Hand crafts, feminism and women's history

[Theducksarenotmyfriends]

I'm part of a craft group (crochet, knitting, spinning, felting, sewing etc) and we'd like to start having discussions about the connection between hand crafts like these, feminism and women's history. Does anyone know of any good resources (articles, books, photos etc) to get us started? I'm open to anything!

That sounds really good.

I haven't read it yet, but Kate Davies Handywoman looks interesting.

Leeds Spinners union would be relevant too. They have a FB book which has a bit of history of their union and the banners they've made for protests recently are amazing.

Yes to Kate Davies. She was an academic (history) for years and her blog archives are a treasure trove of scholarly but accessible articles about women and crafts. She's wonderful.

kddandco.com

Oh, I was just thinking about this this morning - the weight given to men and women’s work in the arts.
Needlework being a “craft” while painting is “art” for example.

Thirding Kate Davies - all her books are meticulously researched. I’m actually wearing one of her designs right now :)

Can’t recall where I found it, but I was reading a piece a while ago about the role of women’s crafts in keeping some of the old folk ballads alive - apparently spinners and lace makers liked to sing happy songs about rape and murder while they worked and that’s how so many of these survived.

The Subversive Stitch is an excellent book.

Craftivism - where craft and activism cross over.

craftivist-collective.com/

The term was coined in the USA but the movement really got underway in the UK and is now global.

I remember reading this ages ago - knitting as a tool of espionage.

www.atlasobscura.com/articles/knitting-spies-wwi-wwii

I’m sorry about tooting my own horn, but we had this conversation ages ago, about FWR, the recipe rejoinder and feminism, which is aligned to your interests OP.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3284366-Taking-the-feminist-cake

Women's Work: The First 20000 Years by Elizabeth Wayland Barber

The Golden Thread by Kasia something. Fab but beware, some of her details are a bit dodgy eg she doesn't understand what a distaff was for and she doesn't have much feel for numbers so quite a few have extra zeros.

The catalogue from the V&A quilting exhibition a few years ago, will try and remember

And there is another one just out that covers craftivism that is meant to be good - will check my 'to read' pile later.

These are all great, thanks so much! Keep them coming! Kate Davies sounds amazing

This has had rave reviews and was on R4 as book of the week I think a. couple of weeks ago and sounded excellent.

www.amazon.co.uk/Threads-Life-History-Through-Needle/dp/1473687918?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Another craftivist resource.... a fascinating post about crafts at the Women's camp at Greenham. craftivism.com/blog/tag/greenham-common-womens-peace-camp/

I love the sound of these resources. Fascinating stuff. And yes, the Leeds Spinners banners were awesome - saw them at the Million Women Rise march recently.

I'm sorry I can't make links, but don't forget the suffragists and suffragettes. Mary Lowndes of the Artists' Suffrage League and her wonderful designs for the 'Mud March', and the Suffragette atelier. And, of course, Sylvia Pankhurst's designs for the cause. There was a lovely thread last year with posters here creating items in the WSPU colours for the centenary.

This is such a nice thread - thank you all for the recommendations.

Check out the norwegian/ swedish tapestry weaver / artist /activist Hannah Ryggen.

You might have some elderly relatives who would like to share their craft/art experiences.

Ohthedramz, that was the craftivism one I was trying to remember!

Winchester embroidery collective (name might be wrong) just did an amazing embroidery exhibition. I'll find the link in a bit, just got to go to work.

Norwegian embroidery and knitting is amazing. I read an article once which heavily scolded male critics for their inability to see it as an art form.

I read this a while ago about the selburose design from Norway. It was fascinating how one woman started a trend that goes on today and a whole knitwear industry for her home town.
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/576502/

Wonderful links. Love the idea of linking with older relatives and also maybe looking into family history. I'm interested in how hand crafts tie us to our ancestors (like my lovely late Gran who taught me how to knit)

This sounds really interesting.

Most of the weaving, spinning, stocking knitting etc was done by women in the home before factories.

Kate Davies is definitely one to read on this. Her book Handywoman but also her pattern books, like Yokes and Colours of Shetland which contain essays alongside the knitting patterns.

What a very interesting thread!

cakeandchampagne - so true about older relatives. My gran taught me to knit (she'd be well over a hundred if she were still alive!) She was very, very good - as in, designed patterns commercially for Paton and Baldwin's. So often we see older women dismissed as fuddy-duddy has-beens, but actually the creativity they had and still have into old age is amazing (my gran knitted well into her 80s).

A poster called SexNotGender just introduced me to the marvellous ecclesiastical embroidery of Juliet Hemingray, so I thought I'd pop in a link on this thread:
www.church-textiles.co.uk/framain.htm