recycling for the masses

A not so new pattern at the DIY page & a very new post at Zickermans. Here's a very bad pic of what it looks like when stitched. Have fun kids!

a luta continua (this ain't a love song)

Today is March 8, the International Women's Day. Feels like one of those days when I should have something new & witty to present, but I don't. What I do have is a link to all the old posts tagged 'feminism' & some good old fighting songs for you.

when she talks, I hear the revolution / in her hips, there's revolution

Birthday gift for Stina.

I like this quote 'cause I think it's important to remember that the revolutionary struggle isn't some macho war ideal, it's life. It's the everyday choices we make, the choice to fight back, stand up and take control in ways that can differ a lot from time to time, situation to situation and person to person.

And I don't mean that in some sort of neo-liberal "anything goes!" way, but more in a "don't put yourself down 'cause you're not doing enough, look at the things you do, the choices you make & feel proud of them" way.

Edit: Sorry for sounding like a stupid self help book. Will do better in the future.

let the last storm hit us / let it strike at the hardest part / turn us all to mutiny / turn this boat upside down

Just a little thing that I made today for my friend Lisa.

There's another version of this at Rachel Mckay's & I'm pretty sure that Rayna's got one too, I just can't find it on the site right now.

strong I am with the force, but not that strong

This is my friend Linnéa, taking her first steps into the magical world of radical cross stitching. We had a craft session at my place yesterday, complete with soup, cookies and the most postmodern moment ever - when I accidently spoiled the end of Jane Eyre to Linnéa by mentioning The mad woman in the attic.

I'm so proud of my new protégé! My plan is to become her Yoda of cross stitching. She will worship me & my skillz and maybe bring me offerings in the form of cookies &/or DMC embroidery floss. Moahaha! (<- trademark Mad Scientist laugh)

Yes, the patter that she's stitching comes from the DIY page of Radical Cross Stitch, but for swedish readers it might also be known from this ever so lovely compilation of songs from the women's rights movement of the 70's:

It sounds something like this:

BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real

First of all: go to Radical Cross Stitch and read what I meant to write about the cross stitch in the last post, but didn't have the energy or words for then.

Second: some time back I got an e-mail from a German publisher, asking if they could use one of my cross stitches for a book they where putting together. Last week the book finally arrived in my mail and it looks like this:

It's a compilation of feminist texts, from Sojuorner Truth, the riot grrrl manifesto, Emma Goldman, Audre Lorde, Judith Butler and a lot of other writers/groups that actually say something to me about my life. So if you speak German and you're into reading classic feminist critique, go to Orange Press, send them an e-mail and ask if you can buy the book, wait for it to arrive at your home and then flip to page 97 where this cross stitch illustrates the chapter on Valerie Solanas.

"Radikales Handarbeiten": Über Tätigkeiten, die lange Zeit als "weiblich" galten, werden subversive Botschaften in vertrautem Stil präsentiert - hier der erste Satz des SCUM-Manifests.

I have no idea what it means, but I'm hoping it's something good.

hello kitty kathleen (forever in her debt)

When I started stitching this I had some grand elaborate idea in my head about trying to make a statement about girl culture, pop icons, feminism, cuteness-as-a-subversive-tool, riot grrl, feeling like an outsider even in the alternative culture & of course a bit of a homage to Kathleen Hanna, my punk rock queen.

Here's the song that inspired it all:

219 friends on facebook, but no one that calls on a saturday night

Apparently that's what it takes to get me back on the x-stitch track again. I stitched most of this yesterday & finished it this morning. I've had an idea in my head for quite some time to make something out of this Audre Lorde quotation & when I found a picture of her on the internet that really screamed "make me into a pattern!" I just had to do it. It's not easy to see, but there is two different shades of grey (oh good band! look here) in the portrait.

Audre Lorde was a caribbean-american poet & feminist, contemporary to Adrienne RIch & Sylvia Plath. She is often quoted in today's postcolonial & afro-american feminist critique, because of her early focus on racism & sexism & above all - how the feminist movement never will be part of the lived lifes of black or colored women if it doesn't confront its own power hierarchies. Racism & sexism is often based on the same type of structures & these structures are often so imbedded in the way that we perceive the world, how we make sense of it & how we judge it (in scientific terms), that if we do not confront this & deconstruct these structures then whatever freedom we get from it will only be freedom for some, not all.

