a carpack fense off Hackney Road, London. It was a lot quicker to do because the grids where bigger so my fingers and hands could get around the back easier. I want to do more big grid work but I am struggling to find any 'blank canvases' in this material. Does anyone know of any? Please send me directions in the comment box so i can check them out and see if i can start doing some more cross stitch graffiting- I'm hooked now- I love it! :)

Am I improving?

So this is my second try at stitch graffiti. It’s a small one on Brick Lane, E1 London. I decided to do it at 1:30am on a Monday morning because no-one would be stupid enough to be up then right? Wrong! There where still some drunken students and some actual authentic drunks and worst of all; there was a guy (who sounded American) who wouldn’t stop watching me do my 'graffiti', asking what my tag name is and how i came up with the idea.I don’t have a name. Why should i? I'm not doing it for cool points Mr.; unlike himself who later couldn’t help but tell me he is a graffiti artist and i should look his name up "smiff with one f". I honestly don’t care about that world I just want to make people think and hopefully see that 'love stinks if you don’t act on it!'

but saying that: I'm really nervous that this man will steal my style. He kept asking how i was doing it, what wool i use, how i came up with the ideas, how i decide on designs and come up with designs etc etc. He saw my little scrap of cross stitch fabric with ideas on (and this one on i was using as a reference) and you could hear the cogs turning in his head. I told him it would be disrespectful if he stole my style but he just smirked.= Smif if you are out there: Please don’t do it! Please don’t steal my style! :(

This is my first: I'll get better... I hope

Ok, bear in mind that this is my first ever xstitch graffiti piece so I went for something quick and easy. It's supposed to say 'I hate dirty money' hence the smelly squiggly lines above the pound sign.

I did this about 3 months ago. Its done with thick wool and you can find it at the top of Brick Lane on Bethnal Green road.

I did it at 5am on a weekday thinking Brick Lane would be dead but it was so bright that day, loads of cars went past and i got a few heckles from random old guys saying "thats illegal you know". I agree; it is but its not permanent- you can cut it off with scissors really easily. I also got two lovely guys come up to see what i was doing. They were street cleaners and said that they hate having to clean off graffiti and stickers but they liked what i was doing so they promised not to take it off. And guess what?: its still there (yay!) and the weather has actually made it stronger and stiffer which is a relief because i thought the knots would get loose easily because the wool is so soft.

I hope it makes people think about how we spend our money, where our money goes and what it is supporting. Even if it doesnt make anyone else thing, every time i walk past it, it keeps me in check and reminds me to try and live ethically