Craftivism in The Guardian, The Liberty Crochet Mural, and Where I've Been
A note of gratitude, a bit of news, and some honest updates about THREADSTACK
Several of you have sent me The Guardian article that came out this week: “’Weapons of mass construction’: the US ‘craftivists’ using yarn to fight back against Trump.” Thank you for thinking of me.
The piece profiles fiber artists across the country using their craft to protest, from Portland knitters holding “knit-ins” outside ICE facilities to embroidery artist Shannon Downey’s work at the intersection of craft and activism. It traces the long history of what Betsy Greer named “craftivism,” connecting today’s work to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and beyond.
And yes, it mentions the Liberty Crochet Mural project.
For those who don’t know my history with this: I’ve been involved with the Northern California Liberty Crochet Mural since it began. I crocheted my own square, helped stitch the forty panels together, and in 2023 took over as the organizer responsible for public displays in San Francisco. I coordinated panels and events, including speaking on a panel about reproductive justice and fiber art at Drawing Room Annex during Women’s Month 2024.
I’m happy to share that the mural now has a permanent home. It’s installed indefinitely at The Women’s Building in San Francisco, where it’s included in the building’s self-guided audio tour. I’ll share a video below showing the installation.
The mural invites viewers to see collective labor as witness, grief processing, and solidarity. Hundreds of crocheters across the country contributed to these murals. Twenty-five identical 17’ x 11’ pieces exist nationwide, each stitch a small act adding up to something larger than any of us could make alone.
A Note of Thanks and Some Honest Updates
Thank you to everyone who subscribes to THREADSTACK. I mean that.
I’ve been quiet here in the second half of this year, and I want to be honest about why.
When I started THREADSTACK, I imagined it as a thriving directory and community: a place where all of us who love yarn and thread, fabric and fiber could find each other and weave together. I still love that vision. But the community engagement I hoped for never quite materialized, and maintaining the newsletter without that reciprocal energy takes more than I have to give right now.
So I’ve been focusing my energy on my primary Substack, Create Me Free, where I write about the complex relationship between art and psychology. I recently launched Creative Health Cartography, my methodology for mapping how your holistic health shapes your creativity across six interconnected domains. If you’re curious, I’m offering Creative Health Maps at 40% off through January.
Happy New Year
Updates will come as I figure out where THREADSTACK fits in my ecosystem. I haven’t given up on it; I’m just being realistic about capacity while I navigate what’s sustainable.
In the meantime, if you want craft-as-therapy essays from me, Create Me Free is where to find them. That’s where my heart and energy are living right now.
Wishing you all a new year filled with good yarn, meaningful making, and whatever form of quiet resistance sustains you.
With gratitude, Kathryn
