 Heather K. donated this green crocheted blanket / table cloth and then showed us how to add stitches to it. We'll use it as a patio umbrella cover for summer shade in the park. Do you ever feel you're waiting for a cataclysm to blow out the tension of living in this timeline? Sometimes I remind myself we aren't in a movie so explosions and violence won't resolve the problems we face. We do, however, need catharsis and relief - so what can we do? I'm drawn to collaborative, creative response: Creating together as a way of engaging with external events. I prefer to have quality of experience rather than quantity (volume of burgers served!). Often our gatherings are small - but they never feel insignificant. The conversations are helpful and interesting. Hearing other perspectives and stories is healing and joyful. Meanwhile, the upcycled crochet umbrella cover grows larger each week; daylily and crocosmia leaves become baskets; fingerless gloves are stitched into usefulness;, and embroidery flowers become a garden. A core parenting strategy from The Whole-Brain Child by Dr. Dan Siegel and Dr. Tina Payne Bryson advises parents to address a child's emotions first (connect) before attempting to teach a lesson, set boundaries, or solve problems (redirect). At the fieldhouse, we're likewise giving ourselves a nervous-system reset: working with our hands in ways our ancestors did, talking with each other. We also bring some of our dreams, aspirations (our world-mending) into our crafty reflecting pool - to share and build together. It's subtle, but week on week our connections grow, and I hope that building trust in these small groups supports everyone in the rest of their life. We also have the option to (Re-)direct our focus toward what we care about: actions that uplift people, provide mutual aid, educate, strengthen society, or keep our planet healthy. Even though I know what we are doing is small, it feels like we are building on solid ground. I'm looking forward to looking back on what has happened. I have a hunch that all this small incremental progress is leading somewhere good.  Dawn L., Heather K., Joei A, an d Amy W craft and chat at a Maker Drop In Wednesday May 6, 2026  Heather K., Dawn L., Grimm C., and Joei A. saying "Hi!" at Wednesday Maker Drop-in May 15  Dawn L., Grimm C. and Joei A. outside in the sunshine for Wednesday Maker Drop-in May 27.
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When the BC government announced they would be removing the PST exemption on yarn, thread, fabric, fibres and sewing patterns, we had a lot of discussion with fieldhouse participants, neighbours and others in the maker community from across BC. We decided to register our concerns about it with our MLA. In the case of the fieldhouse, that is Attorney General Niki Sharma.
Together wth Paula Linder, owner of Baaad Anna's yarn shop, we organized a meeting at Sharma's constituency office to request her help in retaining the PST exemption. I met with Paula at her East Vancouver home and we strategized ahead of our meeting. We summed up our argument in four main points:
On the day of the meeting we convened ahead of time over coffee with two other community members, Kate (my Mom) and Laura, and discussed our plans. Sharing our message with our MLA felt constructive and uplifting. I encourage others to meet with their MLAs (on this or other issues) If you, like us feel that we should be encouraging people who are making and mending clothing and other handcrafted items please sign this petition. Baaad Anna's has a good blog post detailing our discussion. |
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