See also the portrait of bell hooks.

he takes all manner of pills / and piles up analyst bills / in the country / oh, its like an animal farm / thats the rural charm / in the country

This is the result of four days away from the big city. Don't know what to do with it though.

but they took our ideas to their marketing stars / & now I'm spending all my days at girlpower.com / trying to buy back a little piece of me

I made a bookmark for my favourite librarian.

It went very well with the book I'm reading right now, The Popular Music Studies Reader. I mean, who could resist academic texts on topics like: Understanding hipness: 'subcultural capital' as feminist tool; Rules of rebellion: slamdancing, moshing and the american alternative scene; Voices from the margins: rap music and contemporary cultural production or Smells like teen spirit: riot grrrls, revolution and women in independent rock? It's really heaven for a sucker for subcultural nerdyness with a twist of academics like me. & I get to write about it & get credit for it! Makes me wanna start off every day with a song. Or some d-beat.

Anyhow, here's some close ups & since I'm off to the island for Easter vacation tomorrow (crafting! thrift stores! food! candy!) I'll leave you with a feminist anthem for the 21 century.

warm hands, cold heart

So I finished my first pair of knitted hand/wrist warmers today. Small step for humankind, but a huge leap for me. Tried to do something with a pattern this time & what could be better than to start off with the classic venus/feminist symbol?

It might not be the most neat knitting in the world, but I'm still learning... I found the pattern for the symbol at Subversive Knitting & then just sort of made the rest up. It was pretty easy & fast, good for a newbie like me. If i could, I would give you the pattern here but I actually don't know how to write out knitting patterns... They start with six rows knit 2, purl 2 (bottom) & end with four rows of the same, otherwise it's just plain knitting with two different colors & then sewing the two sides together & leaving a whole for the thumb. When you put them on it looks something like this (yes, it is very tricky to photograph your own hands):

being oppressed means the absence of choices

I'm re-reading bell hooks' Feminist theory: from Margin to Center right now, hence this small portrait of her. I'm thinking about removing it from the frame & making it into a patch to put on a t-shirt instead (just have to find a suitable tee).

For those of you that don't know, bell hooks (or Gloria Jean Watkins, which is her real name) is an american writer, feminist & scholar that deals with the relationship between sexism, racism & class. I like they way she challenges the contemporary idea of feminism as a movement & an expression that could mean just anything, depending on who defines it. According to hooks, feminism must be "the struggle to end sexist oppression" & that means that the dominant liberal feminism of today, that doesn't deal with class issues, can never be real feminism. She is relentless in her assault on white, middle class feminists (hey, that's me!) & the movements unwillingness to acknowledge & analyze it's own racism & class issues.

But at the same time as she advocates a raging criticism against how white feminists have excluded & marginalized black women or other ethnic groups & made their own strive for equality with privileged white men the goal, she's very clear on what has to be done: a turn towards companionship, solidarity & bonding between women (a bond that does not have it's roots in an imagined shared role as "victim" or "oppressed", but in shared strength & resources). She's even written a book that is all about love. I really recommend reading bell hooks to anyone who's interested in the ways that sexist, racist & class oppression works together & has to be challenged together.

madonna/whore, what a bore

This one is inspired by my friends in the newly re-united band Sju Svåra År - or at least I stole the quote from them. It's the swedish translation of "I don't give a damn about my bad reputation" & of course they got it from Joan Jett.

But more important is the fact that a woman that's not afraid of expressing herself in any way, especially sexually, is still seen as a "bad woman" in societies eyes - she's a whore, a slut, a sinner & if something bad happens to her, well maybe she deserved it. It must be very confusing growing up in todays (western) world, where the girls are bombarded with images of the "perfect" female body, with the demand on being sexy, being available, to always dress & act according to the expectations of the male eye, but at the same time balance on that thin line that separates them from "loose women". Not to recognize their own sexuality & say fuck it, I like sleeping around, I like being myself in any way, because if they do they might be marked for life. It is amazing that the notion that a woman who sleeps around is a whore & a man that does the same is a stud is still such a unchallenged part of society. So, to not give a damn about one's reputation, whether it be sexually or in any other way, is one of the things that maybe should be most important in the feminist struggle today.

