I’ve saved two articles about starting a craft night in the last month. Is it a sign? Molly Jean Bennett writes about how they’re for building community, which is the thing I hear about again and again as the antidote to despair and helplessness.
…sewing and knitting circles, with their complex gender, class, and racial history, foster whisper networks and the quiet dissemination of information.[…] I’m under no illusion that craft night alone is going to solve the childcare crisis, stop ICE raids, or ensure that trans kids can access medical care. But crafting with others builds strong community.
And, in a thematic 180, fashion designer Jessie Randall writes about her craft club, which includes friends in Vogue and professional flowers and hiring experts to teach (!). But strip away the eye-rolling parts and there’s a pretty solid framework for how to get started:
Our framework is this: each month one member of the group hosts the club. They come up with the craft, provide the supplies (and refreshments) and teach the craft to the group. The only thing you need to bring to craft club is yourself. When you are host, you can invite other people to join for that event. It’s fun having fresh faces.