View source for Crafting with Feminism: 25 Girl-Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy by Bonnie Burton

{{infobox1
|title=Crafting with Feminism: 25 Girl-Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy
|author= Bonnie Burton
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Crafts
|summary=25 craft projects with a feminist slant.  They're accessible to even the most cack-handed of us but it's probably not the book for you if you're looking for something more demanding.  Or if you don't have a sense of humour.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=112
|publisher=Quirk Books
|date=October 2016
|isbn=978-1594749278
|website=http://www.grrl.com/newhome.html
|cover=1594749272
|aznuk=1594749272
|aznus=1594749272
}}

For far too long it has been accepted that men will have free choice as to what they do and that women will somehow accommodate and adjust around them.  It's been a hard fight to get to where we are now - and there's still a way to go, particularly when you read the [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/philip-davies-feminists-cake-and-eat-it-tory-mp-mens-rights-conference-anti-women-comments-a7187351.html views] of people such as Member of Parliament Philip Davis, but the cause can't always be moved forward by being deadly serious, no matter how serious the cause: sometimes what you need is a little ''whimsy''.  We might take the cause seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously.  And besides, what's better than to unleash your creativity?

The book takes clichés about feminism and turned them into craft projects.  How about badges of honour?  Try on ''Leg Hair Don't Care'' for size (and comfort).  I've earned my ''#1 Bitch'' Badge and probably with added honours, and I loved ''Riots not Diets''.  None of the projects is particularly complicated - they're well within the capabilities of even the most cack-handed of us - but the reverse of that is that this is not the place to look if you are planning on making a patchwork quilt with a feminist slogan running round the borders.  Just about all the projects would be completed within an afternoon (preferably in company and making due allowance for the wine, the cake and the conversation...)

The heroes (I love that they're not heroines) of feminism finger puppets is probably the most complicated project.  I'm not certain about the practicality of making a 'pizza not patriarchy' reusable lunch bag, not because it's not a fun thing to do, but I'm not certain how effective it would be.  I loved the tampon buddies.  There are instructions for making a container for sanitary products - but why should it be necessary? - later in the book but the tampon buddies are small ornaments made from tampons.  The huggable uterus body pillow might sound rather strange but it's a very cuddly shape and it's practical: there's even a slot for a heating pad when you have the cramps.  You even get the instructions for making the microwaveable heating pad.

I thought the 'em-broad-ery hoop art' project might be going the long way round to create something very simple: it suggests using stick-on felt letters to create a slogan and then embroidering over them, but I tried it and the finished effect is far better than if you just embroidered straight on to material.  I was underwhelmed by the vagina tree ornaments.  I've never been into tree ornaments and the glitter seemed, well, ''itchy''.

I've just given you a flavour of the twenty five projects and being honest they're more about feminism than they are about crafting, but most off all they're about having ''fun'' and being open minded.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

If this book appeals to you then we think you might smile at [[Boobadoodle by Rosy Sherry]].

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