(Okay, so I'm a little bit stressed writing this - I will probably edit this post later, to get my point across in a better way.)

back with a vengeance

It's been a couple of weeks with no inspiration, due to a lot of... well, stuff. But I got myself back on track again, by going to the ladies only craft night at Café Edenborg last week & also with some help from friends. So now I'm working on two different projects & that makes me feel pretty happy. But to get back to that good feeling you get when you've actually done with something, I spent a couple of hours stitching this little piece tonight.

I think I'm gonna put it on my bathroom door, since the text comes from some bathroom graffiti at one of the crappy Indian bars where me & my friends used to go & drink beer a couple of years ago (can't remember which though - maybe Indian Star?).

my fifteen minutes of fame

I've been a bit absent minded, both when it comes to updating here & crafting, for the last couple of weeks. But now I'm at least done with "the Valerie Solanas project", wich is actually a cross stitch I've done on request for my friend Siska's birthday. The birthday was a couple of weeks ago, but as usual it took me a bit more time to finish than i'd planned.

It is of course the first paragraph/sentence from Solana's SCUM manifesto, the raging text about all that's wrong in society. You could discuss Solana's writing & thoughts for days if you wanted to - was she a complete lunatic who committed a violent crime (she shot Andy Warhol!) & promoted a hateful feminist philosophy? Or was she a brilliant writer/artist that got abused & mistreated by everyone & everything in her life? I'm too tired do get into that right now (maybe I'll edit this later) but I think that, if you're Swedish, you should pick up a copy of Sara Stridsberg's book Drömfakulteten. It's a beautiful odyssey into the mind of Valerie, from the authors own fantasies & conception of her. Just read it.

Here's some close ups of the cross stitch:

I'm not a hundred percent happy with the way it turned out, can't say exactly what's wrong but I think it's something with the colors... & it's a pity that I don't have a better camera, 'cause it would've been nice if the pics shoved that I've used metallic silver floss for the smoke coming out of the guns. But I guess you can't get all that you ask for in life. Tomorrow it goes in the mail down to Gothenburg!

punk rock is not just for your boyfriend

Look, I made a new x-stitch! Read all about it at Radical Cross Stitch.

anger is a gift

& to celebrate my new lifeplan, here's the (almost finished) cross stitch that I'm gonna put on a tote bag that I made a month ago.

The text is in portuguese & comes from the Brazilian hardcore/trash band Infect's song Cansadas the ódio. In english it would translate to something like "tired of hate & oppression, it seems like the anger is the solution".

sweet dreams are made of this

Yeay, an update! I've finished some stuff during Easter (a weekend spent on Öland with my cousin & aunt, doing nothing but eating & crafting & visiting yardsales) so here goes:

My first encounter with feminism was probably through music - the angry screams of Kathleen, Corin, Tobi, Allison, Jennifer, Carrie & all the other riot grrrls. It was through them I got my first insights about issues like sexual abuse, female empowerment & sexuality. My first analysis of patriarchy was definitely soundtracked & fueld by the pure force of songs like Double dare ya.

We're bikini kill, and we want revolution, girl style, NOW!

So, I made a pattern for the classic jumping cheerleader with the text on it, but then decided to go another way. & I think it turned out pretty good, the plan is to make a pillowcase out of it.

Speaking of pillowcases, this is one that my cousin made last summer. I love the expression in the boy's face:

I'm to tired to make this into a proper update with text & all, so you just have to do with a crappy photo of another patch I finished in the car on the way home today.

cleanliness is next to godliness

I've had a pretty quiet weekend, just hanging out with friends & doing nothing of importance. Ended it with a day of laundry, cleaning & washing dishes today, don't think my home's been this clean in months... Such a perfect little housewife! But I've spent the evening finishing some patches that you can see above (once again, sorry for the crappy pictures - I don't own a proper digicam, just useing my cellphone & it dosen't get better than this). UPDATE: I changed the pic on the right, at least this isn't THAT bad.

The pattern for the one on the left is courtesy of Cross Stitch Ninja & you can find it at Radical Cross Stitch.

& all of you who live in Stockholm, don't forget that tomorrow is the demonstration against the privatization & gentrification of our city (more info here). Be there or be a spineless liberal!

join the revolution sisters!

Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, is one of the funniest men alive. He probably doesn't know it himself, but if you look at this list of quotes, you'll understand what I mean. The best part of this quote is of course that when you think about it, he's actually not that wrong... iId say that he's captured the essens of feminism with this, even though I'm still a bit confused by the witchcraft part.