Barefoot Vegan Mag Jan_Feb 2017

I
love to craft, it’s a hobby, and a passion, that I have
rediscovered in my thirties. I find crafting to be
surprisingly relaxing, mediative almost, and I spend as
much time channelling my creativity as possible. A lot
of my family and friends are baffled when I talk about vegan
crafting but frustratingly, a lot of crafting materials are nonvegan.
That’s right, a lot of crafting materials contain animal
products and/or animal by-products! Yes, it’s sadly the case
but on a positive note, eco-friendly and vegan crafting
supplies are becoming more and more popular and as a
consequence, retailers are being encouraged to cater for
conscious crafters.
As an example, paint and paint brushes are often nonvegan,
paint commonly contains charred animal bones,
cochineal, ox gall and squid sacs and paint brushes are,
more often than not, made from fur.
Personally, my main craft is crochet, so my key
consideration is wool. I refuse to crochet with any animalbased
wool, the most common of which is sheep’s wool.
The commercial wool industry is profit driven, shearers are
often paid per sheep and consequently, sheep suffer
emotionally and physically as a result of the shearing
process. I also prefer to use eco-friendly wools, with
bamboo and organic cotton being firm favourites.
When I’m crafting, I love to reuse items. I love the
challenge of creating something with items that are
considered “trash”. This is something that a lot of my
family and friends are aware of so they often pass me things
like buttons, corks, fabric scraps, glass jars, ribbon,
wrapping paper, and I especially love to craft them
something with the items they kindly donate.
I was actually introduced to the idea of craftivism when
my family and friends started offering to pay for my
creations. Initially, I felt a little awkward when
discussing potential prices, however, I soon realised
that I was being presented with an opportunity to use
my hobby to raise some much needed funds for not-for
-profit animal rescue organisations.
So, as a craftivist I use my creativity to make a
difference, albeit a small and gentle one. I donate all of
the profits I make from selling items I have crafted
and/or crocheted and excitingly, since mid-2016, I have
donated over $300.00 (AUD).
Recently, I was able to combine my love of crafting
and my love of food by hosting a Christmas
crafternoon tea. I was overwhelmed with how
enthusiastically my friends embraced the crafting
aspect and it was a fantastic opportunity for me to
share some delicious vegan food with them all.
I am looking forward to continuing with my
craftivism in 2017. I have some exciting ideas for
crochet projects that also raise awareness of important
animal rights issues.
The beginning of a New Year is the perfect time to
introduce a new hobby or like me, rediscover an old
hobby! So, if you’re feeling inspired to channel your
creativity, have a think about what you’d like to do;
jewellery making, crocheting, knitting, quilting,
sewing, card making, scrapbooking, or woodwork! Give
it a go, the possibilities really are endless! BV
Honey is the creator of Veggie Yum Yums, a
friendly vegan Facebook page, and the
Assistant Online Editor of Barefoot Vegan.
Click here to visit her website.
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