Hello Craft is excited to be showing the highly anticipated, indie craft documentary film, Handmade Nation, as part of our Summit of Awesome!

Screening Location & Time
Theater J at the Washington DC Jewish Community Center
1529 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036

Screening #1: Friday, May 1, 6:30pm – For Summit Pass Holders Only

Buy Tickets
Buying a 3-day pass to the Summit of Awesome includes a FREE ticket to the 6:30pm showing.

Tickets to a second, 8:30pm screening can purchased online, starting April 8th.

What is Handmade Nation?
In 2006, first-time filmmaker Faythe Levine traveled 19,000 miles to document what has emerged as a marriage between historical technique, punk culture, and the D.I.Y. ethos. Handmade Nation gives viewers an inside glimpse into the fascinating world of the indie craft community through interviews and footage of crafters in their natural habitats – work studios and craft fairs. Featured crafters include Jenny Hart, Nikki McClure, Knitta’ and Deb Dormody, just to name a few

Levine lets the individual crafters shine as they talk openly about being part of an ever-growing DIY community. While each crafters’ individual work is highlighted in the interviews, it’s their expressed dedication to the larger indie craft movement that comes off as nothing less than amazing.  The indie craft community, as highlighted in Handmade Nation is one of the only economic rays of light in this troubled economy – and this film is a testament to that success.

More about the film can be found: handmadenationmovie.com

About the Director
Fythe Levine is the founder of Art vs. Craft, Milwaukee’s independent craft fair. She is also the co-owner and curator of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery. In 2007, Levine teamed up with Cortney Heimerl to write the companion book to the film, Handmade Nation, The Rise of DIY, Art, Craft and Design.

These crafters use vintage fur as their material of choice for creating a bevy of items, such as necklaces, wrist cuffs, hair accessories, and rings. They aren’t buying new furs to make these items — these crafter use vintage furs that were once coats, hats, rugs, and who knows what else, to make their goods. In no uncertain terms, these crafters are doing what has become a staple part of the handmade movement… upcycling.

Some of the best (regarding artistic design and structure),
of the fur upcyclers include:

Beckaboodle, who’s 1940’s inspired hair pieces are pretty kitch,

Recycled rabbit fur pillows from Coatcheck,

Dewberry Vintage’s upcycled stole,

and Tomatedepingles’ angel wings necklace.

During my college days, I participated in fur protests with P.E.T.A.  groups, and knew all the lyrics to Earth Crisis songs. And although I have settled into the life of a happy omnivore, I still have that wag-of-my-finger reflex when I see fur coats walking down the street.  So what intrigues me about these crafters and their choice of materials, is that they are running straight into the fur controversy with their craft, while also doing something noble in their upcycling efforts.

Fur has, for a long time, been a controversial textile. To some, fur is a soft and luxurious material, and to others it unequivocally represents the murder of innocent animals. But those who use repurposed fur are taking products with shady pasts, and giving them new craft life and meaning.

What peaked my interest on this furry topic is the latest “street craftism” installment from the artist Neozoon.

Work by Neozoon – Pictures by Vitostreet – All Rights Reserved

Neozoon’s  fur coats turned street art, were recently featured on Wooster Collective and Beautiful Crime. They’re a brilliant mix of silliness, beauty and upcycling, and provoke, whether intentional or not, ethical conversations over the use of fur.

There are those who believe that using upcycled fur still promotes the relevance of the fur industry. There are others who applaud the efforts of crafters and artists who choose to recycle fur to create goods. Wherever you stand, crafters are using repurposed fur, and by doing so, are allowing for both the reduction of waste and the need for virgin materials. This is upcycling at it’s best, no matter what side of the fur line you stand.